DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

REVERAND ROB - ROBO PREACHER

                        

                     Source:  Stock & Kodai-ji Temple's Mindar

• We are living at a time when AI robots are replacing surgeons, professors at Harvard, airline pilots, drivers and more -- new research asks could they replace human preachers with Reverand Rob, the Robo Preacher?
• It's being tried:  In Kyoto, Japan at the 400-year-old Kodai-ji Temple a robot priest named Mindar is on duty
• Mindar is designed to resemble the Buddist goddess of mercy and provides sermons on the teachings of Budda, which are very well attended
• But new research has found that it is not so easy to replace ministers, priests and rabbis with AI robots
• While the AI robot preachers are very capable, they lack credibility
• Researchers from the University of Chicago and the National University of Singapore surveyed Temple congregations in Japan, Singapore and churches in the US and Germany
• The faithful found the robot sermons to be less credible and they gave less in donations
• The researchers' conclusion:  automation of religious preachers is far less effective than the real, human kind
• Today's Scientific American has an op-ed by researchers Prof. Joshua Conrad Jackson and Prof. Kai Chi Yen on their unique and innovative research into real preachers vs. robo preachers.
• It appears that for religious preaching a human touch rather than AI is what's needed, at least for now.

MERCEDES TO UNVEIL ENTRY-LEVEL, HI-TECH EV

                                        Source:  Mercedes

• Mercedes-Benz is going to unveil a hot, entry level, CLA electric sedan in September at the IAA Mobility 2023 event in Munich
• This new EV is in a highly coveted category, loaded with advanced interior tech and geared to young buyers
• It will join Vision One-Eleven EV and EQXX in Munich to showcase MB's new technologies for EVs
• Here are the key facts we know so far:

1. Range over 400 miles
2. Competitive with Tesla Model 3
3. Takes design cues from EQXX, similar in size to CLA
4. 3 more entry level EVs from MB will be released over the next 3 years

• The 3 new concept cars debuting this fall in Munich are MB's vision for innovation, design and the digital experience going forward.

SOUTH KOREA'S AUTONOMOUS FLYING TAXI

                                        Source:  SHIFT

• South Korean drone maker, This Is Engineering (TIE), just unveiled its concept for an autonomous eVTOL air taxi, the Shift Compson
• The company claims to have engineered eVTOL technology to the next-generation level of performance
• Here's what we know about SHIFT:

1. Tilting quadcopter air taxi 
2. Highspeed, autonomous flight technology
3. Carries 5 people
4. Top speed - 330 km/h or 205 mph
5. Range - 280 km or 174 miles
6. eVTOL - electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle
7. Unique safety systems: instantaneous control response & maneuverability including turning radius & braking system
8. Designed to be less impacted by wind & weather conditions
9. Claim:  highly advanced tech over other eVTOLs for speed, efficiency, vulnerability to wind gusts & maintenance costs
10. Status:  prototype being finalized for flight tests

• SHIFT is a new eVTOL for investors to watch develop.

For more news stories like this, FLIGHT PATH TO FUTURE

DAILY VEHICLE BRIEFING; 365 VEHICLES

"Daily Innovation Brief" © By Edward Kane