Important Innovations

  Manager & Supervisor Jobs At Risk Source: Robot Stock Image Fascinating New Study from Penn's Wharton School of Management A new study by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Management finds that it is managers and supervisors, not lower level employees, who are losing their jobs to robots and artificial intelligence.  The reason:  fewer numbers of managers can oversee larger portions of business operations with the help of AI and robotics expanding in their enterprise. Business Expansion With Robots The study's results are compelling.  The analysis covered businesses in Canada that used and didn't use robots and AI over the past 20 years.  Lead researcher Professor Lynn Wu found that firms deploying robots expanded their human workforce.  Those that did not deploy robots ended up with shrinking businesses and had to cut workers. Less Managers and Supervisors Needed According to the authors, the most surprising finding is that using AI and robotics

SpaceX 1st Fully Operational Flight for NASA Takes Off                                                 Source:  NASA 4 US Astronauts on SpaceX Resilience                                                       Source:  Space X SpaceX CEO Musk Has Moderate Symptoms of COVID SpaceX's 1st operational flight for NASA to the ISS with 4 US astronauts onboard just successfully launched in a capsule named Resilience.  This launch is historic.  It will be the first time in 60 years that NASA handed over the keys for a fully operational launch of NASA astronauts to a US private space company. Ironically, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could not be in person for the historic moment.  He says he has a moderate case of COVID-19.  NASA would not allow him to be at NASA or near the astronauts as he is in COVID quarantine. Musk Questions the COVID Test Technology SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk believes he most likely has a moderate case of COVID-19.  As he had two positive and two negatives results on COVID testin

  VW Pumping $86 Billion into Electric & Autonomous Mobility                                                  Source:  VW  Leading the Way in Green Mobility Over the next five years, Volkswagen will pump $86 billion into electric and autonomous technologies. VW seeks to remain the world's largest automaker as the world shifts toward green, no emissions cars.   Half of VW's investment budget is going into electric vehicles, autonomous technology, hybrids and what it calls seamless software-based vehicle operating systems.  VW is also doubling its spending on digitalization to develop new self-driving systems and new vehicle operating systems. Tighter Emissions Standards in Europe and Elsewhere  With the European Union and many countries around the world toughening their regulations to reduce carbon emissions, VW is re-shaping the company and its brands with a strategic focus on green, electric, autonomous clean mobility.  Just in the EU, VW needs to increase its hybrid and E

  Big Bucks to Back Green Energy & Climate Projects                               Source: Renewable energy stock image "Green Roadmap" to Greener Environment Europe is putting big money behind its .commitment to a greener future.  European Union governments have approved $1.2 trillion in funding, which they call a "green roadmap" for the European Union's lending.  This new funding plan will stop financing of fossil fuel projects and move the lending over to green projects, such as renewable energy.  It's the European Investment Bank's Climate Bank. $1.2 Trillion For This Decade The $1.2 trillion in funding will be spent by 2030.  All the financing activity will be in sync with the Paris Climate Accord goals. Projects particularly in focus are those related to climate, biodiversity and sustainably focused projects.  The European Union has stated on many occasions that it desires to "lead on the fight of Climate Change" and play a leading rol

  Spot Spotted on the High Seas Aboard an Oil Rig Source:  Boston Dynamics Spot RoboDog Multitasking Robot Dog I've been following Boston Dynamics' Spot RoboDog for some time.  Here's an update on this incredible quadruped, multi-tasking robot dog.  Spot has been on duty in Asia doing polite, social distancing patrols on the streets of Singapore to advise and encourage people to keep their distances and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among residents during 2020.  Spot is serving as a service assistance robot in US offices and homes.  He's on duty as a patrol robot on UK construction sites.  And, now Spot has gone on the high-seas, aboard a British Petroleum oil rig more than 190 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico to do off-shore robotic duty.  Spot seems to be the world's greatest utility robot. Spot on Oil Rig Duty Onboard the BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, Spot is being programmed to monitor gauges, sniff out dangerous smells of methane and check for any corrosion

  Fully Functional Electric Car Created From Recycled Waste                           Source:  Technical University of Eindhoven   A Car Called Luca 22 students at the the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands have built a fully functional electric car from recycled waste.  The waste they used to build the car includes recycled PET bottles, ocean plastics and household waste.  Their purpose is to show the value of waste and how it can be recycled and used to create items of value like an electric car.  This was part of a University project to discover innovative ways that industries can find new uses for the 2.1 billions tons of waste the world generates every year.  The team that created Luca is led by a young woman, project manager Lisa van Etten. Luca The car is called Luca.  It's a two seat sports car that's totally electric.  The EV can hit 56 mph and has a range of 137 miles on a charge The chassis is made from flax and recycled PET bottles.  The interior i

  Highly Advanced Sensors to Warn of COVID in the Air                                                                           Source:  COVID-19 stock image US Defense Dept.'s DARPA Push The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA plans to build a series of prototype detectors capable of spotting the COVID virus in the air.  The devices are targeted for use in office buildings and schools.  The sensors would quickly and accurately detect the presence of the virus in the air in order to alert occupants and prevent the spread. Rising COVID Toll Experts have warned that the virus is airborne.  More than 52 million people worldwide have been infected and more than 1 million have died.  Both Europe and the US are experiencing a second wave of the pandemic with cases rapidly accelerating.  But there is hope in the form of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the emerging Moderna vaccine.  Now, DARPA is moving on airborne detectors. Highly Advanced Technology Highl