Important Innovations

  Ford's Car of 2030 - Red, Electric & Flies Source:  Ford Car of 2030 Surveys Offer New Insights into the Future of Driving Ford has surveyed more than 500 girls and boys to learn what the kids believe their car of the future should look like and be capable of in 2030 when they start driving.  The survey's findings have resulted in these artist renderings by Ford's top designer Nedzad Mujcinovic of the Car of the Future 2030.  As you can see from the images, the young people want a car for themselves that is red, totally electric, safe, fun, comfortable and is capable of flying. Safe, Electric and Autonomous The kids surveyed are 8 and 9 year olds, who expect to learn to drive in 2030.  They have a very definitive, collective point of view.  They want the car's power source to be totally electric with zero emissions.  They put a very high priority on their car of the future being good for the environment.   The kids also want the car to have very high levels of saf

  A Billionaire's Vision and Dream of Utopian City Telosa                                              Super:  Telosa Renderings New City in Southwestern US that Could be Home to Millions Billionaire Marc Lore, who funded e-commerce company Jet.com, wants to build a totally sustainable new city to house 5 million residents in the southwestern US.  To do so, he is employing a very accomplished architect Bjarke Ingels of Denmark along with his firm Bjarke Ingels Group to design his city of the future.  It is called Telosa, which is Greek for "higher purpose". The city is financially based on a community owned business model.  The mission of the city is to create a sustainable and equitable future.  Telosa's website says of Telosa: "What if you pay the same taxes today but get the best social services for any country in the world?"  The question is: Is this quixotic, utopian city envisioned by a dot.com billionaire worthy of your consideration?  Let's dive

  Skywalker Can Fly for 90 Days Straight                                             Source:  Skydweller Aero New Green Travel Technology The US Navy is developing, in conjunction with aerospace company Skydweller Aero, a breakthrough solar powered plane that is pilotless and can fly nonstop for 90 days straight.  It is called Skywalker and the solar technology powering the plane is spectacular.  There are 2,900 square feet of solar cells on the wings which generate 2 kilowatts of power.  The solar plane can soar nearly 46,000 feet into the air and cruise at 100 knots.  The potential uses for this aircraft are fascinating.  It can serve as a conceptual technology platform for green commercial air travel in the future.  It will be used as a communications platform for the US Navy to monitor and communicate with naval ships.  Skywalker is considered an unprecedented autonomous system for commercial and government uses in telecom, transportation, meteorology, geospatial applications and f

  Fully Autonomous, eVTOL Personal Air Mobility                                             Source: NeXT iFLY US Advanced eVTOL Startup NeXT US air mobility startup NeXT has created a highly advanced, one person e-VTOL that vertically takes off and lands like a helicopter.  No airport runway or infrastructure is needed.  The vehicle is called iFLY.  The company says it is planet friendly as it is fully electric with zero emissions.  It is also fully autonomous with no pilot needed.  It is designed to be a very affordable means of personal air mobility. Unique Flying Technology The vehicle operates with a mobile app that works on both android and iOS.  The rider needs to select a destination landing spot provided on a touchscreen, which in turn provides iFLY instructions to reach the desired destination.  The EV operates with 8 propellers in protective safety enclosures powered by 8 battery electric motors. More Unique Technology According to the company, iFLY has a unique combination o

  Seagliders at 180 mph Skimming the Waves                    Source:  Brittany Ferries Seaglider Artist Rendering Crossing the English Channel in 40 minutes UK ferry operator Brittany Ferries is collaborating with Boston startup Regent Craft to develop a zero emissions, electric, super fast ferry that skims above the waves like a hydrofoil.  The Seaglider electric ferry is a battery powered craft that is part plane and part ship.  It's a regional, electric, ground effect, nautical transport (Regent) vehicle.  It could reduce the time it takes to cross the English Channel between Portsmouth, England and Cherbourg, France from 8 hours by conventional ferry to 40 minutes.  The Seaglider is being developed to reach speeds of 180 mph, carry up to 150 passengers and is expected to launch in 2028.  Smaller versions will launch as soon as 2025. Awesome New Travel Technology Seaglider technology is similar to that of a hovercraft and  a hydrofoil.  It incorporates wing-in-ground effect tec

