Important Innovations

"The Putin Limousine" Taking Orders Now Russia's first post-Soviet era luxury sedan just went on display and sale in Moscow this weekend with an official showroom. The car is part of the Aurus brand, used by President Vladimir Putin in his inauguration in 2018. Hence, the nickname the "Putin Limousine".   The Aurus Senat sedan is based priced at $274,000.  Aurus is taking orders for the vehicle. Targeted, Global Customer Base Aurus says that the targeted customer base is government officials and businesspeople in China, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.  Russia has invested $189 million in the Aurus limousine project since 2013.  There are plans to open a showroom in China in 2020-2021. Electric Vehicles on the Horizon and a Lot More The vehicles are produced by a Russian research institute NAMI in partnership with Russian carmaker Sollers.  Luxury hybrid and electric models are targeted for 2024.  They are also developing a SUV, minivan, an e

Highly Advanced Robotics from FAU Source:  FAU's Astro Astro, One of the World's Smartest Robodogs Florida Atlantic University's Astro is a very smart robodog.  It's loaded with cameras, sensors, radar imaging, a directional microphone and four teraflops of processing power which enables up to 4 trillion computations per second.  Astro learns like your dog, through repetition, trial and error. It could be a big player in search and rescue, bomb detection, work as a service dog and much more.  For a great news blog on this new invention, go to Important Innovations Collection: Smart Robodog Learns Like a Dog : Astro May Be One of the World's Smartest Dogs Source:  Florida Atlantic University New Invention from Florida Atlantic University...

Fedor in Orbit Source:  Russian Space Agency Roscosmos - Fedor Spacebot Docking at ISS Aborted Today Russia's first humanoid robot Fedor or Skybot F850 is travelling in space aboard an unmanned spacecraft to the International Space Station.  The Russian Soyez spacecraft tried to dock with the ISS to deliver Fedor today but the docking was aborted.  Russian cosmonauts issued the order to abort the approach to the ISS because the Soyez wasn't on target to properly lock-on. Second Try on Tuesday The crewless, automated Soyez backed away safely and Russian flight controllers are determining next steps.  They believe the problem was a radio failure aboard the ISS not the Soyez.  The Director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos says they'll try again to dock on Tuesday morning. Fedor, Astronauts' Assistant Once on board the ISS, Fedor will start learning how to serve as an astronauts' assistant.  His actions are human-like and he'll perform light tasks

Multitasking, Foldable Smartphone Source:  Samsung Samsung Just Filed Patent The Z-Fold smartphone by Samsung is a three in one device:  smartphone, tablet and small computer.  It's a prototype and Samsung just filed a patent on it.  It folds out into a widescreen tablet that's designed for multitasking including gaming, watching videos and films.  For a detailed news blog on this new smart device, go to Important Innovations Collection: Samsung's Z-Fold Smartphone : 3 Function Multitasker Patent Filed Samsung has a new smartphone that can expand to the size of a widescreen tablet.  The South Korean ...

Brazil May Send Its Army In to Combat the Amazon Fires Source:  Amazon Burning Global Environmental Concern About the "Lungs of the World" It's mind boggling and clearly an international crisis.  The Amazon Rain Forest, which is the world's largest, is engulfed in raging fires.  In Brazil alone, there have been 74,000 fires in the Amazon this year.  The Amazon Rain Forest covers parts of nine countries, but Brazil is key.  Importantly, the Amazon produces 20% of the oxygen on Earth.  The situation is so severe that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for it to be included on the agenda at the G-7 Meeting in Biarritz.  The President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, whose environmental policies are under attack, has just announced he may call in the Brazilian Army to fight the unprecedented fires in the Amazon, which is known as "the lungs of the world." Fires Sending Smoke 2,000 Miles Away The fires are so extensive that smoke extends 2000 miles a

Naturbeads from the UK - Green Replacement for Plastics Source:  Naturbeads New Innovation to Replace Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics These biodegradable microbeads invented by engineers at the University of Bath in the UK are an eco-friendly replacement to plastic microbeads found in cosmetics. Their invention is called Naturbeads and they've created a company around it that's receiving investment money from Innovate UK and Sky Ocean Ventures.  Naturbeads are made of cellulose which is a naturally occurring material.  Unlike plastics, it causes no environmental damage. Scalable Tech The engineering team creates their Naturbeads by pressing liquid cellulose through tiny holes to create drops and then detach them with vegetable oil.  There are many uses for this new invention including safer, greener cosmetics.  The bottom-lime:  Naturbeads are biodegradable, cellulose microparticles that replace plastic microbeads.  They are plastic alternative products that are prod

Evidence of Supernova Explosion in Space Found on South Pole Source: stock image of Antarctica Stardust Discovery by Australian Scientists Researchers from Australian National University have found large amounts of a unique isotope, iron-60, in the snow of Antarctica.  They believe it is "stardust" from the explosion of a supernova in space.  The isotope is not native to the Earth.  They believe it could only have been delivered by a interstellar rock that crashed from space.  For more details on this remarkable discovery, go to Important Innovations Collection: Supernova Found in Antarctic Snow : Stardust Discovered Source:  Stock Image Antarctic Interstellar News Australian scientists have discovered large amounts of stardust ...

