Important Innovations

China is Top Exhibitor at Frankfurt Auto Show Source:  FAW's Hungqi S9 Trending Technology on Display China has a very high profile at the world's largest auto show, The 2019 Frankfurt International Auto Show, now underway in Germany. 79 Chinese automakers are exhibiting their latest concept cars and new vehicles, making them the top exhibitor at Frankfurt.  Some of their new technology is fascinating, leading edge and trending. The Hungqi S9 This concept vehicle has the wings of butterflies, converted into butterfly doors.  It's a super sports car with maximum speeds of 400 km/h and a V8T hybrid engine system with a maximum of 1400 horsepower. Hungqi is part of the FAW Group, China's leading automaker.  It also unveiled an electric SUV concept, the E115.  This is the first time in 60 years that Hungqi has participated in an international auto show. The Wey Forward with R&D Center In Germany Source:  Wey-S And, then there is

Futuristic Off-Road and Autonomous Buggy/SUV Source:  Audi Unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show Audi unveiled a revolutionary vehicle concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show today.  It's the Audi AI: Trail Quattro Concept.  The vehicle combines off-road capabilities with autonomous driving technology.  Plus, it's all electric. E-Vehicle The vehicle has a fully electric powertrain with four electric motors and a large, lithium-ion battery.  An e-motor is installed on each wheel and drives them directly.  The Audi AI has a battery range of 250 to 310 miles on a charge. Autonomous, Electric Buggy Essentially, the Audi AI: Trail Quattro is a futuristic buggy style SUV with four doors and a lot of style.  On highways, it's capable of Level 4 autonomous driving, which is the second highest international level.  Off-road, it can provide autonomous driving at the Level 3 range.  It's also capable of going through 1.6 feet of water.  It's one of the most exciting and i

Connectivity and Style - Fashion Titan Yves Saint Laurent Partners with Google Source:  Yves Saint Laurent Smart Shoulder Strap Powered by Google Project Jacquard It's called the Cit-E Backpack and it features a smart shoulder strap that's powered by Google.  Specifically, by Google's Project Jacquard, that transforms ordinary objects like clothing and backpacks into interactive surfaces.  It weaves touch and gestures into any textile to enable connectivity.  The smart backpack is manufactured by Yves Saint Laurent in a partnership with Google.  YSL is a fashion titan and the price is pricey at $878. Smart Strap, Smart Phone There's a tiny module containing a battery and hardware made by Google that fits into a hollowed-out space in the backpack's compartment.  The module works with the wearer's cellphone and allows the left shoulder strap to control the phone.  There's a special cell phone pocket inside the backpack. Backpack with Co

MIT's Roboats Source:  MIT Roboat Test World's First Bridge Composed of Autonomous Boats This is the world's first bridge composed of autonomous boats that disconnect and reassemble into various configurations.  It's the invention of engineers and other scientists at MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions.  The city of Amsterdam has big plans for them in their canals to reduce busy traffic on congested city streets. Amsterdam Deployment Amsterdam wants the roboats to cruise its 165 canals to transport people and goods, collect trash and self-assemble into popup platforms like bridges and stages as needed. The roboats are equipped with sensors, thrusters, GPS modules, cameras, microcontrollers and other hardware.  They are far less expensive and far more versatile than traditional bridges. New Algorithm Upgrade The roboats have just been upgraded with a new control algorithm that enables them to be "shapeshifting", auto

Hot, Foldable, Smart Phone:  Samsung's Galaxy Fold Sells Out in South Korea & Coming to US and Europe Samsung launched its Galaxy Fold smartphone on Friday in South Korea and it proved to be a sell-out as soon as it went on sale.  The foldable smartphone that folds out into a tablet sold out in one day.  Another round of pre-ordering will start in South Korea on September 18th and it will be launched in the US in upcoming weeks. A First This is Samsung's first, foldable smartphone.  It includes 5G mobile connectivity.  It's priced at $2,000.  It will be going on sale in Germany, France and the UK within two weeks.  The US launch follows after that.  The device has been greatly anticipated.  An April launch was delayed by screen defects in samples. Phone and Tablet The Galaxy Fold opens into a tablet with a 7.3 inch screen that can display up to three apps simultaneously, if you like to multi-task like I do.  This is part of Samsung's commi

Genetics Bear Down on DNA of Loch Ness Monster Source:   Loch Ness The Monster May Be a Giant Eel The famed Loch Ness Monster has been the stuff of fiction and news reports from observers for 16 centuries.  The mystery of Nessie dates back to 565 AD when St. Columbia reportedly had an encounter with a monster on the River Ness.  It turns out that the monster may be fact and not fiction.  Scientists from New Zealand have done extensive analysis of DNA in Loch Ness's waters.  Their conclusion is the Loch Ness Monster may be a giant eel. New Science My favorite detective Sherlock Holmes would love this. An animated version of  the Loch Ness Monster was featured in an episode of the Private Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  Now 21st  century science is nailing it. It looks like the Loch Ness Monster exists but it may be a huge eel that is keeping the legacy going. The New Zealand scientists believe that the lake's eels hail from the Bahamas and migrate to the Loch Ness wat

