Important Innovations

New Sports Helmet Inspired by the Brain Source:  Fluid Inside Fluid Protection Inside the Helmet The new Fluid Inside sports helmet takes its inspiration from the brain and its first line of defense against brain injury -- Fluid, specifically Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF).  For details on this innovative helmet, go to Important Innovations Collection: Brain Inspired Sports Helmet : Helmet Mimics Fluid Protection the Brain Provides Source:  Fluid Inside Fluid Inside The new Fluid Inside sports helmet take its lea...

Synchronizing Lights by Fireflies - Quite a Light Show Source:  Smoky Mountains, TN Fireflies Synchronize Lights  Eco-Tourists Flocking to 2 Appalachian Forests being Lite-Up by Rare Fireflies This is nature at its most impressive and beautiful.  Swarms of rare fireflies that illuminate at the same moment and stay bright for ten seconds lighting up a remote forest area..  They go dark for a minute and then light up the forest again.  This is such a magnificent phenomena of natural synchronization, it is attracting crowds of tourists who care about the environment.   They are flocking to two remote forests in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Summer Light Shows Fireflies that light up and are in sync are extremely rare.  Globally, they are found in the US Allegheny and Smokey Mountains in PA, and TN, also in remote parts of South Carolina and Arizona and in Southeast Asia.  As so much innovation comes from nature, you have to wonder what this magnificen

Bike that Charges Your Devices While You Ride Source:  PedalCell No Batteries Needed You might call this new gadget charging peddle power.  The CadenceX generator attaches to the front wheel of your bike, spins and generates power to charge your personal devices, bike lights, GPS and more.  For a news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Charging Peddle Power : New Bike Gadget Charges Your Devices Source:  PedalCell's CadenceX No Battery - New Invention It's called the CadenceX gener...

DARPA Project Funded and Underway Source:  Stock Image Non-Surgical Mind Control of Weapons for US Troops The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, has started a research program to develop technology that enables seamless communication between the human brain and machines.  The purpose is thought controlled weapons like sending by thought swarms of drones into the sky to counter a threat or beaming images by a thought from one brain to another. Very Serious DARPA Endeavor This is fascinating research that almost strikes you as part of the realm of science fiction.  But it is very real, well funded and purposeful.  DARPA calls the program the Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology N3 Program.  Six research teams have received federal funding to make this happen. DARPA goal is for technology that enables a two way channel between the human mind and machines, again with no surgery involved.

MIT's New Robot that Helps Humans Lift Heavy Loads Sourc:  MIT Human-Machine Collaboration This is a leading edge example of an AI enabled robot helping humans lift heavy objects.  The robot has just been unveiled at MIT and it points the way to the future of human and robots collaborating to get jobs done more quickly and easily.  For details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Robot Helps You Lift Objects : New MIT Robot Shares Lifting Objects with Humans Source:  MIT Sharing the Load with a Robot MIT's latest robot helps you lift he...

IBM, Cera Care Test Self-Driving Car Sensors for New Use Keeping Elderly Home Longer with Tech This is a six month pilot program to see if LIDAR laser sensors can be used to help the elderly stay longer in their homes.  One of the big uses of LIDAR is to help self-driving cars "see".  IBM Research UK and Cera Care are teaming up to test the unique use of the LIDAR technology, Mapping Safety LIDAR uses laser light pulses to generate images and maps of surroundings and to help self-driving cars navigate streets.  In June, 15 volunteer households in the UK will have LIDAR sensors installed by IBM Research UK and Cera Care.  They'll use IBM machine learning software to build a detailed picture of each patient's daily routines and home environment.  They'll utilize the images to pinpoint and alert caregivers of any possible problems in health, falls, etc. during the patient's routine to let caregivers know when they need to be in the home.  It's a cutti

Telling Time by the Sun Source:  LunaR Smartwatch 1st Transparent Solar Smart Watch, LunaR The sun has always set time for humans, animals, nature and our universe.  So it seems fitting that an innovation company LunaR has created a smartwatch that is solar powered to tell time.  It's called the LunaR smartwatch. Hybrid Watch with Smartwatch Functionality LunaR is a hybrid smartwatch that offers solar power capability.  There's an embedded solar panel that can draw enough energy from one hour of sun to provide power to the watch indefinitely.  It offers many functions that other smart watches do like built-in fitness training sensors, LED notifications, vibrating message alerts and displaying two time zones at once.  This innovation comes from LunaR, MEDUSA. It's a fascinating new gadget.

