DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

  DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF              

By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane 

WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL HUMANOID ROBOT

                                            Source:  Apptronik

• Startup robotics company Austin, TX-based Apptronik just unveiled what it calls the world's most powerful humanoid robot, Apollo - the iPhone of robots "designed to do a thousand things" while being friendly and working effectively with humans
• Here's what we know

1. Humanoid robots are the hottest area of robotics with both Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk keen on their development
2. Apollo is a major new player getting rave reviews from some robotic experts
3. It's an all-purpose robot that developers can configure for their industries
4. Size of a human at 5'8" tall and 160 pounds and presents & works like a human
5. Capable of working alongside of humans, filling in for them during worker shortages and doing dangerous jobs that humans want to avoid
6. Enabled by AI for both cognitive intelligence (decision making) and physical intelligence (balancing and hand-eye coordination)
7. Being further empowered by generative AI for multiple advanced modalities
8. Loaded with advanced sensor, camera and actuator technologies
9. Controlled by tablet or smart device and eventually will be autonomous
10. Operates on electricity on a 4-hour battery that can be swapped to enable 22 hours of work per day
11. Multiple forms of motion like its legs, attachable wheels or pedestal
12. Innovative payment approach for use:  can be leased and rental fee is based on hours in use
13. Goes into mass production 2024
14. Widely available for purchase in 2025
15. Pricing will be less than many cars 
16. First commercial uses will be in warehouses and factories
17. Apollo's developers believe that will also be used in construction, oil and gas industries, electronics production, retail, home delivery, elder care and manufacturing
18. Humans can read its lips as it communicates with the e-ink display on its face, digital panels on chest and head nods to indicate what direction it's going
19. Has a handy turnoff button on its back

• Apollo is a leading-edge robotic creation with its roots in a DARPA robotic challenge that the founders of Apptronik participated in --It's important new robotic technology to watch develop perhaps into major business.

2025 "SUPER STANG" - GTD MUSTANG COMING SOON

                                            Source:  Ford

• The Ford 2025 GTD Mustang is the street legal version of Ford's upcoming race car to debut first at the Daytona and then the LeMans with plans to crush the competition
• Here's what we know:

1. Specialized 5.2 liter V-8 engine
2. 800 hp
3. Very active aerodynamic system including huge aerodynamic wing that maxis out with a push of a button dropping car's body 1.6"
4. Very wide car, aggressive styling with huge tires
5. Features 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle
6. To be built in limited quantities - perhaps 2,000 Super-Stangs
7. Pricing - $300,000
8. Production starts in 2024

Ford CEO Jim Farley wants this car to win LeMans and the street version to beat AMG Black, Aston Martin and Porsche.

BIZARRE, ECO-FRIENDLY WINE BOTTLES IN UK

                                        Source:  Stock

• The UK, known for the world's oldest wine club, now has bizarre new ecofriendly, recyclable wine bottles that are on sale and experts believe are destined for all of us
• Here's what we know:

1. Unique, flat, plastic bottles of wine are now on sale in the UK
2. The UK's Wine Society, which is the oldest wine club in the world, is a big fan and is supporting the new plastic bottle
3. The plastic bottles are 7-times lighter than normal glass bottle
4. UK Wine Society says they cut the Society's carbon footprint by 1/3rd
5. Glass wine bottles have a high carbon emissions footprint
6. The plastic bottles are flat and stack like books
7. They are easier to transport
8. They are recyclable
9. They don't detract from the favor of the wine
10. They are easier for consumers to transport and store
11. Despite the fact that the bottles are plastic, the Society says they are eco-friendly in that they help to reduce Climate Change in their total impact.

• Wine experts forecast these thin, square, plastic wine bottles are about to become a big trend and will help to reduce wine's carbon footprint.

For more stories like this, LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR TOMORROW

"Daily Innovation Brief" © By Edward Kane