Important Innovations

   D ear Viewers: We are launching a new, innovation news service on this blog called "Daily Innovation Brief".  At least one of the daily news stories will be transportation related, including new car, eVTOL and plane concepts.  The second edition of "Daily Innovation Brief" is below.  Thanks for viewing. Maryanne Kane PORSCHE's NEW 911 DAKAR: EPIC RIDE ON & OFF ROAD                                                                           Source:  Porsche 911 Dakar is a street legal, off-roading sports car that pays tribute to Porsche's 1984 win at the world-famous Dakar Rally Contains Porsche 911's 3.0-liter, twin turbocharged engine with 473 hp and 420 ft-lbs. of torque Top speed is 149 mph, can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and is an off-road dune-buster All wheel drive and 8-speed, dual-clutch PDK Has a new, innovative suspension system that can increase and decrease ground clearance with the flip of a switch Automotive experts who

  D ear Viewers: We are launching a new, innovation news service on this blog called "Daily Innovation Brief".  At least one of the daily news stories will be transportation related, including new car, eVTOL and plane concepts.  The second edition of "Daily Innovation Brief" is below.  Thanks for viewing. Maryanne Kane PORSCHE's NEW 911 DAKAR: EPIC RIDE ON & OFF ROAD                                                                           Source:  Porsche 911 Dakar is a street legal, off-roading sports car that pays tribute to Porsche's 1984 win at the world-famous Dakar Rally Contains Porsche 911's 3.0-liter, twin turbocharged engine with 473 hp and 420 ft-lbs. of torque Top speed is 149 mph, can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and is an off-road dune-buster All wheel drive and 8-speed, dual-clutch PDK Has a new, innovative suspension system that can increase and decrease ground clearance with the flip of a switch Automotive experts who

  New Anti-COVID Pill Could Be a COVID Gamechanger                               Source:  Merck & COVID-19 Images Pending FDA Approval, It Appears To Work & Work Well Merck's experimental antiviral pill has been tested on 754 COVID patients and appears to demonstrate that it cuts in half the chances of dying or being hospitalized from COVID-19.  The data is being hailed by some global health experts as a revolutionary new way to treat the deadly virus that has taken 5 million lives globally and 700,000 lives in the US alone.  The key point is it appears to keep people out of the hospital and treat them from getting severe symptoms while staying at home.  Molnupiravir Pills The medication is called molnupiravir and it works in a very different manner to undermine the potentially deadly effects of the virus once someone is infected by it. The molnupiravir pill creates errors in the COVID virus' genetic code making it less virulent. It essentially undermines the virus'

  Robots Using UV Light to Sanitize Aircraft                                                            Source: UVeya Test Trials Now Underway Swiss startup UVeya is testing its new robots armed with COVID-19 killing UV light on Swiss passenger planes at Zurich Airport.  The test trials are taking place onboard Embraer jets from Helvetic Airways.  Helvetic is a charter airline service, owned by Swiss billionaire Martin Ebner.  In 2020, Hevetic's business dropped 75% due to fears of flying because of COVID-19.  The hope is that the robot cleaners will reduce people's fear of flying as COVID continues to spread.  The target for the robot is the airline industry. Antidote to COVID on Planes One UVeya robot can disinfect a single aisle plane in thirteen minutes.  Larger planes take longer.  The company has produced three robot prototypes.  The robots are priced starting at $15,930.  They may enjoy a brisk business as governments around the world are requiring new measures to ensure

  COVID Kids' Vaccine Moves Forward                            Source:  Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine 100% Effective in Initial Data From Trials Germany based BioNTech and Pfizer announced today that their COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in teens, according to their initial data from ongoing trials in children from 12 to 15 years old.  The companies added kids tolerate the vaccine very well.  Their vaccine has already been approved for emergency use in young people 16 year old plus and adults.  The companies, based on their new data, say that they believe it is safe and effective for kids 12 to 15 years old to receive the two shot vaccine.  Their data is being forwarded to the FDA for its review and possible approval for use in young teens to protect them from COVID.  The companies hope to start vaccinating kids before the start of the new school year in fall of 2021. Testing Ongoing For Kids of All Ages The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shot into the arms of hundreds of mill

