Important Innovations

Textile Based Solar Cells Source:  Fraunhofer Institute Innovation from Germany with Many Applications German scientists have invented flexible, textile based rolls of solar cells that are integrated into a glass fiber fabric.  They say that tarps on semi-tractor-trailers  with these new solar cells embedded in them could harvest enough electricity to power cooling systems and other onboard equipment.  It's the invention of scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems in Dresden, Germany. Building Facades The potential uses of these new solar cell rolls are fascinating.  The scientists say building facades could be covered with the photovoltaic textile to generate power.  They envision blinds that provide shade in buildings could also be covered with the solar cells to provide yet another source of clean energy. Commercialization Within Five Years The scientists say there are a number of processes to enable solar cells to be incorporated

France's Flying Inventor Franky Zapata Source:  Zapata flying into Dover, England French Inventor Goes 106 MPH French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed the English Channel today on  a jet powered hoverboard that he invented.  It's a 22 mile trip that took him 22 minutes from Sangatte, France to Dover, England.  At times he reached speeds of 106 mph. Second Try Was the Charm For Zapata, the second attempt brought success.  In late July, he made his first attempt but fell into the water when trying to land on a refueling platform in the middle of the Channel.  He missed it by inches. During today's successful flight, he stopped once to refuel because he started the journey with just 10 minutes worth of fuel.  When he landed in Dover, he commented:  "We made the machine 3 years ago and now we've crossed the Channel.  It's crazy!" Zapata Industries Zapata the inventor has created Zapata Industries.  He invented the Flyboard

NORM  AR Googles  Source:  Human Capable NORM Glasses Your Glass Prescription Enabled The company is called Human Capable, Inc. Their innovation is NORM glasses.  It's a new form of smart glasses for augmented reality that are normal looking, lightweight and comfortable for wearing.  Importantly, they can incorporate your eye prescription into the lenses so that you can use them for normal glasses. This innovation comes from a US company based in South Florida.  The inventors behind NORM say this type of eyewear could be the primary interface for human machine interaction because of the proximity of the smart glasses to the eyes, ears and mouth. Your Digital World The company says that NORM offers a 24/7, hands free connection to your digital world.  It can function as everyday glasses with your prescription and then morph into something very different.  By pairing the glasses with a smartphone, it can offer many applications like making and receiving texts, calls, social

World's 1st Flying Personal Watercraft All Electric, Combo Boat and Hydrofoil From Australia, new innovation in the form of the world's first personal flying watercraft.  It's all electric, so it doesn't spew any fuel into the water.  Combining features from boats and hydrofoils, the watercraft is able to move above the water surface and provides a smooth, quiet and eco-friendly ride. The Australian inventors say it's a big development beyond electric jet skis.  For a great news blog with more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Flying Personal Watercraft - World First : WaveFlyer - Electric, Combo Boat & Hydrofoil Eco-friendly Summer Fun WaveFlyer is an all electric watercraft that's part boat ...

Boring Company to Set-Up Operations in China For China, Tunnel Based Transportation Systems Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk just announced that he's going to launch operations of his Boring Company in China.  He'll do so during a trip to China for an artificial intelligence conference late this month.  The Boring company builds tunnel based transportation systems, including the Hyperloop. From LA & Las Vegas to China Musk has momentum going with the Boring Company, which is far from boring.  Musk recently won his first commercial contract to build a mile long shuttle to ferry tourists around the Las Vegas Convention Center.  He's also built a test tunnel at the company's headquarters in suburban Los Angeles.  In July, he raised $120 million from outside investors to help fund his tunnel projects and proposals.  He wants to build a tunnel system to connect Baltimore and Washington, DC.  That is currently under environmental review.  He's also proposed

Polish Astronomers Provide Large and Precise 3D Scaled Map  Source:  University of Warsaw Surprise Finding "Warped and Twisted", Not Flat Astronomers from the University of Warsaw in Poland have created the most precise and largest  map of the Milky Way to date.  By tracking thousands of stars pulsating in the galaxy, they've created a 3D scale map of the system.  They discovered that it isn't as flat as a pancake but twists and turns in shape much more than previously thought by astronomers. Spiral Galaxy The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy measuring 120,000 light years across.  It's a mass of stars, gas and dust about 27,000 light years from the Earth.  The team found the distortions in the Milky Way are immense with some stars 60,000 light years away from the Milky Way's center. And, the galaxy's thickness is quite variable. Potential Causes The astronomers cited several potential causes for the "warped and twisted"

AI Chip that Makes the Bike Think and Understand Source:  Tsinghua University May Be Important Tech for Future AI A team of Chinese researchers have started focusing on autonomous transport in the form of bicycles as driverless cars continue to be developed. They may have come up on something big.  They've developed bikes with an AI chip that are self-balancing, steer around obstacles and respond to basic voice commands.  This is powered by a new kind of computer chip from Tsinghua University, which is a top innovation center in Beijing. Very Smart Chip This Tianjic chip is a hybrid design that works on two forms of computing:  conventional and a neurological one.  They combine for object detection, motor and balance control, voice recognition and more. China thinks this hybrid architecture could be the future of AI and  they're developing it.