Breakthrough Innovation from Saudi Arabia Artificial Skin that Feels A team at KAUST, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, has developed a new, magnetic skin that could enable new, wearable consumer technology and assistive devices for the elderly and disabled.  The skin is imperceptible, biocompatible and very innovative.  The new tech ushers in a new generation of touch sensors with low-cost technology applications. No Batteries or Wires Needed What is remarkable is the skin doesn't require embedded electronics....no wires, batteries or antennas.  The material is ultra flexible.  It's powered by an elastomer matrix mixed with magnetic powder. Tailor-Magnetized for Specific Uses The skin is tailor-magnetized for specific applications.  The uses include tracking eye movements to detect disease and robotic arms and prosthetics with haptic perception.  The key innovator is KAUST PhD. candidate Ahmed Alfadhel who started by investigatin

Controlling Your Dashboard - New Big Tech War Source:  GM Embedding Google Tech in 3.6 Million Cars Yearly GM has selected Google Technology to be embedded in their vehicles starting in 2021.  The win for Google is huge.  Their tech could be installed in 3.6 million GM vehicles yearly.  The Google technology will power navigation and provide voice-activated controls.  It will also deliver expanded infotainment functions.  Google beat Amazon for this deal which is part of a big, emerging race among technology companies to control vehicle dashboards. Google Apps Onboard GM Vehicles Google Assistant, Google Maps and other applications will be available through the Google Play App Store for all GM brands.  The first brands with built-in Google technology will roll in 2021 with more to come.  The one market this won't be available in is China, as of right now. Amazon Versus Google This Google win was a big defeat for Amazon which is trying to sell its rival

Autonomous Trash Collection System Source:  Vishwakarma Government Engineering College New Innovation from India Using Advanced AI to Detect & Collect Trash There's a lot of highly advanced technology in this AI powered trash collection system.  The technology includes machine learning algorithms, convolutional neural networks and autonomous systems.  The device was developed in India and ushers in a future of autonomous trash detection and collection. The inventors say it's an affordable and effective Artificial Intelligence system that detects trash and properly disposes it. Trash Detection & Disposal Powered by AI to Fight Pollution The new AI system was created by engineers at Vishwakarma Government Engineering College.  The purpose of the device is to fight the problem of the massive amounts of waste thrown away in urban areas.  It's a major source of air, water and environmental pollution worldwide. AGDC System The system is called the automatic

New Device to Cut Vehicle Noise Pollution Source:  Stock image of Paris at Night Paris Without Noise Pollution This new, innovative technology targets noise pollution from very loud sounding vehicles - motorcycles, cars and trucks.  The system is being tested in Paris and is installed on lampposts.  It identifies noisy vehicles, pinpoints their location and automatically tickets them.  Interestingly, the new device was created by engineers at Bruitparif, the city's noise pollution agency. The agency says with this device, the charge of noise pollution from revving your engines is not disputable.  They've nailed it. New Technology to Cut Noise Pollution The system uses four microphones to locate and triangulate where the vehicle loud noise pollution is coming from.  The sound reconfiguration is then linked to police CCTV camera footage to pinpoint the noisemaker.  A ticket is then automatically issued to the noise offender.  The city of Paris considers noise pollution

UK's Oldest Horse Breed Is Critically Endangered Source:  Suffolk Punch Stallions stock image Suffolk Punch Stallions Dating Back to Early 16th Century Science, technology and genetics are being used by concerned British experts to save from extinction Britain's oldest horse breed, the Suffolk Punch Stallion that dates back to the early 16th century.  A new scientific partnership is underway to save the Suffolk Punch along with 12 other very old horse breeds, like the Shetland Pony and the Welsh Pony, along with livestock breeds.  For details on this scientific rescue effort, go to Important Innovations Collection: Science Saving Oldest Horse Breeds : Suffolk Punch Stallions - Oldest Horse Breed in UK Source:  Stock image of Suffolk Punch Stallions Dates Back to Early 16th Century a...

Developing Customized Software to Combat It Source:  DARPA Disinformation Attacks Becoming More Technologically Innovative The U.S. Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is launching a project to thwart large-scale disinformation attacks.  DARPA considers these automated fake news attacks and fake social media posts as a threat to national security.  The new program's goal is to develop and deploy customized software to immediately spot fake news disinformation. Experts say the pace of innovation in new means to hack and disseminate disinformation is unprecedented. Massive News Scanning and Evaluation by Algorithms DARPA is now in discussions with software developers to design the system.  The Pentagon's R&D center wants to put the potential systems through rigorous testing.  The algorithm testing/detection process will scan and evaluate 250,000 news reports, 250,000 social media posts with 5,000 fake news items put into the mix.  The

Advanced Water Harvester from UC Berkeley Source:  UC Berkeley's Water Harvester Capable of Supplying Fresh Water to Global Villages in Need One of humanity's biggest challenges is to develop technology to meet global drinking water supply needs.  A team at UC Berkeley has invented a new water harvester capable of collecting water from very dry desert air.  Most importantly, the team says their technology is scalable and capable of supplying clean drinking water to people in villages.  This technology promises to be a new source of clean drinking water to people in arid environments globally. New Engineering The device has been tested in the Mojave Desert and it works.  The base is a metal-organic framework (MOF) that pulls in and condenses water molecules from the very dry desert air.  The cartridges of MOFs are in a large, transparent box that includes a condenser to collect the water molecules as liquid water. Third Variation on an Innovative Theme This is the