Important Innovations

  New Tech Education Tools                             Source: Online Class During COVID On-Demand Learning Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are predicted to have a profound impact on how children and adults learn and absorb new information.  New research suggests the big benefit is that the new technologies have the capability to personalize from data analysis the specific educational content and needs for individual students. Experts say with the prevalence of virtual remote learning due to COVID-19,  artificial intelligence and virtual reality have the potential of disrupting the traditional models of both teaching and learning for the greater good. Big Data Driven With the help of big data, these new technologies can track individual and group learning patterns.  And based on the data and analysis, they can create customized tools to solve individual students' learning...

  New EV Has Strong Funding Source:  Aptera Very Close to Production Aptera, the San Diego based electric vehicle maker, has landed $4 million in fresh funding to bankroll production of its 3 wheeled, solar electric EV by the end of 2021.  Aptera is a unique, sleek and highly efficient new form of personal mobility.  The electric vehicle seats two, operates on 3 wheels, can hit speeds of 110 mph and promises to be ultra efficient with a 1,000 mile range.  It already has netted 7,000 orders to buy it in just two months.  That adds up to $250 million in orders.  The company says it is driven by the power of the Sun and depending upon where you live and how much you drive, you may never have to give it a charge.  Bottom-line:  solar power alone can power the EV for 45 miles per day. Solar Panel Roof The Aptera is designed for energy efficiency. It has solar roof panels to pull in energy from the sun.  Depending on the size of the battery in...

  AI Powered, Educational Robot Lessons in STEM, Languages and More ROYBI is an AI powered, robot teacher for kids 3 to 7 years old.  It is a Time Magazine Best Innovation winner.  The robotic educational instructor comes with over 500 free lessons, 73 free categories, age appropriate content and 40 free stories and songs.  ROYBI is particularly good at helping kids to learn a new language and STEM disciplines. Robot Toy Learning Tool ROYBI looks like a cute little alien toy but it offers powerful AI enabled learning tools.  The robot uses machine learning and customizes its lessons and responses to each child's unique style of learning.  The robot can even recognize the child's emotional reactions and provide content like a story or song that the child will particularly enjoy.  It is priced under $200.00 and is being distributed worldwide. ROYBI Now Speaks Mandarin Chinese ROYBI lists operating headquarters in San Jose, CA and Shenzhen, China.  T...

  With Last Mile Mobility Solutions                                          Source:  Audi Neo-Bauhaus A Future Car With Everything Audi has created a car concept for an amazing travel future.  The car is all-electric and fully autonomous.  Importantly, it also provides solutions for the last mile of the journey.  The Audi Neo-Bauhaus has big enough trunk space to carry a bike or e-scooter.  During the last mile or so of the journey, should you get stuck in a nasty traffic jam, you can pull out your bike and pedal to your destination.  The car waits for the traffic to clear and then drives itself to a parking spot.  If it is programmed to go to a charging station, then it will be charged and ready to go when the driver returns. Designed For Generation Y The Audi Neo-Bauhaus concept was designed for Audi by freelance designer...

  Airstream and National Forest Foundation Program                                                         Source:  Airstream Planting Nearly 200,000 Trees to Offset Carbon Emissions US based RV and camper company Airstream is buying nearly 200,000 trees to neutralize emissions from all of its RV and camper trailers bought in 2021.  It is donating enough money to the National Forest Foundation in the US to plant the trees to neutralize the emissions.  It is a step in the right direction for the RV and camper trailer industry.  Named  the Caravan to Carbon Neutral, it also allows Airstream owners to contribute additional money to plant more trees that they personally fund. RV and Camper Sales Are on the Rise Because of COVID Airstream is a luxury RV manufacturer based in Ohio. In the past ye...

