Important Innovations

Super Smart Exoskeletons Bionic Smarts Exoskeletons, the wearable medical devices, that help people to walk, just got very smart.  Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University School of Engineering have developed a new algorithm for the bionic devices.  It's called "the human in the loop".  The algorithm learns and customizes the bionic assistance based on the wearer's every step, helping to facilitate and smooth out their walking. Bionic Man The exoskeleton is worn on the shin and the foot.  It applies force to the ankles and toes.  Tested on a dozen able-bodied people, it took an hour to optimize  Once optimized, it cut the amount of energy expended walking on a treadmill by 24%.  Previous testing of exoskeletons resulted in a 14% energy exertion cut at best. Multiple Uses - Running and Walking For those impacted by stroke, neurological disorder and paralysis etc., this innovation could provide significant hope and help.  The "human in the loop" al

4D Printing - Adding the 4th Dimension of Time Is 4D Printing a real possibility? It would add the dimension of time to length, width and height in the creation of objects. The research behind its development is certainly real.  Experts at MIT, Harvard, Cornell and many other outstanding research centers are aggressively pursuing it.  It will create structures that construct and deconstruct themselves.  As one of the world's leading 3D printing/additive manufacturing experts Avi Reichenthal told me in a news interview:  "It will create zero waste, sustainability forever and if you're tired of one geometry, you can reorganize it into another, just like a protein chain." Benchmarks toward 4D MIT's Self Assembly Lab and BMW just revealed a program called Liquid Printed Pneumatics (LPP) for self-assembling car interiors.  The Lab's "Rapid Liquid Printing" (RLP) technique is being utilized. The system is a challenge to 3D printing's speed, si

MIT's Drones with NanoMaps MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has developed new technology that guides drones to avoid collisions as they fly.  It's an artificial intelligence "Artful Dodger" system.  And it's important new innovation. No Collision Course MIT's NanoMap models in the uncertainty of changing conditions as the drones fly.  The system includes depth sensors that constantly measure the distance between  the drone and objects around it.  This creates an image for the machine of where it's been and where it's headed.  That information storage allows the drone to plan its motion and avoid crashing into objects in its path. Passed the Pilots Test DARPA,  the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, is part of the funding behind this research. And, the "Artful Dodgers" have been successfully tested.  The drones flew through dense forests and warehouses at 20 mph without any

It's called Cloaking Technology and essentially promises "Now you see me, now you don't."  It reads like science fiction and the worlds of Harry Potter and Star Wars.  But, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have successfully manipulated light to make an object - a cloaking optical chip - totally invisible.  They seem to have cracked the code and created light beams of invisibility. Shedding Light on Innovation The Israeli approach is brand new.  It bends and scatters light away from the cloaking tech chip's surface, making it invisible.  The next step for the Israeli researchers is to develop a prototype. And the potential for this "hide and seek", invisibility tech is huge. According to experts, it ranges from highly advanced radar avoidance to camouflage and scattering of electromagnetic waves. An Eye-Opener in Vienna Cloaking tech research is underway globally. Researchers at the University of Vienna have taken a different app

Fashionista Meets Robotics It's being called fashion design by algorithm.  Artificial intelligence creating the perfect suit.  Startup companies around the world are starting to deploy robotic designers.  It's a fashion statement on the ubiquity of robotics and AI.   Robot Blouse An example is a billion dollar plus Silicon Valley based company Stitch Fix. It was founded by Harvard Business School grad Katrina Lake out of her Cambridge, MA student apartment.  The company uses data science as a foundation for its personalized online styling services.  Algorithms based on customer feedback are used to create "the perfect blouse".  The algorithms provide a template on styles that are most successful and popular to least.  Key components such as collar type, sleeve length and decorative touches are included.  The top performers are stitched together into the prototype garment.  But the customer can personally customize the garment to their specifications and t

Travelling Commercial at Double the Speed of Sound The age of supersonic passenger travel is coming very soon, if Virgin's Sir Richard Branson has his way.  He's heavily investing and banking on it.  American startup Boom Technology, which Branson is bankrolling, is developing a Mach 2.2 supersonic passenger jet. That converts into approximately 1,676 mph or 27.94 miles per minute. Its Baby Boom XB1 demonstrator jet will be tested next year to validate key technologies for commercial flights. XB1 is a 2 seater. Boom already has the Baby Boom engines in the hanger and is currently building the wings and tail.  The supersonic commercial jet, carrying 55 passengers, will debut in 2023.  Five airlines, including Virgin, have ordered 76 jets.  Boom is getting ready for takeoff. Come Fly with Me As you can see in the artist's rendering, Boom resembles the Concorde.  It's an evolutionary design with a lot of extra lift.  It has a range of 4500 nautical miles.  At Mach

Polite Robots for Better Human Interaction The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is teaching robots manners.  They've created a machine algorithm that allows robots to intuit how to behave like polite human beings in specific circumstances.  For example, the robots say thank you when someone opens a door for them.  And, they intuit to turn off a cellphone disturbing the peace in a library.  DARPA has long been at the forefront of robotic innovation.  This extraordinary research program is instilling civility, social norms and manners in robots to promote better human-robot interactions.  In some cases, their behavior may be a lot better than that of some human beings. "Please and Thank You" with Important Purpose DARPA envisions a future in which robots play increasingly important and integral roles with humans.  Researchers believe that in order to capitalize on a robotic future of driverless cars, restaurant robots and