Important Innovations

  Toyota's New Push to Bring Solar Powered Vehicles into Lineup                                             Source:  Toyota Mix of Zero Emissions Vehicles Coming From Toyota Toyota has made a new commitment to equipping its cars with highly efficient solar power systems and batteries.  It's embarking on an R&D partnership with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which has strong expert in renewable energy production.  Also joining the partnership is Toyota Central R&D which focuses on breakthrough technological advances for Toyota.  Toyota is showcasing its Toyota bZ4X concept, which is an electric vehicle with solar panels that feed an onboard solar charging system to extend the vehicle's range. bZ stands for "below zero" emissions and 4X for four wheel drive, which Toyota claims gives the vehicle off-road capabilities. This is a major Toyota concept now under development. Toyota is pushing in a strongly zero emis

  Buy It, Build It, Fly It - Tetra's Mk-5                                                                        Source:  Tetra Aviation The Tetra Mk-5 Japan based Tetra Aviation has developed and is testing a build-it-yourself electric aircraft called the Mk-5. It's a one seater eVTOL lightweight flying machine that can support a pilot under 250 pounds and requires a private pilot's license.  This is a very different approach to personal air mobility.  Tetra is offering buyers the opportunity to "buy it, build it, fly it". As a home built experimental aircraft in the US, it has to be inspected, approved and registered by the FAA to make it legal to fly. Full Electric, Vertical Takeoff & Landing Flying There is a front and back wing. Each wing has 8 propulsion pods. Each propulsion pod has a pair of vertical lift rotors that are assembled across the front and back wings and a cruise prop. Maximum speed is 100 mph and the range on a charge is 100 miles. All of

  IEA Cites Hydrogen & Ammonia as Green Alternative Fuels           Source: Stock Images of Power Plants, Hydrogen Plant & Ammonia New Way to Significantly Cut Carbon Emissions at Power Plants Is there a way to significantly start reducing the millions of tons of toxic, climate change producing, carbon dioxide emissions spewing from coal fired power plants around the world in the near future?  According to the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol there is.  At a conference in Japan, he cited the green, zero emissions role that both hydrogen and ammonia can play.  Birol said "co-firing" hydrogen and  ammonia to fuel current coal fired, fossil fuel power plants would significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions as the world transition to a more carbon free energy environment.  He added that using these two non-carbon fuels would be particularly effective for countries that have limited low carbon fuel resources such as those in East and Southea

  Japanese Automaker Investing $45 B in R&D                              Sources:  Honda. Space image NASA Focus:  Robots, Rockets & Flying Taxis Honda is expanding into new forms of mobility and significantly increasing its R&D spending on 3, highly innovative and disruptive business lines: robots, rockets and flying taxis or eVTOLS.  The Japanese based auto giant is investing $45 billion in R&D money over the next 6 years.  Interestingly, Honda as a mobility company sees the 3 areas as an extension of and synergistic with its primary business of making cars.  They say that the research and development efforts could lead to a greatly advanced electric vehicle platform, among other new technologies.  Honda's strategy is to create prototype robots, rockets and eVTOLs to determine if the products are viable for successful commercial market development.   Robotics Honda is a pioneer in robotics.  It created Asimo which was one of the world's first robots to walk. C

  eVTOLs For City Commuting - Honda's New Biz Line                                                                      Source:  Honda's eVTOL Next G Urban Air Mobility Honda is developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) flying taxi to make "mobility in the sky more accessible to people."  Just using electricity, it can travel 100 miles.  When combined with a turbine engine, the hybrid electric eVTOL can travel 400 miles.  Honda recently disclosed that it is going full throttle into the flying taxi business.  Their eVTOL is specifically designed for intra-city and city to city travel, which Honda believes is about to grow significantly. In a presentation, Honda used the example of a businessperson on Cape Cod using the eVTOL to quickly and smoothly travel from the Cape to New York City and back within a day. Tech Specs The eVTOL uses 8, small propellers to get lift and then deploys 3 pusher props and its wings to fly forwards.  The power to fl

