Important Innovations

  Airbus & Aston Martin's ACH130 Aston Martin Edition                                       Source:  Airbus & Aston Martin Sleek, Mean Flying Machine Britain-based, luxury automaker Aston Martin and France-based, aerospace giant Airbus are partnering again on a highly successful custom-built helicopter called the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition that they launched in 2020.  They built 15 of the aircraft. The vehicles just about immediately sold out to customers in North America, Latin America, New Zeeland, Asia and Europe.  The two companies just announced that they are going to build at least 15 more because of the strong and what they call "unanticipated" demand.  The ACH130 is sleek, posh, flies on a single engine and is loaded with highly advanced aviation technology.  It is worthy of Agent 007 James Bond, whose favorite car was the Aston Martin. Sleek Helicopter Inspired by a Spectacular Car This corporate, executive type helicopter is inspired by Aston Martin'

  ACH130 Aston Martin Edition: Perfect for James Bond                                       Source:  Airbus & Aston Martin Sleek, Mean Flying Machine Britain-based, luxury automaker Aston Martin and France-based, aerospace giant Airbus are partnering again on a highly successful custom-built helicopter called the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition that they launched in 2020.  They built 15 of the aircraft. The vehicles just about immediately sold out to customers in North America, Latin America, New Zeeland, Asia and Europe.  The two companies just announced that they are going to build at least 15 more because of the strong and what they call "unanticipated" demand.  The ACH130 is sleek, posh, flies on a single engine and is loaded with highly advanced aviation technology.  It is worthy of Agent 007 James Bond, whose favorite car was the Aston Martin. Sleek Helicopter Inspired by a Spectacular Car This corporate, executive type helicopter is inspired by Aston Martin's top p

  New NASA e-Plane May Fly This Year                                                                                                Source:  NASA Green Skies with the X-57 Maxwell NASA is spearheading a major transformation of the airline industry to electric power.  NASA's experimental plane, the X-57 Maxwell, is powered solely by electricity.  Maxwell is a member of NASA's distinguished tradition of X Planes, which are experimental. NASA expects to fly it this year to prove that Maxwell's unique electric technology works.  NASA converted a gas powered Italian Tecnam P2006T into the electric powered Maxwell.  The e-plane is a two-seater.  First flight is expected in late summer 2022. Unique Aviation Technology According to NASA, the aircraft's unique electric propulsion system allows the aircraft designers to develop new functionalities and much greater efficiency for the new plane.  Maxwell has no fuel tanks.  It uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to power the el

  Soaring into History                                      Source:  BMWi & Peter Salzman New Form of Zero Emissions Flight BMW i, a sub-brand of BMW focused on electric vehicles, and veteran skydiver Peter Salzman of Austria have set a world record for wingsuit flying.  BMW i and Salzman have invented a propulsion system, which is strapped around Salzman's chest. The flying wingsuit system allows him to fly like a bird.  Wingsuit flying is an extreme sport that has been growing in popularity during the past few years.  BMWi and Salzman have just made history with their unprecedented flight. Flying Science Fiction Their wingsuit invention is straight out of science fiction.  It is composed of two carbon filter rotors powered by lithium-ion batteries. It provides zero emissions, electric flying. The propulsion system provides up to 5 minutes of flight. Salzman switches on the flying suit as he hurtles through the sky from a helicopter.  He can increase the speed and also soar to

  Soaring into History                                      Source:  BMWi & Peter Salzman New Form of Zero Emissions Flight BMWi, a sub-brand of BMW focused on electric vehicles, and veteran skydiver Peter Salzman of Austria have set a world record for wingsuit flying.  BMWi and Salzman have invented a propulsion system, which is strapped around Salzman's chest. The flying wingsuit system allows him to fly like a bird.  Wingsuit flying is an extreme sport that has been growing in popularity during the past few years.  BMWi and Salzman have just made history with their unprecedented flight. Flying Science Fiction Their wingsuit invention is straight out of science fiction.  It is composed of two carbon filter rotors powered by lithium-ion batteries. It provides zero emissions, electric flying. The propulsion system provides up to 5 minutes of flight. Salzman switches on the flying suit as he hurtles through the sky from a helicopter.  He can increase the speed and also soar to h

  Boeing & Porsche Partner on Flying Porsches                   Source:  Porsche & Boeing Flying Car Concepts Multinational Research Effort Porsche and Boeing are combining their respective sports car and aircraft expertise to create a flying Porsche for your personal commuting.  An international team of experts from Chicago based Boeing and German based Porsche are coming together to work on the development project in three R&D locations: Germany, Switzerland and the United States.  Porsche will design the vehicle's body.  Boeing will engineer and develop the airborne vehicle's capabilities.   Air Traffic Control and Regulatory Environment The two global companies are also taking on a much wider challenge to ensure the eventual rollout of their new flying car technologies and other flying cars and urban air mobility systems.  They intend to focus on air traffic control and the regulatory environment for flying cars, including a new air traffic management system.  N

  Hermeus Hypersonic Jet                                    Source:  Hermeus Turbine Based Combined Cycle Propulsion System                                                                       Source:  Hermeus Hypersonic Aircraft Top Speeds of Mach 5.5 The Hermeus hypersonic jet with its projected top speed of Mach 5.5 or 4,219 mph is designed to be the world's fastest, reusable, hypersonic jet.  It would bring the flight time between NYC and London down to under one hour.  Hermeus, an aerospace startup headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is partnering with the US Air Force on the development of a hypersonic passenger jet. In a joint development contract, the USAF is providing $60 million for 3 years of development and testing.  The hypersonic jet would also be used by the USAF for critical missions. Hypersonic Travel The hypersonic speed of the aircraft comes from a unique engine system called the turbine based combined cycle or TBCC.  The 2- turbine combination is composed of a s

