DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

AUDI'S TOUGH & BEAUTIFUL ACTIVESPHERE

Audi has unveiled its Activesphere car concept & it's a show stopper that could radically change off-roading
It's a rugged, off-roading SUV with elegant, good looks, adding up to a new concept that's both tough and beautiful
Big with lots of body protection, particularly with the front skid plate & side skirts to guard it from off-roading damage
Body is sweepingly aerodynamic with extra height on 34" wheels
Designed to be mostly autonomous with the option for a driver to take the wheel
Interior can be transformed to accommodate an active driver with the dashboard rising from the floor & the steering wheel emerging from underneath
Interior can also be configured into an airy lounge to go along for the autonomous ride
Particularly fascinating: no driver controls as Audi envisions hand gestures or AR glasses doing the job
Activesphere is getting great reviews with many experts hoping Audi will put some version of it into production within 5 years.

YOUR MICROROBOT MED TEAM WILL SEE YOU NOW

Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University have developed tiny, microrobots, capable of scanning human cells to identify them as healthy or not
The microbots have successfully singled out cancer cells and moved them to another location for later diagnosis
These minuscule medical robots are only 10 microns across and could be gamechangers in health care
Besides identifying and moving cells, they are also capable of delivering medications to targeted parts of the body
The bots can move autonomously but the Israeli scientific team can also control them using magnets or electricity
This highly innovative, robotic approach to medicine is rapidly unfolding & could provide breakthrough treatments for diseases like cancer
This research was just published in the Journal of Advanced Science.

FLYING WITH NO HUMAN PILOT

Some leading aviation experts believe autonomous planes are on the near horizon & will arrive before autonomous cars hit the roads
Of note are 2 aviation startups in the US, Xwing & Reliable Robotics, that are developing aircraft that fly autonomously without the need for a human pilot
Both have equipped and retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft for fully autonomous flight
XWing's Superpilot self-flying system has been extensively tested and the company says it is capable of gate-to-gate autonomous flight
Reliable Robotics' advanced navigation & autoflight system is also being successfully tested per FAA authorization
Both companies expect to launch commercial operations with their autonomous planes by 2025 when they expect FAA certification
Pilotless commercial passenger jets are expected in 10+ years, although AirBus has successfully tested takeoffs & landings with their commercial jets.

For more news stories like this, Flight Path To The Future

Important Innovations