Germany's BioNTech & Pfizer Test COVID Vaccine for Kids                                                             Source:  Stock Image of Child & Vaccine                                                            Source:  BioNTech & Pfizer Breakthrough Medical Innovation Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech hope to be able to vaccinate children under 12 years old against COVID-19 by early 2022.  Early stage trials started in late March 2021.  The volunteers (via their parents) are as young as 6 months old.  The Pfizer BioNTech COVID vaccine for adults was the first authorized for use in the US in mid December 2020 and among the first to hit global markets in late fall 2020. In the US alone, 66 million people have received it. Shot In The Arm Only the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is being used on 16 and 17 year old teens in the US.  Moderna's vaccine has been cleared for those 18 years and older.  No vaccine has been authorized for use on children under 16 year old in

  New Tech Education Tools                             Source: Online Class During COVID On-Demand Learning Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are predicted to have a profound impact on how children and adults learn and absorb new information.  New research suggests the big benefit is that the new technologies have the capability to personalize from data analysis the specific educational content and needs for individual students. Experts say with the prevalence of virtual remote learning due to COVID-19,  artificial intelligence and virtual reality have the potential of disrupting the traditional models of both teaching and learning for the greater good. Big Data Driven With the help of big data, these new technologies can track individual and group learning patterns.  And based on the data and analysis, they can create customized tools to solve individual students' learning issues and opportunities for teachers to implement. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Technolog

  IATA Travel Pass                                                                                  Source:  IATA Moving Toward Quarantine Free Travel The global airline industry is launching a free, new app to help passengers get back to quarantine-free travel.  It's called the IATA Travel Pass and is being spearheaded by the International Air Transportation Association or IATA, on behalf of its 290 airline members. Digital Identity The app provides four primary functions: Global registry of health requirements for each country so that passengers know what they need to provide to enter their destination Global registry of testing and vaccination centers so passengers can make an appointment before their departure to the destination Lists of authorized labs and test centers that securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers through the app Digital identity for contactless travel, including digital passport, sharing and receiving of COVID tests and vaccinations an

  Nicobo - Panasonic's Companion Robot                                                  Source:  Panasonic Very Smart Companion With A Little Baby Talk Panasonic's new desktop robot Nicobo is designed to make you smile.  It has no legs or wheels but can speak, spin around and nod up and down. It was specifically designed by Panasonic to chase away the blues for people feeling alone and isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is a very smart companion desktop robot that looks like an adorable little robot for anyone. Immediate Sell-Out Nicobo debuted on the Japanese crowdfunding platform Makuake.  Priced at $376.00 with an expected delivery date of March 2022, Panasonic immediately sold all of its available 320 robot units.  Interestingly, for those who bought, Panasonic will require a monthly subscription fee of 980 yen or $9.26 per month after six months of use. Very Smart, Advanced Technology Nicobo has a camera for facial recognition of its owners.  It has a sensor that react

  UBtech's Adibot Source:  UBtech Robot Can Be Rented For $15/day UBtech, the Chinese robotic company, has invented a robot that can rid a space - like a room, office or school - of COVID-19.  It's a large, cylindrical robot called Adibot that disinfects rooms with UVC light.  The company says it provides hospital grade sanitizing in less than a minute and a half.  Adibot comes in a stationary form that can be wheeled into a room.  And there is an autonomous model that pilots itself using lidar.  It neutralizes pathogens and in particular COVID-19 with UVC light.  The light dosage can be adjusted for different diseases.  What is very remarkable is that the robot can be rented for $15/day. Robot on COVID Duty UBtech claims Adibot can give a 1000 sq. foot space a complete cleansing of COVID and other pathogens in a minute to a minute and a half.  The robot issues vocal warnings to people to stay out of the room while it is cleaning.  UVC light can be harmful to humans.  The robot