  Seagliders at 180 mph Skimming the Waves                    Source:  Brittany Ferries Seaglider Artist Rendering Crossing the English Channel in 40 minutes UK ferry operator Brittany Ferries is collaborating with Boston startup Regent Craft to develop a zero emissions, electric, super fast ferry that skims above the waves like a hydrofoil.  The Seaglider electric ferry is a battery powered craft that is part plane and part ship.  It's a regional, electric, ground effect, nautical transport (Regent) vehicle.  It could reduce the time it takes to cross the English Channel between Portsmouth, England and Cherbourg, France from 8 hours by conventional ferry to 40 minutes.  The Seaglider is being developed to reach speeds of 180 mph, carry up to 150 passengers and is expected to launch in 2028.  Smaller versions will launch as soon as 2025. Awesome New Travel Technology Seaglider technology is similar to that of a hovercraft and  a hydrofoil.  It incorporates wing-in-ground effect tec

  First Missions to Inferno Like Planet in Late 2020's                                                                                                                                                                      Source:  NASA Search for Interplanetary Answers NASA will launch two new missions to Venus between 2028 and 2030.  These missions of discovery will be the first explorations of Venus in thirty years.  NASA Administration Bill Nelson says the purpose is to provide new understanding of how Earth evolved, why it is habitable and why other planets in our solar system are not.  Nelson added that planetary science is critical to answering key questions like "Are we alone?" $1 Billion in Funding   The two selected mission concepts are called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.  Each will be given $500 million for development funding. DAVINCI+ will measure the composition of Venus' atmosphere to learn how the planet formed, evolved and if it ever contained an ocean.  DAVINC

  Flying Car Ambulances                                             Source:  Urban Aeronautics Israel & USAF Developing Flying Car EMS Vehicles Israel and the US Air Force are separately developing flying cars to save lives.  Israel claims to have the first ever flying car ambulances in development.  Urban Aeronautics of Israel and Hatzolah Air of Queens, New York are partnering to develop a flying EMS ambulance vehicle.  It's called CityHawk and they expect to have it in operation within five years.  One of the most strategic applications for flying cars is to deploy first responders to accident scenes by flying them over traffic, gain access to difficult locations and get to the location more quickly to save lives. Plans for CityHawk CityHawk relies on hybrid propulsion and is designed for medical rescues particularly in urban areas.  It will be suited with a complete package of life support equipment.  It can support at least five people, including the pilot, two medical tec

  COVID Kids' Vaccine Moves Forward                            Source:  Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine 100% Effective in Initial Data From Trials Germany based BioNTech and Pfizer announced today that their COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in teens, according to their initial data from ongoing trials in children from 12 to 15 years old.  The companies added kids tolerate the vaccine very well.  Their vaccine has already been approved for emergency use in young people 16 year old plus and adults.  The companies, based on their new data, say that they believe it is safe and effective for kids 12 to 15 years old to receive the two shot vaccine.  Their data is being forwarded to the FDA for its review and possible approval for use in young teens to protect them from COVID.  The companies hope to start vaccinating kids before the start of the new school year in fall of 2021. Testing Ongoing For Kids of All Ages The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shot into the arms of hundreds of mill

US President Joe Biden To Open Up Offshore Wind Development                                                         Source:  Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island Much Greener US Power Mix US President Joe Biden announced today that he is greatly expanding the nation's offshore wind capacity to combat climate change.  Offshore wind power is a critical component of  Biden's goal of eventually reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions and providing 100% clean electricity by 2035.  He plans to generate 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power by 2030.  That would provide enough energy to power 10 million homes and eliminate 78 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. Wind Projects to Fight Climate Change & Create New Jobs President Biden intends to open new stretches of ocean areas to wind farm development, starting with the New York Bight in the waters off Long Island, New York.  He also intends to streamline the permitting process and provide billions of