  Japan's Tetra Aviation's Buy-n-Fly Personal eVTOL Mk5                                             Source:  Tetra Aviation 1 Seat Electric Aircraft that Flies 100 Miles & Is Ready to Go Tetra Aviation of Japan has developed a breakthrough single-seat, lift and cruise eVTOL, the Mk-5, that can fly one traveler 100 miles with zero emissions and no noise.  It's been under development for more than three years.  It is sleek, ultra-tech, lightweight and ready to soar with you on board.  The "buy-n-fly" personal aerial vehicle (PAV) is a commercial product scheduled for delivery to buyers in 2022. It's at the vanguard of a brand new form of zero emissions personal travel. Tech Specs There are two, long and thin fixed wings on the front and rear of the cabin with 32 vertical lift rotors distributed across them.  And there is a horizontal thrust at the rear of the aircraft for forward, cruise flight. It weighs only 1,000 pounds without passengers and is 28.2 feet

  Japan's Tetra Aviation's Buy-n-Fly Personal eVTOL Mk-5                                             Source:  Tetra Aviation 1 Seat Electric Aircraft that Flies 100 Miles & Is Ready to Go Tetra Aviation of Japan has developed a breakthrough single-seat, lift and cruise eVTOL, the Mk-5, that can fly one traveler 100 miles with zero emissions and no noise.  It's been under development for more than three years.  It is sleek, ultra-tech, lightweight and ready to soar with you on board.  The "buy-n-fly" personal aerial vehicle (PAV) is a commercial product scheduled for delivery to buyers in 2022. It's at the vanguard of a brand new form of zero emissions personal travel. Tech Specs There are two, long and thin fixed wings on the front and rear of the cabin with 32 vertical lift rotors distributed across them.  And there is a horizontal thrust at the rear of the aircraft for forward, cruise flight. It weighs only 1,000 pounds without passengers and is 28.2 fee

  Flying Car Testing in the Public Domain by 2022                                        Source:  SkyDrive Flying Cars on the Roads & in the Sky by 2023 The government of Japan is a big believer in the importance of flying cars in the Japanese transportation mix.  In fact, it wants flying cars operational on the roads and in the sky by 2023.  To facilitate that goal, it is allowing public domain testing in 2022.  Clearly, Japan is a global leader in the effort to deploy flying cars. Japanese Collaborative Effort What differentiates Japan is strong collaboration between the government and private companies to bring flying cars into widespread use.  The government wants to deploy flying cars and passenger drones as short distance transportation solutions in cities, rural areas and in disaster relief zones. SkyDrive An outstanding flying car vehicle in the R&D pipeline is being developed by Tokyo-based startup SkyDrive.  The company has successfully completed the first manned flig

  Nicobo - Panasonic's Companion Robot                                                  Source:  Panasonic Very Smart Companion With A Little Baby Talk Panasonic's new desktop robot Nicobo is designed to make you smile.  It has no legs or wheels but can speak, spin around and nod up and down. It was specifically designed by Panasonic to chase away the blues for people feeling alone and isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is a very smart companion desktop robot that looks like an adorable little robot for anyone. Immediate Sell-Out Nicobo debuted on the Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake.  Priced at $376.00 with an expected delivery date of March 2022, Panasonic immediately sold all of its available 320 robot units.  Interestingly, for those who bought, Panasonic will require a monthly subscription fee of 980 yen or $9.26 per month after six months of use. Very Smart, Advanced Technology Nicobo has a camera for facial recognition of its owners.  It has a sensor that react

  Hayabusa 2 Mission Source:  JAXA Priceless Space Rocks Retrieved from Asteroid Ryugu Japan's second asteroid mission - Hyabusa 2 - has safely returned to Earth with a treasure trove of priceless space rocks collected from the asteroid Ryugu.  For the Japanese space agency JAXA, the Hyabusa 2 mission is a spectacular success.  And the priceless space rocks brought back to Earth open up a brand new avenue of scientific discovery about the origin and composition of asteroids and the search for signs of life in space. Asteroid Mission Started in 2014 The mission was launched in 2014,  Hyabusa 2 arrived at Ryugu in 2018 and landed on it in 2019.  It used several landers and blasted the asteroid's surface with a space gun to collect rocks, sediment and dirt.   World Awaits Space Rock Analysis Astronomers and space enthusiasts around the world are waiting for the analysis of the space rocks and sediment to be finalized.  Questions include what materials do they consist of, do they c