  Airthings Wave Sensor                                                       Source:  Airthings Virus Alerts At the CES 2021 virtual show in Las Vegas this week, a number of innovative products are rolling out to fight COVID-19, which spreads through the air.  For example, Airthings Wave sensors were just unveiled.  The sensor tracks atmospheric conditions necessary for the virus to transmit.  The Wave Plus for workplaces tracks CO2 levels, humidity and temperatures.  It alerts the office manager to make adjustments to the room to prevent transmission of viral pathogens like COVID. Wave Mini The Wave Mini is for use in the home.  It focuses on risk factors for mold and is expected to be adapted for tracking viral transmission.  These gadgets are very creative ways to monitor the air that we are breathing.  In the future, they are likely to be incorporated into air purifiers to both monitor and clean the air of pathogens like COVID.

    FDA Approves Moderna COVID Vaccine                                                                                Source:  Stock COVID image FDA Okays Australia's Home Diagnostic Test For COVID The FDA has given emergency approval to Moderna's COVID vaccine, making it the second COVID vaccine, along with Pfizer's,  available in the US.  The vaccine is 95% effective and is available to adults, while trials are expanded for teenagers. Meanwhile, the Australian diagnostic test company Ellume has scored a big win.  The FDA has approved its over the counter, at home,  COVID-19 test.  This is the first COVID-19 test approved for use at home.  Ellume Home COVID Test The system uses a nasal swab to collect data, analyze and send results to the person's smartphone. The results come within twenty minutes. The US Food and Drug Administration itself is calling this innovation from Australia a "major milestone in diagnostic testing". New At-Home COVID Technology The re

  COVID Vaccines Very Close to Market                                             Source:  Moderna Hope For a COVID Weary World Moderna, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, is seeking US, EU and UK emergency authorization for their COVID vaccine.  The vaccine has proved to be 94% effective.  The company adds it has no serious side effects. Highly Effective More than 1.5 million people have died from COVID.  Moderna says the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID.  It also works across demographic groups, including age, gender, ethnicity and race. Second COVID Vaccine Close to Market This is the second vaccine that is now under review for emergency authorization.  The other vaccine was developed by Pfizer and its German biotech partner BioNTech.  That vaccine is 95%.  Both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines could be on the market within two weeks.  Both vaccines were developed with a new technology called messenger RNA (mRNA).  Moderna says it will have 20 million do

  Pfizer To Request Quick Emergency FDA Approval Source:  Pfizer COVID Vaccine Suddenly There Is Hope    Pfizer has completed its late stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying it is 95% effective.  The company adds that it is effective on older adults, who are more vulnerable, and works against both mild and severe cases of COVID.  The company has the required 2 months of safety data for regulators.  Within days, Pfizer says it will apply for emergency FDA approval to start making it available for public use.  The vaccine's efficacy rate is the highest among all current vaccine candidate now in trials.  As the Economist magazine put it "Suddenly There is Hope". "The Speed of Science" Pfizer expects that the FDA will hold a public hearing on their vaccine in December.  Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says knowing that every day matters in the fight against COVID, the company is moving at what he calls "the speed of science".  The vaccine was developed joint

  1st Pfizer/BioNTech COVID Vaccine,  Now Moderna Vaccine                                    Source: Moderna COVID Vaccine Moderna Vaccine is 94.5% Effective, Pfizer More than 90% More hope in the fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic.  Cambridge, MA based biotech Moderna reports that it has a COVID vaccine candidate that is 94.5% effective against the deadly virus .  COVID-19 has infected more than 55 million people and taken more than 1.3 million lives globally as of today.  Pfizer/Germany's BioNTech Vaccine Moderna has the second highly acclaimed vaccine candidate since Pfizer/BioNTech announced theirs a few days ago.  Pfizer claims their vaccine has a more than 90% effective rate. These vaccines have to be approved by regulatory authorities, but their results look very promising and are giving global medical experts hope of quick turnaround deployments. Dr. Anthony Fauci's Take The US's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says that he is optimistic abou

