DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

ESA SPACE MISSION TO JUPITER TO FIND LIFE

                                                    

                                            Source: Juice Blastoff & Selfie from Space

• The European Space Agency (ESA) just launched a 1st-of-its-kind mission to Jupiter & its 3 moons to search for alien life
• The spacecraft is called Juice or the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer & it will be the first to orbit a moon other than the Earth's Moon
• Developed by ESA & Airbus, it will undertake an arduous 8 year, 4.1 billion mile journey to Jupiter, arrive in 2031 & stay there for 8 years
• Big Goal: search Jupiter & particularly its ocean-bearing moons for any signs of life, which some scientists say is a good possibility
• Highly advanced technology onboard includes:  

1. Most powerful remote sensing & geophysical tech ever flown to the outer solar system
2. Lidar to create 3D maps of the surface
3. Numerous cameras and particle detectors
4. Massive solar arrays or wings to generate power - covers 90 sq. meters

• Spaceship Juice is remotely controlled by engineers at ESA and has the space world excited about the possibilities of what it will discover on Jupiter and its 3 moons.

CHINA'S iCAR INTRO'S HOT NEW EVs

                                                            Source:  iCAR

• Chinese automaker Chery's brand iCAR has just unveiled 2 hot EVs designed & reasonably priced to appeal to younger drivers:  a rugged e-SUV & a cool e-sports car
• iCAR GT sportscar is very aerodynamic & low slung in design, fully electric with scissor doors and T-shaped LED lights front & back
• Interior of the e-sports car is inspired by sci-fi with a steering wheel that has an integrated display and a huge touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard
• The iCAR 03 off-roading SUV is rugged, with a fully electric powertrain and a body composed of steel & aluminum
• Among the technologies:  very advanced personal assistant called i-VA, lots of smart vehicle features, Level 2+ autonomous driving and unique sodium-ion battery
• Vehicles are priced from $21,800 to $58,200
• iCAR is a brand to watch with 5 more EVs in the pipeline.

SMART GUN DESIGNED TO SAVE LIVES WITH BIOMETRIC PROTECTION

                                            Source: Biofire

• Colorado-based Biofire Technologies is launching the world's 1st biometric, smart handgun that is designed to specifically save lives
• It has fingerprint blocking & 3D infrared facial recognition systems to allow only authorized people to shoot it
• The 9mm handgun for home defense is specifically designed to prevent toddlers, kids, criminals & unauthorized people to have any use of the gun
• Smart gun developed by Coloradan Kai Kloepfer who wanted to do something in response to the horrific Aurora movie theatre murder of 12 innocent people in 2012 & he's been developing this ever since
• Now on the market for $1,499.00
• Important tech details: 

1. Uses state of the art integrated capacitive fingerprint sensors 
2. 3D facial recognition system
3. LED indicators when it's looking for an authorized user's biometrics 
4. Gun automatically locks when it's out of the authorized person's hand
5. Uses encryption tech to ensure it can't be modified into a conventional gun
6. Powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries

• While gun control legislation continues to languish in the US, this smart gun has been designed to be a start to the solution to stop innocent lives being taken by guns.