Important Innovations Collection

Next-G, Helicopter Command Post Source:  Airbus Website Helicopter Travel's Future:  The H145 This is one of the world's most advanced military helicopters and it's still being developed to include more next-G technology.  The Airbus H145 is a multi-role helicopter that essentially functions as a flying computer.  Designed for the military, it's being developed and outfitted as a flying command post.  Airbus says it can be used for armed reconnaissance, weapons fire support, evacuation of the wounded and to rescue hostages.  C5 Capabilities Airbus is focused on expanding the vehicle's C5 capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers and collaboration/intelligence.  The H145 is a look at the future of military helicopter travel in battle zones. Brand New, Innovative Technologies The Airbus helicopter is a light, twin engine vehicle.  It can maneuver at low level altitudes where fixed wing aircraft and UAVs canno...

IKEA and Ori Developing Robotic Furniture Source:  IKEA Rognan Making the Most of Small Living Spaces The world's biggest furniture brand, Sweden's IKEA is teaming up with a US startup Ori that began at MIT, to launch shape changing, multifunctional robotic furniture.  They've just unveiled one of the top new innovations of the year - a moving, robotic room divider that makes the most of small living spaces, creating a living room, sleeping area, walk-in closet and more. Ikea Rognan This is the next generation of furniture where robotics, technology and design come together to address small living spaces.  The Ikea Rognan is an L shaped storage unit that moves with motors and a switch.  The functionality is impressive innovation.  Rognan serves as a movable room divider.  On one side there's a full bed that can be pulled out and secured back into the unit.  On the other side, there's a sofa to create a living room.  And on both sides o...

US Department of Energy's Aurora Source:  Argonne National Lab  One Billion-Billion Operations Per Second At the US Department of Energy's  Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago,  the US' first exascale supercomputer will be built at a cost of $500 million.  It will perform one quintillion, or ten with 18 zeros, operations per second.  That's 50 times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers. Argonne is operated by the University of Chicago.  Aurora is scheduled to start operating in 2021. Tremendous Possibilities The potential uses of this new supercomputer are tremendous.  It's being built for next generation artificial intelligence and combines that with unprecedented processing power.  Argonne Director Paul Kearns says it will accelerate breakthrough medical treatments, human brain mapping, improve extreme weather forecasting and much more.  It's also a powerful tool for simulations (in the picture above) that mo...