Important Innovations

DARPA Bots At Sea The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA - has developed a "ghost" ship.  It's called SEA Hunter and has an all-robotic crew.  No humans allowed on board.  It's the first prototype of an autonomous, robotic sub hunting ship.  It's been christened and is now being tested, deployed and developed by the Office of Naval Research.  It gives new meaning to Wagner's Opera "The Flying Dutchman". SEA Hunter's Awesome Technology Robo ship uses a 5th generation medium frequency sonar system mounted on the hull.  It conducts both active and passive sonar passes.  DARPA is also working on the development of nonconventional sensor technology to further enable the vessel to precisely spot and track enemy subs, mines and vessels on the high seas. Revolutionary Prototype DARPA believes SEA Hunter is a revolutionary prototype vehicle that could ultimately lead to a new class of ocean going vess

I am Not a Robot! Yesterday, I blogged about robot attorneys.  It's forecasted that by 2030, robotics and artificial intelligence will dominate the legal profession and totally restructure it. The robotic revolution goes across industries. Oxford University researchers forecast 47% of all US jobs will be held by robots within 20 years.  As a journalist, I wondered if similar disruptions could possibly happen in the world of news and sports reporting.  Much to my chagrin, the answer is yes. Robo News on a TV and NewsStand Near You Robotics have had a significant photographic role in the news business.  Robotic cameras have been in television studios for news and entertainment programs in the US for about 15 years.  And drone cameras are used by the print and broadcast press to shoot stills and video particularly in breaking news situations. Drone cameras are common even in small news markets, like Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  But traditionally the live observations and fact

My Attorney The Robot The robotic workforce is on the rise.  Oxford University estimates that 47% of all US jobs will be held by robots within the next twenty years.  The most vulnerable jobs are repetitive tasks such as assembly line work and restaurant wait and kitchen staff.  But more intellectual, creative positions are also being claimed by robots.  Case in point: robot attorneys. Scales of Justice Tilt Robotic Instead of an army of lawyers and paralegals reviewing reams of documents and billing on an hourly basis, robots can do it efficiently and at a fraction of the cost.  A Palo Alto, California company has developed software that can analyze 1.5 million documents for under $100,000.  That means law firm staffs billed out to do document reviews are becoming passe, thanks to artificial intelligence and robotics.  As one law firm managing partner put it, robots don't get bored, don't get headaches and don't make mistakes.  They also don't bill at astronom

Solar Cars Go Mass Market Source:  Tokai Challenger Solar Prototype Solar cars are typically electric vehicles powered solely or mainly by solar energy.  Photovoltaic cells contained in the solar panels convert the sun's energy into electricity.  They combine some of the technologies used in the aerospace, alternative energy, automotive and bicycle industries.  The design of the cars has been limited by the amount of solar panels needed to draw in enough solar energy to power the vehicles.  As a result, prototype solar cars have primarily been built for solar car racing.  But now that is changing. Road Ready Chinese solar panel manufacturer Hanergy has developed four prototype solar cars for the consumer mass market.  Production is scheduled for 2019.  The cars are equipped with lithium ion batteries powered by the sun.  They'll first be offered to Chinese consumers and are styled like a normal car. Hanergy says exposure to 5 to 6 hours of sunlight enables the

Wednesday Series:  Innovation Addressing Pressing Global Needs - Hybrid Electric Planes Cutting CO2 Emissions The signs of climate change are all around us.  Extreme weather, rising sea levels, melting polar icecaps, deadly disease outbreaks, severe environmental stress on animals.  The Union of Concerned Scientists says the cause is too much heat trapping carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. A major contributor is global aircraft exhaust.  Enter a solution - the dawn of electric powered planes.  The biggest player:  hybrid electric planes Take-Offs Current aircraft spew 500 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year.  Scientists warn if the amount of CO2 isn't cut 80% by 2050, it will be disastrous.  As it stands right now, the amount of CO2 is expected to triple by mid-century.  By contrast, electric planes spew no CO2.  They are clean, green technology and can be cheap to operate.  An example is the 2-seat e-Genius.  It successfully f

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