Important Innovations

World First & No Emissions Germany's Hydrogen Train Emission Free Rail Travel The train is officially called the Coradia iLint.  It's clean energy rolling through northern Germany. It provides regular passenger service in the Lower Saxony Region.  This is the first time that commercial trains powered by hydrogen-based cells have gone into use for passengers. French Manufacturer Two trains are in service. 14 more are on order for 2021. They're being manufactured by French based Alstom, which is one of Europe's biggest railway manufacturers.  The hydrogen trains are being touted as important innovation delivered by Germany and France. Train Green Tech The trains are low noise, have zero emissions and can reach speeds of 140 kmh. Germany specifically invested in them to reduce diesel fuel train emissions.  The fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity to power the trains. Many Advantages Over Diesel The trains are refueled at a mobile h

Soaring Like a Bird AI Glider Nature Inspired Breakthrough Innovation Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have built an artificial intelligence powered glider - an autonomous, fixed wing drone - that learns to fly with the dexterity and maneuverability of birds.  This is another fascinating example of highly advanced technology imitating nature.  It also has ramifications for future drones. By riding air currents, they'd be able to fly longer and more efficiently. Advanced Algorithm They've equipped the drone with an advanced algorithm and control system.  That enables it to navigate wind currents like birds do.  The glider is totally dependent on the wind. It has learned to seek updrafts which enable it to stay aloft indefinitely. Very Smart Glider Bottom-line:  this is a very smart glider.  It can tell when it's approaching an updraft and then use the wind to maximize its time in the air.  The scientists' research and results were j

Space First for Japan and the World Japan's  Hayabusa-2 Spacecraft Japan Making Space & Innovation History with the Asteroid Ryugu If touchdown goes as planned, Japan will be the first to land rovers, two of them, on an asteroid.  Japan's Hayabusa-2 spacecraft started on the mission in 2014 and has recently arrived on the 3000 foot wide Ryugu asteroid. Mission Possible for Japan 2 of the 4 onboard rovers will be deployed on Friday 9/21/2018.  They're 7 inch wide devices that will hop around the space rock to take photos and temperature readings.  They hop rather than roll because of the asteroid's low gravity readings. Next Stops - Incredible Research Opportunities About the Earth 2 larger landers will be released to collect data and rock samples over the next year. The spacecraft will depart in 12/2019 and bring back the samples and data to researchers.  The Japanese research mission is looking for evidence of water and organic materials similar t

Controlling Drones and Aircraft by Brain Waves Image from DARPA Mind over Matter The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is working on highly innovative technology that enables humans to control drones and full-sized aircraft by their minds' brain waves.  It's command and control by thoughts. Microchip Implant that Sends and Receives Data For the DARPA research, a micro-chip was implanted into a volunteer's brain. In simulations with drones on computer screens, the person was able to command and control the drones. DARPA also disclosed at a recent symposium the system works with swarms of drones and multiple aircraft.  The user is able to steer multiple jets at once. The user of the microchip can send and receive signals from the aircraft and understand the dynamics of its environment. Innovative & To Some Controversial Thinking To some this is controversial research.  DARPA's mission is to provide the US military wi

New  Scientific Research:  Dolphins Cooperate, Coordinate & Synchronize to Problem Solve Common Dolphins Coordinated Success Scientists at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys have taught teams of dolphins to accomplish complex tasks through teamwork.  The Dolphins coordinated and timed their actions with precision to receive rewards. Cooperation and Precision The task for the dolphins was to swim to the end of a lagoon and press a button simultaneously as a team of 2 dolphins.  Once the dolphins realized the task required cooperation with each other, they were able to coordinate their actions with precision.  They even waited for their teammate to catch up to them so that they could press the button at the same time.  They did so with precision - on average within 1/3 second of each other. Language to Solve Problems The scientists just published their findings in the journal Proceeds of Royal Society B.  The scientists observed that teamwork comes natu

Exoplanet Discovered that Orbits a Star Identified with the Science Officer from Star Trek Image of Vulcan Provided by University of Florida Spock's Home Planet Vulcan Discovered No aliens spotted so far but University of Florida astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting a star - 40 Eridani A, a star known to "Star Trek" movie fans as the host star of Science Officer Spock's home planet Vulcan. Vulcan the Exoplanet The exoplanet is 16 light years away from the Earth and located in constellation Eridanus.  What's most intriguing is that the planet orbits the sun-like star, just inside the zone where water and life could exist. Innovative Space Discovery The University of Florida team wasn't looking for the exoplanet. They found it through their planetary research explorations.  The exoplanet is two times the size of the Earth and it's the closest super Earth orbiting a sun-like star. The lead researcher, Dr. Jian Ge hopes the Intern

India's Fascinating Ramp Up of its Space Program Photo Courtesy of India's Space Research Organization Satellites Delivering Bandwidth Speed to Rural India India just announced its going to launch 3 more satellites.  Together the satellites will provide international level bandwidth speed to rural areas of India that currently don't have any or inadequate internet access.  This is yet another of India's innovative programs building for itself a growing leadership role in space.  India's space agency also announced its next mission is to launch 30 small satellites for third parties. Space Missions Every Two Weeks Just days after successfully launching two satellites for the UK, India announced it's going to launch space missions every two weeks.  The satellites will be launched from India's PSLV or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles that rocketed the UK satellites to space on Sunday.  The UK pair are commercial satellites that will map melting ice