DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist
DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF
By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane
SKODA'S SMART GRILLE & CROSSING GUARD ROBOT
- VW-owned automaker Skoda is developing an AI powered smart car grille and an AI powered robot capable of being tech replacements for crossing guards & crossing signals
- Skoda is developing these highly innovative pieces of technology with roboticists and AI experts at the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Technical University of Munich
- The smart, digital, front car grille displays messages to those outside of the car
- The prototype grille uses pictograms and animations to let pedestrians, bikers and drivers know that it is okay to proceed & cross the street or it can issue warning signals not to cross or enter an intersection
- Such digital messaging works on electric rather than combustion engine cars which need an open grill to cool down
- The robot being developed is a 7-foot automated crossing guard that ambles into the street to help pedestrians cross when it is safe
- It has a 4-sided digital display to let drives & pedestrians know who has the right of way
- The robot can send an electronic message via 5G to tell an approaching car to slow down
- The technology has been street-tested in Italy & Slovenia and will be fully operational by 2025.
USING INNOVATION & TECH TO ADVANCE WOMEN
- On this International Women's Day, the United Nations, United Kingdom, European Union and other organizations are advancing a program called DigitALL, which focuses on closing the digital gender gap between women & men through transformative technology, innovation & advancing digital education for women
- According to the UN's Womens Gender Snapshot 2022 Report,
"women's exclusion from the digital world" is extremely costly, to the tune of $1 trillion in lost GDP in low-& middle-income nations over the past decade - DigitALL stresses the need to protect the rights of women & girls in the digital space
- It calls for a gender inclusive approach to innovation, technology and on-line digital education to give women and girls more opportunities and careers to pursue as well as a greater awareness of their rights
- All of the organizations stress that transformative technologies and digital education for women are sorely needed, as the digital divide between women & men is growing & is leaving more and more women behind
- Bottom line: More women need to be advanced into positions and leadership roles in technology and innovation businesses through digital education access, opportunities and inclusivity.
POWERFUL NEW HYBRID eVTOL Partnership
- Bold and powerful new electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing vehicle) partnership has been forged by Sikorsky & GE
- World famous helicopter developer Sikorsky, now owned by Lockheed Martin, is developing with GE Aerospace, a state-of-the-art hybrid-electric VTOL air taxi for commercial and military transportation needs
- GE Aerospace's major contribution is a 1-megawatt turbogenerator to power the aircraft prototype
- The new vehicle is designed to be fully autonomous
- Maximum gross weight is 7.000 pounds plus
- Called the HEX aircraft, it's a prototype for testing to determine if it could be large aircraft design, powered by possible novel propulsion systems, offer long ranges & sustainable hovering and more
- Range is over 500 nautical miles
- Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy system will control the aircraft's flight
- This is a partnership and new aircraft to watch as so much expertise is brought together to innovate a breakthrough type of VTOL.
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