Important Innovations

DARPA Field Tests Ground Robots with Swarming Drones Source:  DARPA OFFSET Field Test For Dense Urban Warfare The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is testing the use of swarming drones and ground robots to assist infantry troops as they work dense urban areas on military missions.  DARPA envisions using as many as 250 swarming drones and robots at a time  to defeat the enemy with overwhelming technological advantage.  DARPA is testing out the autonomous team including an ambition test in Georgia this summer.  https://youtu.be/ruWC10AW87E (DARPA test video). Urban Missions The program is called OFFSET or OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program.  In Georgia, the swarming drones and robots on the ground worked a two block area.  Their goal was to find, surround and secure a mock city building. Ongoing Tests This is another part of DARPA's ongoing efforts to combine humans with advanced machines for military missions.  DARPA

China is in the Reusable Rocket Race Chinese Startup LinkSpace Successfully Tests Reusable Rocket A global race to get a big piece of what's expected to be a highly lucrative boom in satellite launches is on.  China is pushing for a big part of the business by developing reusable rockets that enable cheaper satellite launches.  Chinese startup LinkSpace successfully tested a reusable rocket today and expects to launch in 2020.  Elon Musk's SpaceX has been leading the way in recoverable, reusable rockets since 2017 and companies in China, the US, Russia and Europe are trying to follow suit.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: China's In the Reusable Rocket Race : Future of Cheap Satellite Launches Source:  LinkSpace Chinese Startup LinkSpace For the third time in five months, Chinese startup L...

The Limitless Milk Shirt Source:  Mi Terro Limitless Milk Shirt Very Advanced Shirt The Limitless Milk Shirt is a world first:  the first shirt made from uncycled, waste milk.  The company behind it, Mi Terro, says the shirt is three times softer than cotton, odor free, anti-bacterial, temperature regulatory, wrinkle resistant, breathable and stretches in every direction to move in sync with your body. Mi Terro is a Los Angeles based startup. Fabric from Milk Here's how they create a fabric from milk.  They obtain waste milk usually from dairies.  They ferment it, skim off the fat and dewater it, which results in powdered milk.  They extract the casein protein, immerse it in alkali, clean it, produce fabric and spin it into yarn.  The company says every five shirts save a glass of milk from being wasted. Company with a Point of View Mi Terro manufactures the shirts in China but says it pays its Chinese workers, more than 50% of which are women, above that of China'

NASA's Curiosity Rover Find Source:  NASA Martian Rock With Evidence of Water and Wind NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered a rock on the planet Mars that shows evidence of wind and water.  The discovery is so important that the rock has been given a nickname "Strathdon."  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Martian Rock Tells Big Story : Curiosity Rover Find Source:  NASA Shows Presence of Water, Raises Questions of Life on Mars NASA's Curiosity rover has been expl...

US Air Force's X-37B Mystery Space Plane Source:  US Air Force Now 700 Days in Orbit on its Fifth Mission The X-37B, the US Air Force's mystery space plane, has been circling the Earth for the past 700 days on its fifth classified mission.  The space plane is solar powered, robotic and reusable.  The Air Force says it is testing technology for future reusable spacecraft missions and also carries scientific experiments.  But beyond that, the mission is a mystery.  For a great news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Mystery USAF Space Plane : 700 Days into a Secret Mission Source:  US Air Force X-37B Military Space Plane The US Air Force's X-37B space plane has been orb...

New Green Plastic Dissolves in Water Source:  Denxybel Montinola's green plastic Innovation from Young Filipino Physicist The world is awash in plastic waste with million of tons being dumped every year.  From a young Filipino biophysicist comes an alternative, sustainable plastics solution from the plentiful products of his native land The Philippines - mango peels and seaweed.  The inventor is Denxybel Montinola, who is currently part of the research team at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Green, Sustainable, Dissolvable  Plastic His green plastic from mango peels and seaweed is sustainable and dissolves in water.  That means no plastic packaging and waste being dumped.  Reports indicate that it is stronger and performs better than traditional plastic.  It can be used for packaging but in the future has the resiliency and robustness to serve as a means to protect burns and stop bleeding.

Twin Spacecrafts Working Together Source:  NASA Powered by Old Fashioned Steam The maneuvers of two cubesats in space today is a big success for NASA.  The twin, small satellites are powered by steam. Their fuel tanks are filled with water, converted into steam by thrusters to enable flight. One of the satellites, with some help from NASA on the ground, commanded the other satellite to close the 5.5 mile gap between them.  It did so successfully.  NASA says this demonstrates that cubesats can work together and even swarm on missions in deep space.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Steam Powered Twin Spacecrafts : Cubesats in Command Source:   NASA Cubesat High Theater in Low Earth Orbit Two cubesats (small satellites) powered by steam performe...