Important Innovations

  World's First Vehicle With New Level 3 Self-Driving                                                       Source:  Honda Honda's Legend Sedan Rolls Out in Japan Honda has made a big global automotive step in the autonomous driving direction.  In Japan, it has just rolled out a partially self-driving Legend sedan.  That makes Honda the world's first automaker to sell a vehicle equipped with new, certified level 3 autonomous driving technology.  The vehicle is available for lease in Japan.  The rollout is a very cautious one with a limited supply of 100 vehicles in Japan.  This is a powerful example of a concept, self-driving car being commercialized. Traffic Jam Pilot The new technology is highly advanced.  The car's "Traffic Jam Pilot" system controls acceleration, braking and steering under specific circumstances.  Its purpose is to avoid accidents caused by human error.   How The Tech Works When the system is activated, the driver can watch a movie or use

  Volocopter of Germany, eVTOL Flying Taxis. in Singapore                                             Source:  Volocopter Takeoff by 2023 Germany's Volocopter will start flying taxi service in Singapore by 2023.  The first flights will carry a pilot and one passenger.  When cleared for autonomous operations, the Volocopters will carry two passengers.  This is a world first and the beginning of an exciting era of flying urban mobility with Singapore leading the way. Singapore At the Forefront Singapore is at the forefront of putting flying taxis into service thanks to its more supportive regulatory environment for deploying new technologies as compared with other nations.  The Volocopter is nimble and small enough to travel into densely populated cities and take-off from small spaces.  It's an eVTOL or electric, vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. Technology Innovation Volocopter says it is working with Singapore battery developers, material scientists and with authorities to

World's First Solar Powered Rail Road Source:  Indian Railway India's Green Experiment This is unique green innovation from India.  A large solar power plant has been built in Bina, India to directly feed solar powered energy to overhead power lines to power electric locomotives.  This is a major project of the Piush Goyaled Indian Railways.  The project is considered a world first. Testing Phase This is a joint project of Indian Railways and Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited.  It's a 1.7 megawatt solar power plant.  According to the companies, the plant can "produce 25 lakh of energy yearly and save an amount of Rs 1.37 crore for Indian Railways every year."  They are now testing the technology. 3 Gigawatt Solar Plant The plan is to install a 3 gigawatt solar power plant within a few years, after completing tests on their 1.7 megawatt solar plant system.  According to the Indian Railway Ministry, the power plant's feeding directly to the railway&

Smart Robotic Dining Source:  Qianxi Robot Catering Group Country Garden in Guangdong, China The world's first robot restaurant complex has just opened in China.  The robotic technology is phenomenal.  More than 20 robots developed for different restaurant dining styles are operating in the 2,000 square meter modern restaurant space.  They have assigned roles including food preparation, cooking and wait staff.  They can handle 600 diners at one time and serve 200 menu items in as little as 20 seconds. Multiple Robotic Dining Venues The complex, built by Qianxi Robot Catering Group, offers diners a variety of  dining choices, including fast food, hot meals, Chinese food, noodle shops and clay-pot rice venues, all delivered in seconds by robots.  Qianxi says that with the global pandemic, robot run restaurants help reduce human contact and the spread of the coronavirus.  Chinese technology experts say that Qianxi has highly advanced robotic technology and a huge pr

All-Electric Submersible Convertible for Land and Sea Source:  Rinspeed Swiss Mobility Innovation This is the ultimate, all-electric concept car for land and sea from Switzerland.  The sQuba is an all-electric vehicle that's the world's 1st fully submersible car that drives perfectly on land and underwater.  And, the travel from land to underwater is seamless.  It's a concept vehicle designed to demonstrate the future of mobility Straight Out of James Bond 007 The car designer is Frank Rinderknecht and his Swiss team at the Swiss mobility lab Rinspeed.  Rinderknecht has been creating innovative concept cars for forty years. The inspiration for the sQuba comes from the Lotus submarine car "Wet Nellie" that James Bond 007 drove in the 1977 movie "The Spy Who Loves Me".  That car was pure fiction.  The sQuba is the real thing. Submersible Convertible The sQuba is powered by three electric motors charged by lithium ion batteries.