SpaceX 1st Fully Operational Flight for NASA Takes Off                                                 Source:  NASA 4 US Astronauts on SpaceX Resilience                                                       Source:  Space X SpaceX CEO Musk Has Moderate Symptoms of COVID SpaceX's 1st operational flight for NASA to the ISS with 4 US astronauts onboard just successfully launched in a capsule named Resilience.  This launch is historic.  It will be the first time in 60 years that NASA handed over the keys for a fully operational launch of NASA astronauts to a US private space company. Ironically, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could not be in person for the historic moment.  He says he has a moderate case of COVID-19.  NASA would not allow him to be at NASA or near the astronauts as he is in COVID quarantine. Musk Questions the COVID Test Technology SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk believes he most likely has a moderate case of COVID-19.  As he had two positive and two negatives results on COVID testin

  Highly Advanced Sensors to Warn of COVID in the Air                                                                           Source:  COVID-19 stock image US Defense Dept.'s DARPA Push The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA plans to build a series of prototype detectors capable of spotting the COVID virus in the air.  The devices are targeted for use in office buildings and schools.  The sensors would quickly and accurately detect the presence of the virus in the air in order to alert occupants and prevent the spread. Rising COVID Toll Experts have warned that the virus is airborne.  More than 52 million people worldwide have been infected and more than 1 million have died.  Both Europe and the US are experiencing a second wave of the pandemic with cases rapidly accelerating.  But there is hope in the form of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the emerging Moderna vaccine.  Now, DARPA is moving on airborne detectors. Highly Advanced Technology Highl

  German Biotech BioNTech's & Pfizer's New COVID Vaccine                                                  Source:  BioNTech 1st Vaccine Against COVID that Appears Effective COVID-19 has caused more than 1 million deaths and infected 52 million people worldwide.  Finding a vaccine to protect the world against this unrelenting disease is the Holy Grail of medical research. Frankfurt, Germany based BioNTech appears to be the first to have produced a vaccine that is effective against COVID.  The company is co-developing the vaccine with Pfizer. Below Market Rate Vaccine Pricing BioNTech plans to price the vaccine, which requires two shots, at below "typical market rates".  It will also differentiate the price among countries and regions.  The company is doing so to ensure broad-based access around the world.  It is important to note that the vaccine has not yet won regulatory approvals. Efficacy Rates Based on preliminary trial data, the vaccine is 90% effective.  Wit

  Nissan's  Sales Innovation in Face of Pandemic                                                       Source:  Nissan "Complete, End to End Digital Journey" to the Purchase COVID-19 has radically changed the world and global commerce.  Here's a new example.  Because of the pandemic, global auto customers are shying away from car showrooms.  Nissan is on to a new digital approach.  What the company is calling "a complete, end to end digital journey" to  buying your next Nissan car. Nissan COO Ashwari Gupta's Digital System The Chief Operating Officer of Nissan Ashwari Gupta was tasked by a senior Nissan Board member to determine how to sell cars to customers in a COVID weary world.  Gupta came up with a digital journey.  The journey starts with the customer researching cars on line. Car models come to the customer's house for a test drive.  Purchase agreements are finalized with no trips at all to the dealership.  It is socially distanced, online car

  2020 To Be Record Year For EVs in Europe                                                  Source:  Audi New Analysis In the first half of 2020, electric vehicles comprised 8% of car sales in Europe.  According to a new analysis by NGO Transport and Environment, EV's are on track to triple their market share for all of 2020 in Europe.  This is very significant growth despite the COVID pandemic clobbering overall vehicle sales.  The actual number of EV's sold in Europe is expected to double to 1 million for the year 2020. European Regulations and Incentives In the broader picture, several factors are helping to increase electric vehicle sales.  The European Union is tightening car emission standards and will continue to ratchet-up standards to reach its 2030 EU climate goals on carbon emissions.  Plus, Germany and France have put attractive EV purchase incentives into place. Overall, electric and plug-in hybrid EV's will account for 10% of European car sales in 2020.  The b