  Journalist Edward Kane's   Latest Book on Top New Innovations                                   Source:  Amazon & Kindle  Book Of Innovations of Special Interest to Those 25 to 40 Years Old and Beyond Ed Kane's latest book 'NEW INNOVATIONS FOR GEN Y - Smart Homes, Smart Devices, Green Travel & More" showcases top new global innovations in smart homes, smart devices, electric travel & more of particular interest to Millennials, 25 to 40 years old and beyond.  The book is loaded with fascinating and exciting new innovations and inventions that all of us can use.  To take a look inside, go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08XJXK5GP&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_93E3RTGW92V0YA44TTXK    I co-authored the book with Ed.

  Joby Aviation Going Public on NYSE        Source:  Joby Aviation Big Tech Investors Behind the e-VTOL Company Electric aviation company Joby Aviation is going public on the NYSE.  It is using a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to do so.   The northern California company will come out of the box with a valuation of $6.6 billion.  Joby is a very hot "future of mobility" company.  It recently acquired Uber's flying taxi division.  Joby is backed by Toyota, Intel and Jet Blue.  And, the SPAC company it is merging with - Reinvent Technology - is run by Linked-In cofounder Reid Hoffman and Zynga founder Marc Pincus.  As part of the SPAC deal, Joby will get $1.6 billion cash. Joby is readying its flying taxis for scaled-up takeoffs in partnership with Toyota. Awesome eVTOL Technology Joby was founded by inventor JoeBen Bevirt.  He's developed an e-VTOL (electric vertical takeoff and lan...

  Amazon's New Electric Mobility in India                                             Source:  Amazon Treo Zor 3-Wheeled Delivery Vehicles Amazon has big plans for building an e-commerce mega-business in India.  It plans to have 10,000 electric delivery vehicles - electric, 3 wheeled "rickshaws" - deployed to do business in India by 2025.  Amazon took a big step toward that goal yesterday when it signed a partnership agreement with Mahindra, which is India's e-mobility giant.  The vehicle that Amazon is deploying is called the Treo Zor. Amazon's Big Bet The Treo Zor is a three-wheeled electric delivery vehicle capable of carrying 1200 pounds.  Amazon already has 100 of the vehicles operational in cities like New Delhi.  Amazon is placing a big bet on doing big e-commerce business in India and it is underscored by Amazon maki...

  IATA Travel Pass                                                                                  Source:  IATA Moving Toward Quarantine Free Travel The global airline industry is launching a free, new app to help passengers get back to quarantine-free travel.  It's called the IATA Travel Pass and is being spearheaded by the International Air Transportation Association or IATA, on behalf of its 290 airline members. Digital Identity The app provides four primary functions: Global registry of health requirements for each country so that passengers know what they need to provide to enter their destination Global registry of testing and vaccination centers so passengers can make an appointment before their departure to the destination Lists of...

   Highly Advanced  Pet Care & Pet Sitter Robot                                                  Source:  PEDDY Your Pet Is No Longer Home Alone South Korean technology company Guru ioT has developed PEDDY, a pet care and pet sitter robot that combines the internet-of-Things with machine learning technologies.  For pets left home alone during the workday, PEDDY can provide interaction for the pet, including exercise, play and meals.  The robot has the capacity to link to the owner's smartphone.  Owners can talk to their pet through a video screen.  If the dog starts barking or the cat starts meowing, PEDDY can transmit an image  of the animal to the owner through the smartphone.  The product just entered the North American market with a certification from the US FCC (Federal Communications C...

  60% of 1st Time Caregivers Are Young Adults & Teens                                                  Source:  Gen Z Image COVID's Global Burden For Young People - New Survey Until one year ago, the focus of attention for most young adults and teens was education, work, sports and social life.  Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.  A new study from Embracing Carers, the Global Carer Wellbeing Index, shows that 60% of all first time, unpaid caregivers are Gen Z & Millennial young adults and teens.  They are taking care of parents, siblings and other relatives with COVID-19 and other severe illnesses. The number of new caregivers globally is estimated at a few millions. The new study suggests that it is taking a heavy toll on their mental and emotional wellbeing.  This is a hidden consequence of COVID-19 that has...