India Innovation Hub for Key Services like Kindle and Amazon Home Source:  Amazon, Hyberabad facility that just opened Amazon Also Tests the Waters in Israel Amazon, Jeff Bezos' brainchild, has made him the richest man in the world.  And it continues to build his wealth through his entrepreneurial genius.  Amazon just opened its biggest global campus in Hyderabad, India to capitalize on the company's rapid market growth there.  India is one of Amazon's top growth markets.  It already has 62,000 full time employees there.  The new office complex can accommodate 15,000 but is expandable. Simultaneously, Amazon is test marketing Israel to further expand its international operations. India Tech Innovation Hub The new facility in India is huge, 1.8 million square feet of office space, and it's Amazon's first huge facility owned outside of the US.  It's an innovation hub for Amazon.  They intend to use it to build their services globally like Kindle and Amaz

Israeli Startup TriEye's Breakthrough Sensor Technology for Greater Driving Visibility Source:  TriEye Porsche Investing and Banking on It Israeli startup TriEye is aptly named.  It has developed what Porsche believes is sensor technology with great potential for the next generation of driver assistance systems and autonomous driving systems.  Porsche just invested in the company.  TriEye uses HD cameras to provide unprecedented visibility during bad driving conditions like fog, strong storms and night driving with limited light.  The system has been proven to work and is ready for mass production.  For more news on this innovation from Israel, go to Important Innovations Collection: Porsche Invests in Road Visibility Advanced System... : Israel's TriEye Unique Sensor Technology for Driving Visibility Source:  TriEye Clearly Seeing the Road in the Worst Driving Condi...

Real Time, Advanced Monitor for When Fido is Home Alone Source:  PetNow Seeing Your Dog's POV PetNow of Toronto, Canada has invented what they're calling the world's 1st, wearable, High Definition camera for dogs.  It shows you the world from your dog's perspective.  And, most importantly, it is a real time monitor, loaded with technology, that shows you exactly what your dog is doing when they're home alone.  The smart camera is WiFi enabled and sits in a harness around the dog's neck.  The system also has 2-way, live audio that allows you to communicate to your pet in real-time. Home Security This advanced dog security monitoring system can be detached from the dog's harness and function as a standard home security camera. For the dog POV, the video from the camera can be lived streamed to a paired device via the internet.  The device can store, record, share the video and capture still images.  As mentioned, there's also a 2-way talk system

Virtual Shark Safety Net from Australia Source:  Shark Shield Technology of Australia Electronic Deterrence Jaws, beware.  New technology has just been unveiled that provides long range protection against sharks.  The system has been developed for boaters but has application for jetties and very small beaches.  The company that invented this new tech is Ocean Guardian of Australia. It's powered by their system Shark Shield Technology and the purpose is to protect swimmers from shark attacks by diverting the sharks with technology. BOAT01 Shark Deterrent The device is called the Ocean Guardian BOAT01 Long Range Shark Deterrent.  It's designed to increase swimmer safety from shark attacks while swimming off a boat or jetty.  The device deploys electronic deterrence from the back of a boat.  It emits a strong electrical impulse that causes the shark strong but temporary discomfort and causes them to move away from the area.  This is a virtual safety net from sha

NASA's 1st Glimpse of Rocky, Earth-Sized Exoplanet Source:  NASA - Exoplanet Exoplanet Outside of the Solar System This is the first glimpse of the rocky, 1.3 times larger than Earth Exoplanet just spotted by a NASA space telescope.  It is literally out of this world, outside of our solar system at 49 light years away.  It's called LHS 3844b, has no atmosphere and the surface is most likely as barren as the Moon.  It is an extraordinary piece of astronomy and science.  For more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Out of This World Exoplanet : NASA's 1st View of  Rocky Exoplanet Outside of the Solar System Source:  NASA Artist Rendering Exoplanet LHS 3844b A NASA space ...

CEO Expanding Lineup of Road Cars Source:  Ferrari The Future of Sports Cars Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said today in Pebble Beach, CA, at a classic car show, that the Italy-based luxury car company plans to expand its GT - grand touring - lineup of cars that are easier driving vehicles.  It also plans to launch a premier SUV, the Purosangue, to compete in the luxury SUV category.   The company, known for its flashy, high performance vehicles, is producing strong financial and innovation results, including a new luxury hybrid vehicle.  It has no desire to compete in sales volume results with rival Porsche.  Elkann is also Chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.   Fiat is the majority owner of Ferrari. New SF90 Stradale and GT Models The company's new SF90 Stradale hybrid vehicle is expected to be a big contender against Tesla's luxury electric vehicle models.  The SF90 is the fastest Ferrari ever produced with 986 horsepower.  The new GT-type Ferrari could be unvei