New Wearable Gadget Source:  Spryng Mimics and Accelerates Circulation Spryng wearable aids for muscle recovery were created to help injured athletes recover more quickly.  It accelerates injury recovery time by using pneumatic compression.  The pads which go around the lower legs are designed to be used for fifteen minute sessions. Mimics Legs' Natural Physiology The device can be used while you're in motion or at rest.  It is wrapped around the calves.  It massages the legs using pneumatic compression in a "Wavetech" pattern that the company says mimics the natural physiology of the legs.  It aids and accelerates blood circulation to speed up recovery time and flush out lactic acid. Muscle Recovery Gadget The company calls the gadget the world's most advanced muscle recovery tool and claims that it provides faster muscle recovery, better performance and improved circulation.  It mimics natural muscle contractions and increases oxygen su

UK's Immense Simulations Gets VC Backing Source:  Immense Simulations  Big Money Pouring into Software for Driverless Cars British software company Immense Simulations makes interactive city simulations of traffic and people flows on any given day.  The company today raised $4.6 million in a Series A funding led by UK's Amadeus Capital Partners and Japan's Global Brain Corporation.  This is a major sign of the times.  Investors are betting on autonomous vehicles going mainstream.  So far this year, companies in the self-driving vehicle sphere have raised $3 Billion in funding. Immense Technology Immense uses data from mobile phone operators, public transport and telematics databases to build city simulations.  Carmakers use the simulations to test their plans for fleets of autonomous cars on scenarios that are as close to real, congested city conditions as possible. CityScapes Immense Simulations has made simulations for driving conditions in many cities inclu

Toyota's 2020 Olympics Taxi Ride Source:  Toyota's Japan Taxi Very Interesting Tech Toyota's Japan Taxi for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo is designed to be a crowd pleaser for tourists loaded with luggage, disabled individuals in wheelchairs and for people of all sizes.  It's expensive, costing one-third more to build than its predecessor.  The vehicle also has some impressive technology including anti-virus air conditioning.  For a news blog with more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Toyota's 2020 Olympics Taxi : Japan Taxi: Crowd Pleaser with Big Price-tag A Taxi with Something for Everyone The Japan Taxi that Toyota has developed for the 2020 ...

Denmark's Vestas Launches New Turbine in US Market Blowing in the Wind Vestas has launched a new wind turbine targeting the US market.  It's designed to simplify how turbines are built and cut costs for the renewable source of energy. 30% More Energy The turbine produced by the Copenhagen based company has a 138 meter rotor diameter, which is the industry's largest.  The company expects it will produce 30% more energy then previous models. Modular Design The new turbine is a modular design to enable more customized turbines to be produced without increasing the number of components.  The new V138 turbine can be sold globally but it's particularly well suited to the US where many locations have capacity restrictions on how many megawatts can be installed and fed into the local grid.  Vestas just announced the new V138 turbine today.

US Postal Service Testing Self-Driving Trucks Source:  TuSimple Autonomous Mail Hauling Truck Tests Now Underway The US Postal Service is testing self-driving trucks for long haul mail delivery between Phoenix and Dallas.  The autonomous trucks are being deployed from the San Diego startup TuSimple.  The project to test the feasibility of moving mail over the nation's highways by autonomous vehicles is underway for the next two weeks.  For a news blog go to Important Innovations Collection: Self-Driving US Mail Trucks : US Mail Tests Autonomous Truck Deliveries Source:  TuSimple Autonomous Truck Autonomous Mail Delivery The US Postal Service has start...

Visiting Global Heritage Sites with VR Source:  CyArk's 3D VR Image of Ancient Stone Temples in Thailand No Need to Leave Home to Tour This is one of the greatest uses of technology and virtual reality.  Google and a non-profit CyArk have collaborated on a website Open Heritage that allows you to tour global heritage sites via a virtual reality app without ever leaving your home.  You can tour the ruins of Pompei or a 1,000 year old Mayan Temple online and/or enhance it with VR googles right at home.  For a great news blog Important Innovations Collection: Visiting World Sites with VR : Virtual Reality Tours of Global Heritage Sites Source:  CyArk 3D VR image of ancient stone temples in Thailand  Google & CyArk Co...