Germany's BioNTech & Pfizer Test COVID Vaccine for Kids                                                             Source:  Stock Image of Child & Vaccine                                                            Source:  BioNTech & Pfizer Breakthrough Medical Innovation Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech hope to be able to vaccinate children under 12 years old against COVID-19 by early 2022.  Early stage trials started in late March 2021.  The volunteers (via their parents) are as young as 6 months old.  The Pfizer BioNTech COVID vaccine for adults was the first authorized for use in the US in mid December 2020 and among the first to hit global markets in late fall 2020. In the US alone, 66 million people have received it. Shot In The Arm Only the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is being used on 16 and 17 year old teens in the US.  Moderna's vaccine has been cleared for those 18 years and older.  No vaccine has been authorized for use on children under 16 year old in

US Presence Expected to Reinvigorate War Against Climate Change Source:  Polar Bear On Ice Fragment US Aggressively Pursues Net Zero Emissions The US today officially rejoined the Paris Climate Accords that former President Donald Trump withdrew from several years ago.  The move by the Biden Administration is expected to reinvigorate the fight against global warming.  President Joe Biden is planning dramatic CO2 emissions reductions over the next thirty years.  President Biden ordered the re-entry on his first day in office.  Today, it became official.  Nearly 200 nations signed the 2015 agreement.  Only the US withdrew with Trump saying fighting Climate Change would cost too much.  He also questioned the accuracy of the science behind it. Net Zero Emissions Goals As part of the re-entry, US Climate Envoy John Kerry is taking part in virtual events today including with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterra.  President Biden wants the US to be at net zero emissions by 2050.  Climate scie

  Zipline Vaccine Deliveries by Drone                                        Source:  Zipline Potential New Remedy to Vaccine Shortages  In the business of drone deliveries, Zipline is by far the biggest player.  It has extensive experience delivering blood and vaccines by drones.  In fact, in 2020, it delivered one million doses of non-COVID-19 vaccines in Africa alone.  It is now about to tackle the difficult logistical task of delivering COVID vaccines. Vaccines Coming By Flying Drones Zipline is a 7 year old startup, headquartered in San Francisco.  It just disclosed that it is developing a COVID vaccine drone delivery system with a COVID vaccine manufacturer.  Zipline did not name the manufacturer that it's working with.  The delivery process is very complicated because many of the vaccines like those from Pfizer and Moderna need to be kept at cold temperatures or they de-nature. April Takeoffs Zipline says it will have "end to end" cold chain capabilities" in p

  Global Development of Commuter Electric Planes Source:  Eviation's Alice US, UK, Israel Global Epicenters of E-Plane R&D One of the hottest new areas under development for the future of travel is electric and hybrid electric aircraft.  Major centers of electric plane innovation include Israel, the US and the United Kingdom.  In the UK, a startup aviation company Faradair plans to deploy a fleet of 300 electric planes by 2030.  The planes can carry 18 passengers.  They are tri-planes driven by propellers that are powered by electricity.  Faradair just contracted with Seattle, Washington based MagniX to provide electric motors for the fleet. MagniX Washington based MagniX is an up and coming player in the electric aviation industry.  It has a deal with Sidney Seaplanes in Australia to retrofit a 9 passenger Cessna with battery powered electric motors and is also retrofitting a 40 passenger de Havilland Dash 8Q-300 with two electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells.  At thi

  FAA Approves Small Drones Flying Over People & At Night                                                      Source:  Amazon Opens the Way to Widespread Commercial Drone Deliveries The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just approved small drones flying over people and at night.  This regulatory clearance is viewed as enabling the start of widespread commercial drone package deliveries in the US.  For companies like Amazon, Walmart and UPS, this is a long-awaited decision and a big business opportunity.  Until now, drones have been restricted to very limited operations involving direct participants and required FAA clearance and waivers for more public exposure, such as testing drone package deliveries in specific neighborhoods. Security Issues The FAA is addressing security concerns by requiring remote identification technology on the drones so they can be identified from the ground.  The new regulations take effect in March.  Drone manufacturers have up to 18 months to p