  NASA's Tiny Helicopter Ingenuity Sends Mars Status Report                                                                        Source:  NASA Perseverance and Ingenuity NASA's Perseverance rover's travelling companion to Mars, mini-helicopter Ingenuity, has sent a positive status report to NASA Mission Control.  Ingenuity sent it by phone.  Ingenuity is a small helicopter drone that will detach from Perseverance and attempt the first drone flight on another planet.  It weighs 4 pounds and is specifically designed to fly in the Martian atmosphere which is 100 times thinner than the Earth's atmosphere.  The helicopter is equipped with a camera and will take images of the Martian surface. Next Steps Perseverance will take the next 30 to 60 days to find an area ...

  Terrafugea's Transition                                              Source:  Terrafugea FAA Approves Transition For Flying The FAA has given the Terrafugea Transition flying car permission to fly.  The next step  for Terrafugea is to secure approval from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for driving of the Transition.  Terrafugea hopes to win street legal designation from the NHTSA by 2022.  The Massachusetts based flying car company, founded by MIT engineers, is now owned by China's Geely, which also owns Volvo.  The company intends to take advantage of the FAA approval by selling flight-only models.  The driving and flying model should be available in 2022. World's 1st Practical Flying Car Terrafugea calls the Transition "the world's first practical flying car".  The vehicles wings...

US Presence Expected to Reinvigorate War Against Climate Change Source:  Polar Bear On Ice Fragment US Aggressively Pursues Net Zero Emissions The US today officially rejoined the Paris Climate Accords that former President Donald Trump withdrew from several years ago.  The move by the Biden Administration is expected to reinvigorate the fight against global warming.  President Joe Biden is planning dramatic CO2 emissions reductions over the next thirty years.  President Biden ordered the re-entry on his first day in office.  Today, it became official.  Nearly 200 nations signed the 2015 agreement.  Only the US withdrew with Trump saying fighting Climate Change would cost too much.  He also questioned the accuracy of the science behind it. Net Zero Emissions Goals As part of the re-entry, US Climate Envoy John Kerry is taking part in virtual events today including with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterra.  President Biden wants the US to be ...

  Professional Soccer Clubs Using AI To Prevent Player Injuries Source:  Stock Image of Soccer Match Gamechanging Tech A California based, AI company Zone7 is using artificial intelligence to analyze performance data on elite professional soccer players to predict, and thereby prevent, when they are at risk for injury.  A number of professional soccer teams in Scotland, Spain and elsewhere are sending their training, game and health monitoring data to Zone7.  Zone7 uses their algorithm to analyze the data against their huge data base on sports injuries. As part of its analytical base, the company uses 200 million hours of soccer data going back one year. On a daily basis, the company sends their client teams emails warning if  any of their players are in the "danger zone" of being injured. Impressive Results Spain's soccer team Getafe has been using the system for more than a year.  They say their team injuries are down 66%.  For every 3 injuries they ...

  Perseverance   Mission Impossible Just Accomplished                                         Source:  NASA Perseverance Perseverance Free to Roam Mars For Two Years NASA's most advanced rover has defied the stiff Martian  odds and successfully landed on Mars.  Cheers erupted late today in the NASA control room as the Perseverance rover, NASA's most technologically advanced rover that the team built for ten years, touched down safely on the Red Planet.  Hundreds of major technological maneuvers had to go right for this historic accomplishment.  The most important:  what NASA calls "the last 7 minutes of terror" when Perseverance was out of contact with NASA because of an 11 minute delay in radio wave communications with the Red Planet.  Perseverance was on its own maneuvering down to the surface of Mars on a rocket powered j...

