Important Innovations

Prototype Demonstrator eVTOL  Source:  Airbus Vahana & helicopter Urban Air Mobility Airbus Vahana is the experimental eVTOL that is the basis and inspiration for the next generation of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles ((eVTOLs)) at Airbus, the European multinational aerospace corporation.  The vehicle started as a design on a napkin and within 4 years it converted into a fully operational eVTOL.  The vehicle's final test flight happened in Oregon in late 2019.  Airbus Air Mobility is now using the technology to design the next generation of eVTOLs to clear regulatory hurdles and put the vehicles into service as flying taxis. Technical Demonstrator Model According to Airbus, Vahana has contributed major new technology that is being deployed in for next-G eVTOLS including: A fully operational eVTOL vehicle model with a tilt-wing configuration and battery-to-electric motor solution Successful self-piloting technologies that are fully capable of au

Harnessing Ocean Energy As A Power Source Source:  DARPA Sustainable Energy The concept of underwater energy harvesting by drones is being developed by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Agency DARPA.  This could not only revolutionize naval propulsion, particularly for drone submarines, by providing them a sustainable energy source.  But also, if the drones transport the harvested ocean energy to ships at sea, there would be far less need to return to port to refuel.  The time and energy efficiencies would be breakthrough. Manta Ray Project DARPA calls the program the Manta Ray Project.  It's goal is to develop unmanned underwater vehicles - drones - that can operate underwater for very long, extended periods of time, all the while harvesting the energy of the ocean as a power source.  Four companies have just been selected for the job.  Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Navtek LLC are working on the drones.  And Metron is developing underwater energy

Daimler and Geely Source:  Daimler Global Tie-Ups To Create New EVs German luxury automaker Daimler and China's electric automaker Geely are exploring ways to deepen their cooperation in the research and development of electric vehicles.  The two companies have formed a China based venture to build electric Smart cars.  They've also joined forces to build a premium ride hailing venture.  And, among their projects, each has invested in Volocopter, a state of the art, electric multirotor helicopter/flying taxi service, based in Germany. Geely Operations and Expansions China-based Geely is a global automotive force.  It owns Volvo, Lotus and Terrafugia, the US based flying car company.  It also owns Lynk & Co. based in Sweden. Geely Chairman Li Shufu says he plans to roll out Lynk & Co. cars in Europe sometime in late 2020.  Lynk & Co. says it offers a new kind of mobility: simple pricing, flexible ownership and car sharing.  The vehicles are electric

Launch Late 2021 Source:  Tesla's Elon Musk Jumps on the Cybertruck Elon Musk's E-Pickup and E-ATV Companion The Tesla electric pickup truck, Cybertruck, and the electric ATV Cyberquad are known to be some of entrepreneur/Tesla CEO Elon Musk's favorite pet projects. He is looking to launch them in 2021.  Musk the marketer is pushing his new innovations.  As a teaser for Jay Lenno's show "Jay Lenno's Garage", Musk jumped on the body of his Cybertruck prototype, which is made of the same material he uses for his SpaceX rocket skins and he took Leno for a ride in it.  The body material didn't dent unlike the cybertruck's windows that famously cracked a few months ago when hit during a demonstration.  Musk is working on many improvements as he goes into production of his Cybertruck. Fascinating, Innovative Offerings Musk expects to incorporate and offer some very innovative features on the Cybertruck.  Here are some examples: Owners w

Astronomers Find It in Deep Space Source:  ALMA The Wolfe Disk Astronomers have discovered a massive disk galaxy deep in the universe.  It is almost as old as the universe itself at 12.5 billion years old.  The universe is believed to be 13.8 billion years.  It's called the Wolfe Disk and is yet another wonder in space just unveiled by astronomers, who are baffled by its very existence.   The Galaxy That Shouldn't Be What's intriguing is that astronomers say the Wolfe Disk shouldn't exist and shouldn't be where it is in deep space.  Those statements are based on astronomers' current understanding of galaxies.  Their key question is: how did such a well formed rotating disk galaxy  form at a time of chaos in space?  A time when galaxies formed during violent collisions and chaotic mergers.  Created in a Different Way The astronomers believe the Wolfe Disk was created and grew in a very different way.  They theorize that it grew through the steady

For Sea, It's an Electric Boat  Source:  Zeltini For Land, It's a Bike & Tiny Camper The Z-Triton is a unique travel invention.  The electrically powered vehicle can travel on land and sea. It's a combination tiny house, electric, amphibious boat and a bike.   It's the creation of designer Aigars  Lauvis of Latvia.  He says he created it for adventure and expeditions around the world.   New Electric Vehicle This innovation appears to be unlike any other form of transportation in the world.  The design studio behind it, Zeltini, will start renting the electric vehicle in 2021. It's not yet available for sale. Zeltini says its mission is to create sustainable products and prototypes that can function well and also be a lot of fun. ... ...

Circling Stars Gave It Away to Astronomers Source:  European Space Agency A Black Hole "In Our Neighborhood" European astronomers have found the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered.  It is so close that two stars circling it can be seen with the naked eye.  The black hole is called the HR 6819 triple system.  It was created by the death of a fleeting young star.  Two remaining super hot stars continue to orbit it. Trillions of Miles From Earth It is the closest black hole discovered but it is still 1,000 light years away.  Every light year equals 5.9 trillion miles.  It was discovered by astronomers using the European Space Agency's massively powerful telescope at the European Southern Observatory in northern Chile.  Lead astronomer Thomas Rivinius says the black hole "is in our neighborhood".  He adds there may be 100 million to one billion of these relatively small but hugely dense objects in the Milky Way. Black Holes Where Nothing Escapes