DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF, by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

 DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

                                                                      

                 By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

BMW's SLEEK SHOOTING BRAKE CONCEPT CAR

                                            Source:  BMW

• German luxury automaker BMW just unveiled a stunning shooting brake concept car that is likely to go into production
• Called the Concept Touring Concept & just unveiled in Italy, the 2-door, very sleek concept is being called one of the most provocative prototypes in recent years
• This is a shooting brake design with a rear hatch, prominent rear fenders & a very long roof - experts say that just about everything concerning the design of this car is different 
• Interior is plush with dual-tone leather, 2-seats, driver-oriented cockpit & plenty of cargo space
• Turbocharged, 3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine
• 8-speed automatic transmission
• 340 hp which makes it powerful
• Automotive experts say this is a good-looking car, that's fun to drive & is very likely to go into production.

BIGGEST INNOVATION TO COMBUSTION ENGINE IN 100 YEARS

                                    Source:  LiquidPiston

• Bloomfield, CT based LiquidPiston has created a new engine called the XTS-20, that's a supercharged, liquid-cooled combustion engine that delivers 5-times greater power density and runs on a variety of fuels including gas, propane & hydrogen, which is emissions free
• Their new combustion engine delivers 10-times more power and is 30% more efficient than current combustion engines
• This engine is said to be the biggest innovation to hit the $400 billion combustion engine market in 100 years
• Company is run by physicist Nickolay Shkolnik and his MIT educated son Alexander
• Their engine is quiet & has low vibrations with only 2 moving parts
• High efficiency with 20% more energy efficiency over current gas consuming engines & 50% more efficient than diesel engines
• Multi fuel capable including diesel, gas & hydrogen
• Engine technology is scalable from 11hp to 1,000 hp
• Company is targeting its engines for new markets like electric cars, urban aircraft & drones
• $30 million in grants, contracts from US government & more than 10,000 investors
• For investors, a company to watch.

NEW RESEARCH:  1 IN 5 US PROFESSORS HAVE SEEN UFOs

                                         Source:  NASA

• New research by scientists at the University of Virginia & University of Louisville in Kentucky surprisingly finds that 1 in 5 US university professors or assistant professors say they've seen a UFO in the sky or someone that they know & believe has seen something in the sky that can't be explained
• 37% of the surveyed group feel that further UFO research is important & absolutely essential
• The survey included 1500 professors & assistant professors at 144 US universities
• The research team found the results surprising and they hope the data will be a "starting point for the lack of data on the topic"
• The US Department of Defense, along with intelligence agencies & academic institutions are currently investigating about 650 cases of UFOs or UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena)
• These findings were just published in the journal Humanities & Social Science.