  Nicobo - Panasonic's Companion Robot                                                  Source:  Panasonic Very Smart Companion With A Little Baby Talk Panasonic's new desktop robot Nicobo is designed to make you smile.  It has no legs or wheels but can speak, spin around and nod up and down. It was specifically designed by Panasonic to chase away the blues for people feeling alone and isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is a very smart companion desktop robot that looks like an adorable little robot for anyone. Immediate Sell-Out Nicobo debuted on the Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake.  Priced at $376.00 with an expected delivery date of March 2022, Panasonic immediately sold all of its available 320 robot units.  Interestingly, for those who bought, Panasonic will require a monthly subscription fee of 980...

  #1 New Releases on Amazon/Kindle                                             Amazon  ASIN: B08TG296Z1 Journalist Edward Kane's 6 Latest Publications Wanted to make you aware of several new books on the biggest, new global innovations and inventions that journalist Edward Kane recently published on Amazon and Kindle.  Included are links for a free look.  Many of these books were #1 New Releases on Amazon. Innovations for Gen Z & Beyond https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08W4V5DS1&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_YX8AZ1PGCXVQ7RMMVMK7     The book showcases exciting new innovations in sports, consumer electronics, electric bike & e-scooter travel, education and much more. Inventions For The 2020's Part 1 - Consumer Electronics, Robots, Medical https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08THWN8JD...

  Jaguar Land Rover's Major EV Commitment                                             Source:  Jaguar Luxury Electric Vehicles Luxury automotive brand Jaguar will be entirely electric by 2025.  That commitment puts it in the forefront of the global race among automakers to offer zero emissions vehicles.  The JLR - Jaguar Land Rover - group will offer a full range of EVs by 2030. Multi-Billion Dollar Investment JLR is owned by India's Tata Motors.  Over the next five years, Land Rover will offer six new electric vehicles.  JLR will keep its plants open in the United Kingdom while its transitions the operation for the production of electric vehicles.  The company will spend $3.5 billion yearly on electric technology and the development of connected vehicle services.  The challenge for Jaguar will be to give the new electr...

  2022 Chevy Bolt EV & New Bolt EUV                                                                              Source:  GM Bolt EUV                                          Source: GM Bolt EUV & EV Electric Vehicles Designed For Affordability After four years of development, GM has unveiled its new Chevrolet Bolt EV and a new bigger version of the Bolt, the Chevy Bolt EUV.  For GM, the Bolt has been a big success to bring electric driving to the masses since its introduction in 2017.  Bolt sales surged 26% in 2020, despite the pandemic.  Bolts have been driven by owners for a staggering 1.2 billion elect...

  Perseverance To Land On Mars February 18                                             Source:  NASA's Perseverance Robotic Geologist To Explore Mars NASA's highly advanced robotic rover Perseverance will land on Mars on Thursday.  The potential discoveries are huge as Perseverance is the most advanced rover NASA has built.  Perseverance will serve as a geologist on Mars, collecting rocks, minerals and soil samples.  The mission's purpose is to search for any signs of ancient life on Mars.  The rover will also have a small helicopter onboard to conduct the first drone flights on another planet. Amazing Technological Journey Perseverance has travelled onboard a spacecraft for the 300 million mile journey to Mars.  It will exit the spacecraft in a capsule for the descent into the Martian atmosphere.  The capsule will trav...

Uber's Major Commitment to EVs and Hybrid Vehicles For 0 To Low Emissions                                        Source:  Uber Electric Vehicles More Than 1400 Cities in North America Involved Ride sharing company Uber is expanding its electric car and hybrid vehicle ride service.  It will be offered in more than 1400 cities in North America.  The cities include Miami, New York City, Washington, DC, Houston, Tucson, Calgary and Winnipeg.  The company says drivers can rent zero emissions vehicles through their partner Avis.  The service is available in Los Angeles but it is being rolled out nationally this year. Green Goals By 2040, Uber wants all of its vehicles in its global ride sharing service to be electric.  It is also contributing through 2025 $800 million as incentives to help drivers switch to electric vehicles.  This Green Trips p...

