Important Innovations

New Biomedical Innovation - Smart Wrist Band for Heart Early Warning Device on A-Fib and Stroke  This breakthrough medical device, that looks like a watch, is from an international team of biomedical engineers and scientists based in Lithuania and Sweden.  Their smart wrist band detects early warning signs of A-fib and stroke that can save the wearer time to get medical attention. This is a continuous, easy to use monitoring system.  Up to now, people at risk went to periodic clinic checkups.  Potentially big medical innovation.   For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Smart Wrist Band : Wrist Device: Stroke Early Warning System Source:  Kaunas University of Technology International Biomedical Engineering Breakthrough ...

Less Depression Breakthrough Research New research from Washington University in St. Louis has documented a big medical benefit  for kids playing team sports.  The scientists have linked participation in team sports to less depression in boys ages 9 to 11. Brain Changes The scientists have also documented significant positive brain changes from playing team sports.  In adults, depression is associated with the shrinkage of the hippocampus.  That's a region of the brain important to memory and response to stress.  The new research has shown  participation in team sports  results in "larger hippocampal volumes in children" and significantly less depressions in boys 9 to 11. Improving Children's Mental Health The scientists found that non-sports activities like music and art did not have the same effects.  The results were particularly strong in team sports rather than non-team.  More than 4000 children participated in the study, along with their parents.

New Metamaterials that Change Shape in 4D May Redefine Robots, Aircraft, Medical Devices Rutgers University Breakthrough Materials Science Scientists at Rutgers University have invented new metamaterials that don't exist in nature.  The 4D printed materials are lightweight, flexible and can shift their shape and structure in response to temperature. The 4th dimension is time.  Experts think this may enable new generations of aircraft, soft robots and small medical devices.  For a great news blog with  more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Shape Changing Material : 4D Printed Metamaterial Changes Shape When Heated Source:  Rutgers University The 4th Dimension is Time - Breakthrough Materials Scie...

Breakthrough in Wearables from South Korea Machine Washable, Solar Powered Wearable from South Korea's KAIST This is important new wearable innovation from South Korea's KAIST.  The wearable, electronic textile is machine washable and self powered by solar energy.  It may be a gamechanger in wearables.  For a great news blog with more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: New Washable, Wearable Display : Solar Powered Wearable Source: KAIST New Wearable Display From South Korea's KAIST A South Korean electrical engineering team has...

Optimus Ride Source:  Optimus Ride Big Trial Deployment at Brooklyn Navy Yar d Boston startup Optimus Ride will run autonomous shuttle vehicles at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to help workers get around the huge facility.  The self-driving shuttle vehicles will be operating by summer and the company hopes to expand beyond that.  Its an autonomous shuttle vehicle debut in NYC. Global Testing of Self-Driving Vehicles Autonomous vehicles are being tested in trial runs globally.  Some regulators, including in the US, have halted some trial projects because of crashes.  US regulators recently halted a driverless school bus trial. Optimum Trial Optimus Ride vehicles will operate up to 25 mph.  And the company intends to increase the number of vehicles at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during the deployment.  Globally there are a number of high profile projects underway.  Examples include Google's Waymo self-driving vehicles for supermarket shoppers in Phoenix.  And in Singapore, there

Pope Francis and the Future of Robotics Source:  The Vatican Vatican Conference on AI, Robotics and Humanity The Vatican is holding a high level conference with scientists, roboticists, ethicists and theologians on the rapidly accelerating innovations in AI, robotics and other emerging technologies.  Pope Francis is urging that the new innovations be studied and utilized to benefit humanity.  There are many important ethical questions about the future of technology and the impact on humanity.  For a news blog with more details including a partnership between the Pope and Microsoft, go to Important Innovations Collection: Pope Francis & Future of Robotics : Vatican Summit Source:  The Vatican Humans, Robots, AI - The Future At the Vatican, scientists, roboticists, ethicists and theologian...

Vehicle Intelligence Behind the Wheel Source:  InnovizOneA Dawn of Mass Market Autonomous Cars New vehicle intelligence systems, packing LiDAR and computer vision software, are being touted as enabling the beginning of  mass market, autonomous cars. InnovizOne by Innoviz Technologies, based in Israel, has been cited by CES 2019 as the technology leader in vehicle intelligence systems.  BMW is deploying it in their autonomous vehicles starting in 2021.  For a great news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Autonomous Driving Toward Mass Markets : Vehicle Intelligence Behind the Wheel Source:  InnovizOne Enabling Mass Commercialization of Self-Driving Cars It's the vehicl...

