DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

MIT'S SOCCER PLAYING BOT THAT COULD SAVE LIVES

                                                                Source:  MIT

• MIT roboticists have created a highly mobile, smart, soccer-playing robot named DribbleBot that can play soccer on in-the-wild terrains like mud, snow, sand, gravel and grass
• This is robotics at the highest level of mobility, dexterity, locomotion, deliberation & skill, using onboard sensing, AI, cameras & computing
• Beyond the fact that it is fascinating, why does it matter to you?  this Bot is designed to save your life & assist humans in search & rescue missions
• DribbleBot is a robodog that operates with smart dexterity on its 4 legs to play soccer over difficult terrains & adapts to the motion of the soccer ball in sync with the terrain
• The bot can get up and retrieve the ball when it falls and the researchers say it can dribble a soccer ball like a human
• Skills learned by this bot are highly convertible to search & rescue missions to save lives
• MIT is being funded to further develop this robotic system by top innovation centers like DARPA, USAF AI, MIT-IBM Watson Lab & others. 

THE ULTIMATE INNOVATION IN CAR DESIGN

                                                            Source:  Lancia

• Italian automaker Lancia will unveil an all-electric new concept car in mid-April that appears to be the ultimate in innovative automotive design
• Uniquely, the car has a circular roof providing panoramic views from the car
• The EV is based on a 3-dimensional sculpture, the Lancia Pu-Ra Zero
• Lancia says the vehicle is the brand's manifesto for the next decade for design, technology, electrification and sustainability
• Lancia has a ten-year Renaissance plan to rebuild its brand & sales throughout Europe and beyond and to re-establish its stature as a forward-focused carmaker & motorsports leader
• The unveiling of its yet-to-be-named EV, designed like a sculpture, will be a pivotal moment in the company comeback story.

NASA'S HISTORIC ARTEMIS MISSION TO THE MOON

                                                                Source:  NASA

• NASA is finalizing details on its historic Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon that will take 4 astronauts farther into space than any humans have ever ventured
• 10-day mission to orbit the Moon and go deeper into space, that launches in November 2024 
• Powered by new breakthrough technologies like NASA's next-G, most powerful, mega-rocket ever to blast into space
• Rocket will launch the new spacecraft Orion for its lunar flyby and return to Earth
• The Artemis II mission will pave the way for Artemis III that includes a lunar landing and the 1st Moon walk by astronauts since Apollo, more than 50 years ago
• NASA just named the 4 crew members for Artemis II that includes a lot of firsts: 

1.  the 1st black astronaut on a lunar mission Pilot Victor Glover, who will pilot Orion
2. 1st female astronaut on a lunar mission, Mission Specialist engineer Christina Koch
3. 1st Canadian on a lunar mission, Royal Canadian AF Pilot Jeremy Hansen
4. Former US Navy Fighter Pilot, Mission Commander Reid Wiseman.