Important Innovations

BMW Demands Renewable Energy Batteries Source:  BMW iNEXT Smart Battery, Green Power German automaker BMW has taken a very strong, green power position.  CEO Oliver Zipse says BMW electric cars will use battery cells produced by using renewable energy.  This decision by BMW will compel big global battery suppliers to use non-coal generated electricity.  Mr. Zipse says he has contractual agreements with their battery cell manufacturers to use only green power to make BMW's 5th generation battery cells. BMW's New Lineup of Electric Vehicles BMW is launching a new lineup of electric vehicles.  They're launching the electric BMW iX3 this year and the BMW iNEXT and BMW i4 in 2021.  BMW estimates the use of green battery power in their electric vehicles will save 10 million tons of CO2 over the next decade.  That is the equivalent of carbon dioxide emissions produced by a city of more than one million people.

Northern Russia's Intense Heatwave & Wildfires Source:  Siberian Forest Fires in June 2020 via satellite image Clear Impact of Climate Change Two Years in a Row I n June 2020, towns in northern Russia are experiencing sweltering heat normally found in the Tropics.  In Siberia, it's so hot wildfires are breaking out, pine trees are bursting into flames and peat bogs are stone dry.  In some locations, temperatures have hit 100 degrees (F).  Climate scientists are calling the Siberian heat wave a "warning cry" about Climate Change from the Arctic.  Experts at the World Meteorological Organization are troubled by satellite images showing that much of Russia's Arctic is in an extreme heat zone. Blazing Heat The extreme heat is fanning forest fires and igniting normally water saturated peat bogs.  Climate scientists fear that the intense heat and fires in Siberia are signs of even hotter and drier conditions to come with more frequent forest fires.  Those

Hollywood First Source:  Erica - Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories RoboStar Erica This is a movie first.  The lead actress in a big budget, $70 million science fiction movie is a robot named Erica.  Erica is loaded with artificial intelligence and was specifically created for this movie which is titled "b".  Four production companies are teaming up to make the movie - Life Entertainment, Bondit Capital Media, Happy Moon Productions and Ten Ten Global Media.  This movie is being shot at a time when most movie productions and many television productions are shut down because of concerns about COVID-19. World-Class Robotics Erica is an Intelligent Robot created by Japanese robotic scientists Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kohei Ogawas.  She debuted in 2015, but the roboticists had to recreate Erica the actress from scratch.  According to Ogawas: "We had to simulate her motions and emotions through one-on-one sessions, such as controlling the speed of her movements, talkin

China's Burgeoning Ride-Hailing Industry Source:  Didi RoboTaxis Industry Leader in China - Didi Chuxing China's ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has launched a test program for its RoboTaxi services on the streets of Shanghai. The tests started this weekend after the company installed V2X or Vehicle to Everything hardware throughout the area.  V2X enables the robotaxis to communicate with their surroundings and provides an extra layer of safety.  Didi Chuxing is a ride-hailing giant with financial backing from SoftBank. Free, On Demand Rides As part of the test program, customers can hail a free, on demand ride on Didi's robotaxis within designated areas of Shanghai.  Along for the ride are human safety drivers, should there be an autonomous issue. Didi is using Volvo, Lincoln and BYD models retrofitted with Didi's autonomous driving system for the testing.  China's RoboTaxis Elsewhere in China, Baidu is offering robotaxi rides in Changsha. And WeRid

2 Super-Earths Just Discovered Source:  Gliese 887 2 Exoplanets That Could Support Life A team of German scientists have discovered two, Super-Earths just 11 light years away from Earth.  The astronomers spotted them near the red dwarf star Gliese 887.  They are outside of our solar system and they could sustain life. Earth Like University of Gottingen astronomer Sandra Saffers reported in the journal Science that the 2 exoplanets provide the best possibilities for the search for life outside of our solar system.  In their report, the astronomers said they believe the exoplanets could contain liquid water and have a rocky surface like the Earth. They also have calculated that the surface temperature on these exoplanets at 158 degrees (F) or 70 degrees (C). Gliese 887b & Gliese 887c The newly discovered Super-Earths have been named Gliese 887b and Gliese 887c.  NASA says more than 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered in space.  Exoplanets have a mass larger than t

Finland's Robot Bankers Source:  Nordea Bank - Robot Bankers Nora and Nova Rising Robotic Workforce During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the robot workforce has been on the rise.  In China, there are robot-run field hospitals and new robot restaurant complexes.  In the US, robot concierge and robot cleaners are working at 5-star hotels and telepresence Avatar robots are enabling long distance learning.  Now in Finland, a robot investment adviser has become more popular than the human variety. Nora, the Investment Adviser At the biggest Nordic bank - Nordea, headquartered in Helsinki - a robot investment advisor named Nora just had a great 2nd quarter.  Nora pulled in 40% more business during the height of the COVID crisis.  By contrast, new business for the bank's human advisers was flat.  The Bank says that millennials prefer talking investments with a robot rather than with a human.  Nora saw the most action advising investors under the age of 40. Pressure Redu

Fascinating New Robots for Home, Service, Work, Medicine ++ Source:  Amazon  amazon.com/author/ekane Journalist Edward Kane's Latest Book on Amazon If you're interested in discovering the world's top new robots, check out a preview of Edward Kane's new book "NEW ROBOTS FOR THE 2020'S" in paperback  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08BWZMS83&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_WU19EbTPRTTF1&tag=ejkane2-20 and e-book   B08BWZMS83     I co-authored the books with Ed.