Important Innovations

  Ingenuity Lands on Mars                            Source:  NASA Ingenuity Landing on Mars First Helicopter on Another Planet NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity is an aviation wonder.  It is the world's first helicopter to land on Mars after being dropped out of its mother ship Perseverance Rover.  The final drop was 4 inches and Ingenuity's legs fully deployed.  The helicopter's first flight is scheduled for April 11 with data on how its systems performed and what it observed on Mars coming back to NASA on April 12.  These history making milestones are occurring 293 million miles away from Earth.  Technological Marvel Ingenuity is a technological marvel.  It weighs just 4 pounds and unfolds like a butterfly.  The vehicle is solar powered and relies on a rechargeable battery to power an internal heater to stay warm during the harshly cold Martian nights that can go down to -130 degrees F.  The helicopter interior needs to be about 45 degrees F to preserve the sensitive

  Robots Using UV Light to Sanitize Aircraft                                                            Source: UVeya Test Trials Now Underway Swiss startup UVeya is testing its new robots armed with COVID-19 killing UV light on Swiss passenger planes at Zurich Airport.  The test trials are taking place onboard Embraer jets from Helvetic Airways.  Helvetic is a charter airline service, owned by Swiss billionaire Martin Ebner.  In 2020, Hevetic's business dropped 75% due to fears of flying because of COVID-19.  The hope is that the robot cleaners will reduce people's fear of flying as COVID continues to spread.  The target for the robot is the airline industry. Antidote to COVID on Planes One UVeya robot can disinfect a single aisle plane in thirteen minutes.  Larger planes take longer.  The company has produced three robot prototypes.  The robots are priced starting at $15,930.  They may enjoy a brisk business as governments around the world are requiring new measures to ensure

  Flying Car Testing in the Public Domain by 2022                                        Source:  SkyDrive Flying Cars on the Roads & in the Sky by 2023 The government of Japan is a big believer in the importance of flying cars in the Japanese transportation mix.  In fact, it wants flying cars operational on the roads and in the sky by 2023.  To facilitate that goal, it is allowing public domain testing in 2022.  Clearly, Japan is a global leader in the effort to deploy flying cars. Japanese Collaborative Effort What differentiates Japan is strong collaboration between the government and private companies to bring flying cars into widespread use.  The government wants to deploy flying cars and passenger drones as short distance transportation solutions in cities, rural areas and in disaster relief zones. SkyDrive An outstanding flying car vehicle in the R&D pipeline is being developed by Tokyo-based startup SkyDrive.  The company has successfully completed the first manned flig

  Klein Vision's Flying Car                                           Source: Klein Vision's Air Car Vehicle Goes From Flying to Driving with the Push of a Button Klein Vision of Slovakia has created the AirCar.  The flying car can change from the driving to the flying mode with the press of a button in 3 minutes.  AirCar is a prototype that is still being worked on, but it has been successfully flown over Slovakia with two take-offs and landings.  It is one of the world's most promising flying cars being prepared for commercialization. Tech Specs The AirCar has an estimated range of 621 miles.  It is the invention of Professor Stephan Klein.  The vehicle is powered by a 1.6-liter BMW engine with 140 hp.  It is lightweight at only 2,425 pounds. Klein designed the AirCar for commercial taxi service and for leisure driving and flying.  He envisions a future with airports specifically designed for flying cars and their easy access.  The AirCar is a look at the exciting future

  Germany's Lilium Flying Taxis Is Going Public                                                  Source:  Lilium New 7-Seater Startup IPO Expected Valuation on Nasdaq at $3.3 Billion Germany's flying taxi startup Lilium just announced that it's going public on the Nasdaq in a deal that values Lilium at $3.3 billion. The deal is expected to close this quarter. It will enable Lilium to start commercial operations of its 7 seat passenger flying taxis, flown by pilots, in 2024.  The money will be used to finish the certification process, start production and start commercial operations.  As part of the announcement, Lilium unveiled an image of its larger -  7 seat - flying taxi for fast, aerial, intercity commutes.  Previous models have had only 5 passenger seats. e-VTOLS Munich-based Lilium is doing an IPO merger with special purchase acquisition company (SPAC) Qell Acquisition Corporation.  San-Francisco based Qell is led by the former President of General Motors North Americ

  COVID Kids' Vaccine Moves Forward                            Source:  Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine 100% Effective in Initial Data From Trials Germany based BioNTech and Pfizer announced today that their COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in teens, according to their initial data from ongoing trials in children from 12 to 15 years old.  The companies added kids tolerate the vaccine very well.  Their vaccine has already been approved for emergency use in young people 16 year old plus and adults.  The companies, based on their new data, say that they believe it is safe and effective for kids 12 to 15 years old to receive the two shot vaccine.  Their data is being forwarded to the FDA for its review and possible approval for use in young teens to protect them from COVID.  The companies hope to start vaccinating kids before the start of the new school year in fall of 2021. Testing Ongoing For Kids of All Ages The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shot into the arms of hundreds of mill

  Just Published on Amazon & Kindle                                                        ASIN: B091FQ4774 Fascinating New Innovations Being Developed in Germany Journalist and author Edward Kane's latest book "Germany's Big New Innovations" showcases fascinating breakthrough innovations in Travel,  Energy, Medicine and more that have just been developed by German engineers, scientists and technologists. Many of the inventions are life enhancing and life saving.  To take a look, go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B091FQ4774&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_RTYB3X7TFY93ZXSA0CAZ   I co-authored the book with Ed.