DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

RIDE OF YOUR LIFE IN YOUR PERSONAL JETSON ONE

                                                    

                                                    

                                                                    Source:  Jetson

• Called the Formula One racing car for the skies, Jetson One is a personal, electric flying machine
• It's an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff & landing vehicle) that seats one person & can be bought for less than $100,000
• Developer Jetson Aero of Stockholm plans to take it to market by early 2024
• Jetson co-founder & chief of innovation Tomasz Patan says you can learn to fly it in 5 minutes
• Vehicle is lightweight at 190 pounds & is made of aluminum & carbon fiber
• Pilot operates it with 2 joysticks:  left one for altitude up & down; right for direction - right, left, forward, back, etc.
• Some key facts:

1. Top speed 63 mph
2. Range of 20 minutes
3. 8 powerful electric motors & 8 propellers spread across the EV's 4 arms
4. Autonomous landings with GPS on top & LIDAR on the bottom of the aircraft
5. Handsfree hover and emergency functions
6. Has ballistic parachute in the event of an emergency

• Jetson One was designed to meet FAA requirement for ultralight vehicles
• It does not require a pilot's license
• What's exciting is that it's coming onto the market by late 2023 or early 2024.

MIT'S MOUTHPAD TO CONTROL PHONE OR COMPUTER

                                                Source:  Augmental MIT

• MIT engineers have created a unique piece of breakthrough tech called MouthPad that's a smart mouthpiece that allows you - but particularly the disabled - to control an iPhone or computer with your tongue
• Swiping MouthPad's trackpad chip allows the users to choose a button & get access to the tech they want to use
• This invention is specifically designed to help the disabled & hand impaired live more independently through access to tech
• The smart retainer connects to the smartphone or computer via Bluetooth
• It's custom-made for the user & 3D printed
• MouthPad uses a machine learning algorithm inside its processor to follow the user's tongue and then make cursor commands to the phone or computer
• It allows them to do such basic things as sending an email or turning on the lights through this unique technology
• MIT engineers have formed a startup called Augmental to take this device to market
• MouthPad is good for iOS & Android phones & Windows, Microsoft & Linus based computers
• It's a great example of new, innovative technology making life much better for people with significant disabilities.

MG LAUNCHES COMET EV - "A SMALL WONDER"                 

                                            

                                                        Source:  MG Comet

• Iconic British automaker MG just launched a new EV called Comet which some automotive experts are calling "a small wonder"
• The new EV is very compact with a 477.3 kWh battery pack & a 45 bhp, rear-mounted electric motor that provides a 143 mile range on a single charge
• It was launched in the huge Indian automotive market & the Comet EV is expected to account for 30% of MG's sales in India
• The EV has a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery that fully recharges in 7 hours, automatic transmission, reverse parking cameras, regenerative braking, parking sensors, keyless entry, hill start assist & stability control
• Interior is well equipped with connected car tech, 10.25 digital instrument cluster, 10.25 infotainment display, automatic climate control
• Expected to be very reasonably priced
• Besides India, MG hasn't indicated how widely it will sell this EV, which out of the box, is getting some great "Small Wonder" reviews for the many tech surprises the compact EV brings.