Small Home and Office Water Generator Source:  Watergen's GENNY GENNY By 2025, 2/3rds of the world will face drinking water shortages.  Watergen, based in Israel, says it has a solution.  GENNY is a small home and office water generator.  It can produce up to 8 gallons of clean drinking water a day from the humidity in the air. Tech for a Better World At the CES 2019, the company won the prestigious Tech for a Better World award for GENNY.  Watergen says it is revolutionizing the way water is delivered around the world by pulling it out of thin air.  Watergen is expanding operations into the US where it plans to open three manufacturing facilities.

Breathe London Project - Kids' Backpacks With Sensors Source:  Breathe London Project In London, World's Largest Air Quality Study The massive, citywide air quality study is being spearheaded by scientists at Kings College London.  It's called the Breathe London Project and schoolchildren are part of the project.  Dyson has created backpacks for 250 students that contain sensors monitoring the air they are breathing during their daily routines.  The sensors are lightweight and show when and where the children are exposed to pollution.  For a news blog with more details on the project, go to Important Innovations Collection: World's Biggest Air Quality Study - London :  Breathe London Project - Kids' Backpacks Monitoring Air Pollution Source:  Breathe London Project  State of the Art Sensors in B...

Very High Tech, Digital Eyewear Source:  ICI Vision Israel's ICI Vision  ICI Vision of Tel Avis has developed very high tech eyewear for those with vision disabilities.  Their Enhanced Vision Engine (EVE) is a fusion of hardware and software systems that combine AI, computer vision, mini HD cameras and proprietary eye tracking algorithms to bring sight to the virtually blind. Digital Eyewear Platform with AI and HD Cameras The technology in the glasses fills in the gaps in the individual's eyesight and projects images to healthy areas of the retina.  The company calls it the first of its kind, individually optimized digital eyewear platform.  The glasses are designed to help the visually impaired better navigate and help to correct blind spots.

Latest and Best in Global Innovations If you are interested in being up to date about the latest and most impactful global innovations, you might enjoy taking a look at our seven book series "Important Innovations Collection" by Edward Kane and co-authored be me.  Ed and I are national journalists and the books are written in a crisp, news summary fashion.  They are easy to read guide books. The Best Our latest book "Important Innovations Collection - The Best" contains the latest innovations in: Smart Devices AI, VR, Quantum Computing, Next G TV Medical Health, Biotech Energy Robots Travel For a free sample read of  The Best, go to  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1797046632/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i12 To take a look at the entire series, go to  amazon.com/author/ekane And, you can borrow the books for free in the Kindle Library.

New Global Technology Innovation Simple, Inexpensive Tech from Purdue University This is new innovation that is noteworthy.  Purdue University scientists have developed a simple and inexpensive method to remove oil from water.  Why does that matter?  The potential of this new technology is to cut pollution and health risks globally. Source: Purdue University System  Produced Water The process was developed for "produced water" from oil refining.  2.5 billion gallons of produced water are generated daily by oil refineries.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the produced water has been an intractable contamination problem and hazard.  Purdue researchers say they have developed a purification system that is a breakthrough. Solar Power+Charcoal+Foam & Goes Full Circle The Purdue process relies on solar-powered charcoal foam.  The charcoal is heated up by solar energy to absorb petroleum.  The scientists have demonstrated that their process f

Butterflies On the Decline From Industrial Farming and Pesticides New German Research Raises An Alarm Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have documented a dramatic decline in butterfly populations.  Meadows, adjacent to high intensity, industrial farming areas, are home to less than half of the butterfly species that are found in nature preserves.  Their research was done in Germany but it is a global wake-up call.  The scientists say the problem is high intensity agriculture and pesticides.  They add there is an urgent need for ecologically sustainable cultivation methods in agriculture.  For a great news blog, go to  Important Innovations Collection: New German Research on Butterflies & Big Agricultu... : Significant Population Decline from High Intensity Agriculture with Pesticides Source:  TUM Harmony Blue Butterfly Butterfly Popula...