 Journalist Edward Kane's  Latest Books on Innovation                                                       Source:  Amazon Available on Amazon & Kindle Journalist Edward Kane's latest book "USA: THE INNOVATION SUPERSTAR" is now available on Amazon and Kindle.  It showcases the top new innovations just invented in the US for the 2020's.  For  a preview, go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08R269FRV&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_uDo4FbGAH2N70 Ed's two previous books "EUROPE: THE GLOBAL INNOVATION LEADER" and "ASIA: THE INNOVATION POWERHOUSE" are perfect companion books.  They chronicle big innovation breakthroughs in Europe and Asia.  To preview Europe, go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08MSDR7JZ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_9Fo4FbP0NZN9T   The three books provide a fascinating look at the most exciting innovations from the US, Europe and Asia.   To preview

  COVID Vaccines Very Close to Market                                             Source:  Moderna Hope For a COVID Weary World Moderna, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, is seeking US, EU and UK emergency authorization for their COVID vaccine.  The vaccine has proved to be 94% effective.  The company adds it has no serious side effects. Highly Effective More than 1.5 million people have died from COVID.  Moderna says the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID.  It also works across demographic groups, including age, gender, ethnicity and race. Second COVID Vaccine Close to Market This is the second vaccine that is now under review for emergency authorization.  The other vaccine was developed by Pfizer and its German biotech partner BioNTech.  That vaccine is 95%.  Both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines could be on the market within two weeks.  Both vaccines were developed with a new technology called messenger RNA (mRNA).  Moderna says it will have 20 million do

  Shanghai and California Based Autonomous Driving Company                                                                                Source:  Pony.ai Lexus SUV Backed by Toyota China startup Pony.ai has just secured $267 million, on top of a recent $462 million, in another round of funding. That values the company at $5.3 billion, which makes it the world's most valuable independent autonomous driving startup. It has a much higher valuation than rivals Nuro and Aurora. Toyota Backed The Shanghai and Fremont, California based company is backed by Toyota, with which it is exploring mobility solutions.  Bottom-line:  this is a very hot startup.  And the funding for it comes at a time when global automakers, technology firms and investors, as well as Tesla, Uber and Waymo, are pouring money into developing self-driving vehicles. Timeline and Plans Pony.ai plans to use the funding to develop technology and expand its fleet.  In early 2019, it started developing autonomous truck tec

Switzerland and Sweden Leading the Way                                                                 Source:  Swiss Innovation Council 2020 Global Innovation Index (GII) The 2020 Global Innovation Index ranks Switzerland and Sweden as the #1 and #2 Innovation countries in the world.  For Switzerland, this is the 10th year of ranking number 1.  Europe has clearly become the global epicenter of innovation.  Eight of the top 12 leaders in innovation are European countries:  Switzerland #1, Sweden #2, UK #4, Netherlands #5, Denmark #6, Finland #7, Germany #9, France #12.  The US came in #3 in this year's annual ranking of 131 nations using 80 metrics to evaluate the level of innovation around the world. COVID-19's Impact The GII experts say COVID-19 is "severely pressuring" the long term build-up in global innovation, while it is also accelerating innovation in specific areas, particularly health care.  GII says the leading nations in innovation show year-to-year stabil

  New Acela 2021                                                  Source:  Amtrak  Acela Speed Testing for 165 MPH America's fastest train, the Acela, is going to go faster.  It's being speed tested at a 30,000 acre facility near Pueblo, Colorado for its rollout in 2021.  The train will hit speeds of 165 mph in the Boston to Washington, DC corridor.  Amtrak is calling it "a gamechanger". The actual increase in speed is about 15%. More Energy Efficient The new Acela will use 20% less energy, carry 25% more passengers and cut 15 minutes off the train trip between Boston and Washington, DC which takes about 5 hours,  And, there is a lot of new technologies being incorporated into the Acela trains. US vs. Asia and Europe In terms of fast train technology, the US is behind both Europe and Asia.  The primary reason is the lack of investment in new infrastructure that can carry high speed trains.  Some parts of the Boston to Washington, DC train corridor are 100 years old.