A  Look at the Exciting New World of Personal Mobility Green, Autonomous, Electric Driving and Flying Journalist Edward Kane's latest book "Future Transportation 2020's And Beyond"  has just been published by Amazon and Kindle.  The book contains valuable, fun, news you need to know on the innovative, new vehicles you'll be driving and flying in.  It's the future of personal mobility that rolling out this decade and beyond. To take a look go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08633CTBW&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_hX4CEbX55ARMQ You'll love this book and the exciting rides that await you.   amazon.com/author/ekane  I co-authored the book with Ed.

Blended Wing MAVERICK Source:  Airbus Future of Flying & Cutting Fuel Consumption French airplane manufacturing giant Airbus just disclosed that it has developed and tested a radical new flying machine.  It's a blended wing commercial passenger jet.  The new aircraft has great promise. It cuts jet fuel consumption by 20%.  And the radical, wide bodied, V-type design opens up tremendous opportunities to redesign the cabin area for passengers. In fact, it has the capacity to accommodate many more passengers than traditional passenger jets. Model Aircraft Demonstrated at the 2020 Singapore Air Show Airbus says this is radical new aircraft design.  It says it's testing disruptive aircraft configurations like the MAVERICK to evaluate their potential use.  They will continue testing their blended wing aircraft through 2025.  They demonstrated how the concept aircraft works with a small, remote-controlled version at this week's Singapore 2020 Air Show. Next Prio

Microrobots with Controlled Flight Source:  Harvard University Search & Rescue Missions Harvard's RoboBees are the first microbots powered by soft actuators to achieve controlled flight. They have soft artificial muscles that enable them to survive crashes and collisions making them perfect for search and rescue missions in dangerous, cluttered environments. The robobees are so sturdy, dexterous and resilient they can even crash into a wall or collide with another robobee without any damage. Hoverbots The tiny robots are equipped with actuators made from dielectric elastomers that deform when hit with an electrical current.  The actuators are soft and the Harvard team says they're easily assembled and scaled up.  Unlike other drones made with soft actuators, the robobees have enough power density to hover in place. Going for Commercialization The Harvard team has created a number of models including one with 8 wings and 4 actuators that can

Evolution of Flight from a Flying Dinosaur Source:  Chinese Academy of Science Bat Winged Dinosaur from the Real Jurassic Park This news is right out of the real Jurassic Park.  A fossil unearthed by a farmer in remote China in 2017 has turned out to be a well-preserved fossil of a flying bird-like dinosaur that flew on gossamer wings 163 million years ago.  The fossil documents a stage of evolution in aviation on multiple fronts:  dinosaurs to birds and different types of wings and aviation bodies to navigate most effectively. For more news details go to Important Innovations Collection: Fly Like a Dinosaur : Small, Bat Winged Dinosaur Source:  Chinese Academy of Science Evolution of Flight The Chinese Academy of Science just released their...

Drone-X-Pro Source:  Drone-X-Pro Easy Flying - Tiny Drone - Smart Gadget If you're interested in drones, the inventors of the Drone-X- Pro say this small drone is easy enough for anyone to operate.  It's the size of a cellphone that you can hold in the palm of your hand.  You charge the battery, install the App and in under ten seconds, you're good to go.  You control the small drone's flight by your smartphone. Foldable Propellers This is a precision engineered drone specifically designed for easy flying inside and outside.  Its propellers fold in for easy carrying and the design is lightweight. HD 360 degree Images The drone is equipped to take HD photos and videos and can capture 360 degree images from the air.  It's equipped with gravity sensors to automatically avoid collisions with objects and the ground.  Drone-X-Pro can fly up to 12 meters per second and a maximum  distance of 2 km.  And, it's capable of flying ten minutes without having to

Soaring Like a Bird AI Glider Nature Inspired Breakthrough Innovation Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have built an artificial intelligence powered glider - an autonomous, fixed wing drone - that learns to fly with the dexterity and maneuverability of birds.  This is another fascinating example of highly advanced technology imitating nature.  It also has ramifications for future drones. By riding air currents, they'd be able to fly longer and more efficiently. Advanced Algorithm They've equipped the drone with an advanced algorithm and control system.  That enables it to navigate wind currents like birds do.  The glider is totally dependent on the wind. It has learned to seek updrafts which enable it to stay aloft indefinitely. Very Smart Glider Bottom-line:  this is a very smart glider.  It can tell when it's approaching an updraft and then use the wind to maximize its time in the air.  The scientists' research and results were j

Quadcopter Drones with Wheels MIT roboticists have created what may be the world's most versatile robots.  They can fly and drive.  They are also autonomous.  And, according to the scientists, they can find their own safe paths. No Collisions The MIT team took 8, 4-rotor quadcopter drones and equipped them with 2 small motors and wheels. They developed algorithms to make sure they don't collide.  In test simulations, they fly and drive perfectly. Combo Vehicles that Work The robots can fly for 295 feet and drive 826 feet until their batteries run out.  The scientists say the most important implication of their research is that vehicles which combine flying and driving have the potential to be more efficient and useful than vehicles that just fly or drive.  They believe their experiments are helping to explore and forward ideas for flying cars.