DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

AUDI'S TOUGH & BEAUTIFUL ACTIVESPHERE

                                                    Source:  Audi Activesphere

• Audi has unveiled its Activesphere car concept & it's a show stopper that could radically change off-roading
• It's a rugged, off-roading SUV with elegant, good looks, adding up to a new concept that's both tough and beautiful
• Big with lots of body protection, particularly with the front skid plate & side skirts to guard it from off-roading damage
• Body is sweepingly aerodynamic with extra height on 34" wheels
• Designed to be mostly autonomous with the option for a driver to take the wheel
• Interior can be transformed to accommodate an active driver with the dashboard rising from the floor & the steering wheel emerging from underneath
• Interior can also be configured into an airy lounge to go along for the autonomous ride
• Particularly fascinating: no driver controls as Audi envisions hand gestures or AR glasses doing the job
• Activesphere is getting great reviews with many experts hoping Audi will put some version of it into production within 5 years.

YOUR MICROROBOT MED TEAM WILL SEE YOU NOW

                                                Source:  Tel Aviv University Microrobots

• Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University have developed tiny, microrobots, capable of scanning human cells to identify them as healthy or not
• The microbots have successfully singled out cancer cells and moved them to another location for later diagnosis
• These minuscule medical robots are only 10 microns across and could be gamechangers in health care
• Besides identifying and moving cells, they are also capable of delivering medications to targeted parts of the body
• The bots can move autonomously but the Israeli scientific team can also control them using magnets or electricity
• This highly innovative, robotic approach to medicine is rapidly unfolding & could provide breakthrough treatments for diseases like cancer
• This research was just published in the Journal of Advanced Science.

FLYING WITH NO HUMAN PILOT

                            Source:  Xwing/Cessna & Airbus

• Some leading aviation experts believe autonomous planes are on the near horizon & will arrive before autonomous cars hit the roads
• Of note are 2 aviation startups in the US, Xwing & Reliable Robotics, that are developing aircraft that fly autonomously without the need for a human pilot 
• Both have equipped and retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft for fully autonomous flight
• XWing's Superpilot self-flying system has been extensively tested and the company says it is capable of gate-to-gate autonomous flight
• Reliable Robotics' advanced navigation & autoflight system is also being successfully tested per FAA authorization
• Both companies expect to launch commercial operations with their autonomous planes by 2025 when they expect FAA certification
• Pilotless commercial passenger jets are expected in 10+ years, although AirBus has successfully tested takeoffs & landings with their commercial jets.