Important Innovations

Thwarting Bird Strikes on Planes Miracle on the Hudson Caltech, Imperial College London & South Korean scientists have just developed an autonomous flying drone that herds birds out of airspaces.  They investigated the problem of flocking birds hitting aircraft, which happens daily, putting passenger lives in danger.  They've developed a robotic aerial device - a robo bird that herds.  Their research was inspired by the "Miracle on the Hudson" - the US Air jet hit by birds that the pilot landed on the Hudson River. Robo Bird Just one of the new drones can redirect an entire flock of birds.  It has a new herding algorithm.  The algorithm enables a flying drone to herd a flock of birds away from an airspace without hurting them or breaking their formation.  The scientists and engineers created the algorithm by carefully observing flock dynamics and how the flock interacts with flying objects. Successfully Tested The herding drone was successfully tested in So

Stratolaunch Space Ventures - 4 New Satellite Launch Vehicles Paul Allen's Space Innovation Fleet Space Service 2020 Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's space company Stratolaunch is targeting growing demand for satellite launching vehicles.  He wants to make booking and getting into orbit on a satellite as easy as booking an airplane flight.  Sounds like the Microsoft way.  Stratolaunch just announced a fleet of 4 space vehicles:  a reusable space plane and 3 launch vehicles for satellites.  They expect to start space service in 2020. Capabilities Include World's Largest Plane as Launch Platform This system is proprietary and unique.  It will use the world's largest aircraft as a mobile launch platform.  It's capable of deploying launch vehicles to carry satellites to multiple orbits and inclinations on a single mission. More Details The vehicles just detailed by Allen's company include the space plane, the Pegasus (access into orbit with 35 success

Sat Capable of Measuring Temperature on Sea Surface China's Marine Satellite   China just launched a satellite to help improve global understanding of climate change and oceans.  The satellite is so powerful it can detect temperatures on the ocean surface.  It also has the power to detect chlorophyll, suspended sediment concentrations and dissolved organic matter which impact the color of the ocean. Retrieving Vital Data on Climate Change and Global Oceans The Chinese satellite will help monitor ocean color and water temperatures.  The purpose is to retrieve data to research the global ocean environment.  The satellite is a HY-1C and has a design life of 5 years.  It will study global environmental changes like El Nino and the role of oceans in the global carbon cycle. Monitoring Chinese Waters According to the Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the sat will also survey China's offshore waters, islands, coastal zo

DARPA's ALTA Project - Up, Up & Away Flying Wind Currents at 90,000 Feet The U.S. Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is going back into stratospheric balloon research and development.  After a hiatus of several years, it's launched a project to demonstrate that balloons, lighter than air, can drift between wind layers and go into the stratosphere for days and weeks at a time.  The balloons can reach altitudes up to 90,000 feet. Potential Uses:  Delivering the Internet to Remote Locations - A Google Idea DARPA is working with Raven Aerospace on the project.  Raven has developed super pressurized balloons capable of long duration.  The fact that DARPA has gotten back into developing this technology tells you the capabilities are very promising. The balloons could obviously be used for surveillance and intelligence.  And, there's an intriguing idea that Google is separately working on.  Using the high altitude balloons to deli

France Partners with India to Explore Space India's Space Launch Planned for 2022 Gaganyaan 2022 France has announced its intention to work with India on India's planned manned missions to space starting in 2022.  The Indian space mission is called "Gaganyaan" for 2022. French Innovation Expertise for Space France is offering to provide a wide range of innovation expertise.  The areas include space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, astronaut life support and space debris & radiation protection.  France has already developed these technologies for manned space missions. Indo-French Cooperation in Space The Indo-French cooperation is across the fields of Climate Change, joint groups working on future launch vehicles and deep space exploration with the French contributing to India's future missions to Mars and Venus. Unique, International Cooperation  It's a unique, multitiered international partnership designed to support and forward In

Added Layer of Safety Stanford University scientists have just developed an artificial intelligence camera that could be used to help robot cars avoid obstacles and better navigate the roads. Image Recognition System The image recognition technology underlying this breakthrough relies on artificial intelligence.  The computers teach themselves to recognize objects like a pedestrian crossing the street, a dog running across a road and stopped cars. Stanford System "Lightning Fast" The problem has been the computers currently running AI algorithms are too big and slow for applications like the rapid decision making needed for autonomous cars or hand-held medical devices.  The Stanford team combined 2 types of computers to create a faster and less energy intensive image process.  They say it works lightning fast and circumvents millions of calculations. Next Steps The system has been successfully tested by simulation and in the real world.  It accurately identifies

Making a Comeback Source:  Stock Photo of Great Barrier Reef $40 Billion Natural Wonder The Great Barrier Reef is the longest coral reef in the world.  It stretches 1,430 miles off the coast of Queensland, Australia.  Scientists just reported that the reef is showing signs of a comeback after a large coral die-off. The reef is valued by Deloitte at more than $40 billion.  It supports tens of thousands of jobs, pumps billions of dollars a year into the Australian economy and is one of the world's most beautiful natural treasures. It's the 1st coral reef to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Reef 30% Damaged or Destroyed in 2016 There were dire predictions for the reef in 2016 and 2017 because of massive coral bleaching.  The bleaching is caused by rising temperatures or poor water quality.  At lease 30% of the reef was damaged or destroyed in 2016 alone.  But Australia's Reef and Rainforest Research Center now reports signs the reef is recovering. Signs of