  Prime Minister Suga's Green Growth Strategy                                                                 Source:  Tokyo Traffic                                                  Source:  Tokyo Highways Reaching New Zero Emissions  Japan has very ambitious green, zero emissions plans.  It plans on eliminating gas powered vehicles within 15 years or by 2035.  It also wants to reach net zero carbon emissions and achieve $2 Trillion a year in green growth by 2050.  The sales of gas powered car would be replaced by electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars.  To spur electric vehicle sales and reduce EV costs, the government wants battery costs to be cut in half. Prime Minister Suga's Green Growth Strategy The moving force behind the green energy plan is Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his Green Growth Strategy.  The plan heavily relies on the hydrogen and automotive industries.  His targets to hit zero carbon emissions are bold. The Prime Minister has made green investments

Mystery EV That Subaru's Been Working on For Years                                                                           Source:  Subaru Concept EV SUV Announcement from Subaru Europe Subaru has confirmed that it is developing an all electric SUV.  The company says it is a mid-sized vehicle, that's similar to the size of the Subaru Forrester.  Toyota has a large financial stake in Subaru.  The new EV will be built on a platform that Subaru shares with Toyota. Details to Come in 2021 The company is quiet about specific details. For instance, it says that the EV will be launched sometime in the first half of the 2020's.  The announcement was made by Subaru Europe, which indicates that the vehicle's target market will be Europe.  Subaru says it will provide more details in 2021.  It has not provided a price range.  This will be Subaru's first fully electric SUV.  The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.  It has been much more focused on developing hydrogen pow

  Purchase is About Technology for Autonomous Cars                                             Source:  Boston Dynamics $1.1 Billion Deal South Korean automaker Hyundai has purchased from Japan's Softbank the majority stake in robotics company Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion.  Boston Dynamics is a cutting edge robotics firm and world famous for its robot dog Spot.  Hyundai is making the purchase to advance its autonomous technology for self-driving cars. Multi-tasking Spot Spot is a highly advanced, semi-autonomous, 4 legged robot that works around the world in many capacities.  It is on duty in many hospitals to help minimize medical staff exposure to COVID.  Spot works on construction sites, factory floors, on oil rigs and can even serve as a personal companion that opens the door or a bottle of coke.  Now, its robotic technology will empower autonomous vehicles.  Experts say Spot's robotic technology may also enable the smart factories of the future and innovative, new tech

  Revamped & Upgraded Mirai                                                                      Source:  Toyota Mirai Zero Emissions Driving Toyota has introduced a revamped version of the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car with 30% greater range.  The move is designed to jumpstart the use of hydrogen powered vehicles particularly in Japan.  It is also aimed at capitalizing on the rising demand for electric vehicles. Hydrogen Driving Demand To date, drivers in Japan have not embraced fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).  Consumers are concerned about a number of issues, including the resale value of the cars, the availability of hydrogen fueling stations and the risk of explosion.  But Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced a goal to make Japan carbon neutral with zero carbon emissions by 2050.  Toyota believes hydrogen is a critical factor in achieving that goal. Departure Point Toyota says the new Mirai is a "departure point" for broad use of hydrogen fuel, even beyond cars.

  Successful Japanese Mission in Space                                                  Source:  JAXA Japanese Spacecraft Retrieves Asteroid Dust The Japanese space agency JAXA has announced that its spacecraft Hayabusa2 has successfully retrieved asteroid dust from the asteroid Ryugu in space.  The scientific hope is that the asteroid dust will contain clues to the origin of the Earth and the solar system.  Japanese scientists also hope to learn "how water was brought to Earth".  The asteroid dust dates back 4.6 billion years. Arduous Mission The asteroid mission was a long and arduous one.  It underscores the innovative leadership role that Asian nations are taking in space.  Last week, a Chinese robotic spacecraft collected samples of the Moon's surface.  That is the first time since 1972 that lunar soil has been retrieved from space.  Now, the Japanese have captured asteroid dust in space.  The Japanese probe landed twice on the asteroid Ryugu, used explosives to crea