TUMI's Virtual Stores :    Retail Innovation                                          Source:  TUMI Virtual Store TUMI's Virtual Stores Global luxury brand TUMI, headquartered in South Plainfield, NJ, is launching a highly innovative, virtual store platform. to deliver an immersive, multichannel retail experience.  The virtual approach will roll out to customers in the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East.  The virtual store launch ties into the debut of TUMI's spring 2021 collection of bags, luggage, backpacks and other luxury travel items. TUMI defines itself as a leading international lifestyle, international travel and performance brand. Digital Retail  TUMI's virtual store is a look at the future of digital retail.  Using interactive touchpoints, customers will be able to explore products through 360 degree, 3D and AR (au...

  The Roadster with Rocket Thrusters                                             Source:  Tesla Roadster A Car That James Bond Would Love Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk says he wants his new Tesla Roadster to be able to hover in the air.  The Roadster comes equipped with rocket thrusters capable of top speeds of 250 mph with a range of 620 miles on a charge.  The sportscar is coming to market in 2022 at a price of $200,000.  Now, Musk has disclosed that he wants to additionally use the rocket thrusters to enable the Roadster to hover in the air, as far up as a meter above the ground.  It sounds like a vehicle straight out of a James Bond movie. Innovation Breakthroughs Musk is actively working on his concept of a "hovering" car.  He is focused on making it work and work safely.  Musk has made his global reputation on t...

  Hewlett Packard & Oak Ridge National Lab                                                                                               Source: NASA                                    One of the World's Most Advanced Weather Forecasting Systems With the back to back, forecast-defying storms we've been getting in North America and elsewhere in the world, the prospect of much more precise weather forecasting is of great appeal.  Hewlett Packard Enterprises just announced that it is helping the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab build and utilize a pair of extremely high performance ...

  UAE, China, US Satellites in Mars Orbits                                  Source:  UAE Hope Mission to Mars US Perseverance Probe Arriving on Mars Next Week Mars is getting a lot of visitors arriving for Valentine's Day, mid February and staying for a few months beyond.  The United Amirate Emirates (UAE) mission Hope arrived yesterday and is in a stable orbit around Mars. Now, China's Tianwen-1 synced into another successful orbit around the Red Planet.  And, last but not least, NASA's Perseverance Rover spacecraft will touchdown on Mars next week.  Touchdown is expected on February 18, 2021.  Talk about a crowded destination in space.  There is a bit of intergalactic traffic converging on Mars and the scientific results could be spectacular. UAE Mission Autonomous The UAE spacecraft now in orbit is the size of a SUV.  And what is such a great tec...

  Big City Commuting to Airports                                             Source:  Archer Aviation United & CA Startup Archer Aviation United Airlines is making a strategic move to deploy e-VTOL flying taxis to bring passengers in big cities to its airport terminals.  United has placed a $1 billion order for 200 Archer Aviation electric, vertical takeoff and landing (e-VTOL) flying taxis.  To build up development money, Archer is going public in a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).  United is also investing an undisclosed amount in the new entity.  Archer will trade on the NYSE with an initial valuation estimated at $3.8 billion. Archer Flying Taxis Archer's e-VTOL can carry a pilot and 4 passengers.  All electric, it has a 60 mile range and can travel at speeds up to 158 mph.  The...

  VW Goes For Next Level Mobility - Flying Cars                            Source: Germany's Lilium Flying e-VTOL Development To Happen in China VW, the world's biggest automaker and a leader in automotive innovation, is conducting feasibility studies in China to develop flying cars.  China is the world's largest automotive market. VW's approach is precise and methodical.  VW says it is looking into potential concept flying cars and potential partners.  VW wants to "industrialize" the development of flying cars, meaning mass production, global use and major commercial and consumer impact.  The company believes that the next mobility platform beyond autonomous driving is vertical take-off and landing vehicles - flying cars. VW Flying Drone & Crowded Airspace The company wants to start the process with a drone that would be licensed as the first step in entering the flying car mark...