World First in Medical Robotics Robotic Catheter Autonomously Navigates Inside the Body - Noninvasive Heart Valve Repair Bioengineers at Boston Children's Hospital have invented a robotic catheter that has autonomously navigated inside the body. It noninvasively repaired leaking heart valves on animal models.  This is a world first and may usher in brand new possibilities in the practice of medicine.  For a news blog, go to  Important Innovations Collection: 1st in Medical Robotics : Autonomous Robotic Navigation Inside the Body  Source:  Boston Children's Hospital Robotic Catheter Noninvasively Repairs Leaki...

World's First Outdoor Parking Lot Robot Valet Service Source:  Stanley Robotic New From Stanley Robotics Stanley Robotics just premiered its car parking robot, Stan. Stan is autonomous and electric powered. The robot is loaded with artificial intelligence. And it's the world's first outdoor parking lot robot valet service. Stan is designed primarily to park cars at airports.  Consider the convenience and time savings the car parking robot potentially delivers to travelers late for a flight. Robotic Parking System Stanley has designed more than Stan the robot.  Stan is part of a total package.  The package includes: private parking lots not open to the general public  spacious, bright box-like containers to drop off your car terminal reservation system Stan valets AI The AI enables the robots to navigate to the car being dropped off.  It gently picks up the car with its arms that are like forklifts.  The robot then slips the car into a parking spot.

World History Made at the New York City Half Marathon Thomas Panek and Gus at NYC Marathon Blind Runner Completes Race with his Guide Dog Gus Thomas Panek became the first runner to complete the NYC Half Marathon with no sight.  He crossed the finish line with his long time guide dog Gus.  Panek lost his sight 25 years ago but he never lost his love of running. At first frightened to run, he started running again being guided by human volunteers.  But, being tied to another person eliminated the independence of running for him.  So, he tried an innovative approach - running with his guide dog.  He made history at the NYC Half Marathon, finishing the race with his long time guide dog Gus with no human assistance. CEO/Entrepreneur Panek and His Team of 3 Labs The athlete is CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit that provides "superbly bred and trained dogs for blind and visually impaired, free of charge.  For the NYC race, Mr. Panek actually used his trio

Byton M-Byte All-Electric SUV Source:  Byton's M-Byte German-based Electric Car Startup Byton Byton's all electric SUV the M-Byte has just been unveiled and the German innovation company says it will be available by mid-2019 in the US.  This SUV is loaded with innovation that includes artificial intelligence, 5G, total connectivity, and a 48 inch display that's the width of the vehicle Driving and Totally Connected Byton is rolling out two all-electric models this year.  The entry level has a 250 mile range on one charge and starts at $45,000.  The second model has a bigger battery, bigger price tag and a range of 320 miles on one charge.  This is the first vehicle in the world that can provide full connectivity while driving.  It has built-in 5G and multiple antennas. Driving Tech Inside the vehicle, there's a huge 48" display on the dashboard that spans the width of the SUV.  There's  a stationary driver's 7" tablet that's mounted

Big Blue's Quantum Computer Source:  IBM Q System One World First IBM has unveiled the world's first commercial and standalone quantum computer.  The IBM Q System One is the first quantum computer to leave the research lab.  It's on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  The computer sits inside a 9 foot tall and 9 foot wide glass case.  It is the same display case as the one that protects the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.  The computer is so powerful it leaves supercomputers in the dust.  For a news blog on the unveiling go to Important Innovations Collection: IBM Unveils Quantum Computing System : Big Blue's Big Computer Source:  IBM Quantum Computer IBM Q System One IBM is unveiling an integrated system for Quantum comput...

Preventing "Insect Apocalypse" Critical to World Food Supplies Source:  Stock Image of Bee  Medical Innovation Breakthrough from Finland Bees are vital to the production of global food supplies.  They help fertilize 3 out of 4 crops globally.  They do so by transferring pollen from male to female flowers.  Bees are being wiped out by disease.  Scientists in Finland have innovated the world's first vaccine to protect bees against disease. Drastic Bee Population Decline There has been a drastic decline in bee numbers that could cause a global food crisis.  The bees have been dying from what's called "colony collapse disorder", a mysterious bee epidemic worldwide.  A United Nations study indicates that 40% of the world's bees and butterflies face extinction.  Scientists warn that will result in higher food prices and food shortages. Medical Innovation Breakthrough The new vaccine was developed by scientists at Helsinki University.