First Arab Mission to Mars Source:  Launch of H-2A rocket with Hope onboard Source:  NASA Artist Rendering Spectacular Launch and Congratulations from NASA A Japanese H-2A rocket launched the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hope Mission to Mars this morning.  Within an hour of the flight, the rocket's upper stage released the Hope Mission satellite.  Hope is using its solar panels to power its systems, including its communications system. Hope notified controllers at the Space Center in Dubai of the successful separation.  The Dubai Center is overseeing the orbiter's 306,957,369 mile journey at 75,185 miles per hour speeds to Mars. First Arab Interplanetary Mission This is the first Arab interplanetary mission.  The Hope mission is designed to demonstrate the UAE's scientific, technological and space capabilities.  Hope is a 2,976 pound satellite designed and developed at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in the UAE.  It will arrive at Mars in February 20

Hollywood First Source:  Erica - Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories RoboStar Erica This is a movie first.  The lead actress in a big budget, $70 million science fiction movie is a robot named Erica.  Erica is loaded with artificial intelligence and was specifically created for this movie which is titled "b".  Four production companies are teaming up to make the movie - Life Entertainment, Bondit Capital Media, Happy Moon Productions and Ten Ten Global Media.  This movie is being shot at a time when most movie productions and many television productions are shut down because of concerns about COVID-19. World-Class Robotics Erica is an Intelligent Robot created by Japanese robotic scientists Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kohei Ogawas.  She debuted in 2015, but the roboticists had to recreate Erica the actress from scratch.  According to Ogawas: "We had to simulate her motions and emotions through one-on-one sessions, such as controlling the speed of her movements, talkin

Ugo: Multi-Tasker that Can Even Fold Your Laundry Source:  Mira Robotics' Ugo Invented by Mira Robotics Japan's workforce is dwindling by more than a half-million workers a year because of its aging population.  To fill the worker shortage, Japan is experiencing an acceleration in the development of new, versatile robots.  A great new example is Ugo, the creation of Japanese startup company Mira Robotics. Remote Wireless Operation Ugo is a state of the art, remote controlled Avatar robot.  It is composed of a pair of height adjustable robotic arms that are mounted on wheels.  It navigates with a laser on its base.  And it is operated remotely through a wireless connection to a laptop and game controller. Many Uses Ugo has many uses. Its primary purpose is to serve as a worker robot and fill needs in Japan's dwindling workforce.  It can work as a security guard, inspect equipment and clean buildings.  It can also serve as a helper in homes, for instance, to fold

 An Inflatable E-bike Source:  Add caption POIMO May Be Your Next Bike This is fascinating new, lightweight travel technology, that's so flexible and inflatable it can be carried in a large backpack. It's an electric bike, called POIMO, invented by researchers at the University of Tokyo.  The inventors claim that because the e-bike is lightweight and inflatable, it protects riders and pedestrians in the event of an accident. At the moment, it's a prototype that the researchers intend to develop into a final product that's even lighter and more portable for commercialization. Future of Travel Innovation:  Soft Mobility This is a great example of the potential future of travel innovation. The researchers call POIMO soft mobility or personal mobility using soft, lightweight and inflatable materials to make the vehicle portable, foldable, flexible, inflatable, deflatable and storeable in a backpack.  So you can take it and deploy it wherever you want. Next St

Two Hotels Are Being Used to Quarantine & Treat Patients Source:  Pepper on Duty at Robot Hotel for COVID Patients with Mild Symptoms Staffed by Robots, Doctors and Nurses For COVID patients with mild or no symptoms, Tokyo has opened two robot hotels to take the load off of hospitals.  The hotels are staffed by robots, doctors and nurses.  With a capacity to handle 2800 patient-guests, they are being used as an innovative means to quarantine and  treat COVID patients. Pepper and Company The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has taken charge of the two hotels.  Very popular humanoid robot Pepper is at the hotels to greet the arriving guests with positive messaging: "Let's bring our hearts together and get through this."  Cleaning robots are deployed to clean what the Japanese are calling "high risk red zones". Safer Than Home The Tokyo government feels it's safer for the mildly ill COVID patients to stay at the hotels, which are loaded with technolog