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Discovery of Super Earth in Space

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Discovered by International Astronomers Using Powerful Ground Telescopes Source:  NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center May Have "Earth Like" Conditions Astronomers have discovered what they're calling a Super Earth 31 light years away from our solar system.  They say it is "potentially habitable".  The planet is named GJ 357d.  It is six times larger than the Earth and it orbits a sun that is much smaller than ours, every 55 days.  An international team of scientists discovered it using powerful ground telescopes and following up on data first relayed by NASA's planet hunting satellite TESS.  The astronomers believe that it could provide "Earth like conditions" for life.  If so it could answer the question that goes back a thousand years:  Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? Looking for Signs of Life In the next several years, highly advanced telescopes will be going on line that will be able to detect any signs of lif

Smart phone, smart gadget, healthy food

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Portable, in the Field Gadget, for Healthy Plants & Spot Disease Source:  North Caroline State University new tech for plant health First of its Kind Device to Detect Plant Disease in Minutes A new, smartphone powered device detects disease in plants.  For the first time, plant disease can be detected by a portable device, used by a farmer in the field and the analysis is done on the spot within minutes.  Up until now, plant analysis had to be done in a lab and that could take days or weeks.  This smartphone powered device reads gas concentrations in a plant in the farm field real-time. That analysis tells farmers that they are dealing with the presence of disease in plants and that they should take action. Portable, Down on the Farm Device This significant innovation was developed by a team at North Carolina State University.  The device is designed to attach to a farmer's smart phone above the phone's camera for quick crop analysis.  This real-time

Smart Tractor Trailer Driving

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AI Controls Trucks Source:  Pelotin Pelotin System: One Driver Driving Two Trucks Simultaneously with AI This is a L4 Automated Following System from Pelotin Technology that lets a driver control multiple trucks at the same time. The company says it is more energy efficient and safer.  This may be the future of tractor trailers on the road thanks to a lot of hi-tech. The concept is that big rigs are safer together with a lot of artificial intelligence behind them. Leading Edge Tech This truck technology is leading edge and relies on a  lot of communications, technologies and algorithms. For example, radar based active brakes, vehicle communications, and specialized vehicle controlled algorithms. A human is driving the front truck, that controls with the enabled technology the truck behind. This is new tech on the cutting edge.

Solar Powered Sail Orbiting Earth

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Solar Sailing in Space - LightSail 2 Source:  LightSail 2 Promising New Solar Innovation for Space Travel This green energy technology has the potential to be disruptive innovation. It's a solar powered sail invented through the non-profit Planetary Society in California, led by the Science Guy Bill Nye.  The LightSail 2 CubeSat spacecraft successfully deployed its solar sail to get propulsion in space a few days ago.  It's the first spacecraft to be propelled by sunlight alone.  This is very important science because the use of solar sails to convert solar wind into thrust could save fuel for spacecrafts on long space missions. Solar Sailing The small spacecraft is the size of a toaster.  It was hurled into space aboard a Space X Falcon Heavy rocket in late June.  A few days ago, flight controllers on the ground in California fully deployed the solar sail from the CubeSat into space.  The sail is the size of a boxing ring and the system is orbiting the Earth solely

Important Innovations Collection: NASA 21 Whole New Worlds

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NASA's TESS Planet Hunter Source:  NASA's TESS Historic Mission and Historic Discoveries With just a year in space, NASA's TESS planet hunting spacecraft has discovered 21 brand new worlds outside of our solar system, 850 potential exoplanets and 6 supernovas.  NASA says this is beyond their wildest expectations. Having explored the southern sky, TESS is now going to check out the northern sky. For a great news blog on this historic mission, go to Important Innovations Collection: NASA 21 Whole New Worlds : NASA Spacecraft TESS Discoveries Source:  NASA Planet Hunter Extraordinary NASA's planet hunter TESS spacecraft - Transiting Exo...

DARPA's Squad X

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Pairing Marines with Robots in the Field Source:  DARPA's Squad X Technology Man & Machines on the Frontline The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA - uses AI and  autonomous robots and drones to gather information for soldiers in the field about their surroundings.  The purpose is to eliminate what's historically been called "the fog of war" meaning the uncertainty of the soldier's surroundings - enemies lurking inside of buildings, exploding devices on the ground, etc. Fog of War DARPA has been testing the Squad X system, which is multifaceted.  Aerial drones and mobile robots on the ground provide surveillance of the soldier's surroundings.  Artificial intelligence processes the information and provides what's relevant to the soldier on their Android device.  The program is designed to provide superior situational awareness.  The systems currently being tested don't involve the capacity to fire weapons

Important Innovations Collection: Sony's Wearable Air Conditioner

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Wearable Cools in Summer and Warms in Winter Source:  Reon Pocket by Sony Reon Pocket by Sony This new device would have been very handy this hot summer.  The Reon Pocket is a wearable device that's smaller than your smartphone.  Designed to be worn on your back in a special tee-shirt, the gadget cools you in the summer and warms you in the winter. Sony expects to launch the personal temperature device in 2020, most likely in time for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.  For a great news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Sony's Wearable Air Conditioner : Smart Phone Controlled Source:  Sony's Reon Pocket Reon Pocket - Cools In Summer and Warms in Winter This is an innovative gadge...