Important Innovations

  Revolutionary New Battery                                             Source:  Prototype e-VTOL Energy Dense, Rapid Recharge, Burst of Power Engineers at Penn State University have designed a battery prototype that they say is capable of powering flying cars.  The battery is specifically designed for e-VTOLs which take off and land vertically like a helicopter.  The battery has to deliver a lot of power very quickly to get a flying car off the ground.  The vehicles also require high energy density to keep flying.  And, the recharge needs to be quick because the main use of e-VTOLs is expected to be as flying taxis for commuters with frequent takeoffs and landings.  The Penn State team says their breakthrough battery can accomplish all of those requirements. Prototype Successfully Tested The Penn State team has successfully tested the performance of a pair of energy dense lithium ion batteries capable of delivering the power needed for a 50 mile, 5 to 10 minute e-VTOL flight. To preve

  Revolutionary New Battery                                             Source:  Prototype e-VTOL Energy Dense, Rapid Recharge, Burst of Power Engineers at Penn State University have designed a battery prototype that they say is capable of powering flying cars.  The battery is specifically designed for e-VTOLs which take off and land vertically like a helicopter.  The battery has to deliver a lot of power very quickly to get a flying car off the ground.  The vehicles also require high energy density to keep flying.  And, the recharge needs to be quick because the main use of e-VTOLs is expected to be as flying taxis for commuters with frequent takeoffs and landings.  The Penn State team says their breakthrough battery can accomplish all of those requirements. Prototype Successfully Tested The Penn State team has successfully tested the performance of a pair of energy dense lithium ion batteries capable of delivering the power needed for a 50 mile, 5 to 10 minute e-VTOL flight. To preve

  Big Discovery by MIT Engineers                                                                           Source:  MIT No Wires or Battery Needed MIT engineers have discovered a brand new way of generating electricity.  They're using tiny carbon particles that create an electric current by interacting with their liquid environment of an organic solvent.  The particles are made of crushed carbon nanotubes (blue in the image) coated with a teflon-like polymer (green). The MIT researchers say the current can power micro or nanoscale robots and can also be used to trigger chemical reactions.  Their process of generating electricity is completely new and innovative.  All that is necessary is to surround the carbon particles with the solvent.  It generates an electrical current with no wires needed. Pulling Energy From the Environment Electrical engineering experts are hailing this discovery as leading the way to a generic methodology that can be easily expanded to the use of different

  Invention Could Make Electricity Dramatically Cheaper, Faster, More Powerful Source:  University of Rochester New Discovery - University of Rochester University of Rochester engineers have created a super, superconductor that could save the world billions of dollars in annual electricity costs.  The engineers created a material composed of hydrogen, carbon and sulfur which becomes a superconductor when squeezed between two diamonds.  Superconductors are materials that effortlessly conduct electricity with no resistance and no energy lost.  Until the University of Rochester breakthrough, superconductors only worked at extremely cold temperatures of minus 100 degree Fahrenheit and below.  The new superconductor works at room temperature of 59 degrees.  That opens up the possibility of widespread use. Why This is Such a Big Deal This breakthrough superconductor could usher in an age of dramatically cheaper, faster and more powerful electricity.  According to the research team, widesprea

  New Travel Innovation: E-Urban Mobility Vehicle                                                  Source:  KOMMA Part Car and Part MotorBike KOMMA is a brand new electric vehicle for city travel from innovators in Switzerland. The startup says it is an alternative to conventional means of city transportation.  The KOMMA Urban Mobility Vehicle (UMV) is a crossover between a conventional car and a motorbike.  It's electric, has the comfort and safety of a car but with a much smaller footprint.  It's being billed as a brand new means of travel around and between urban areas. KOMMA's Approach and Mantra Could Be Transformative KOMMA's mantra is to create better ways to move around cities than by cars and vans.  The approach of their new technology is by blurring the lines between travel vehicles as we know them.  Their brand new KOMMA UMV is planned for production in 2022.  They believe the small size of their vehicle, the light construction, aero design and its electric p

World's First Solar Powered Rail Road Source:  Indian Railway India's Green Experiment This is unique green innovation from India.  A large solar power plant has been built in Bina, India to directly feed solar powered energy to overhead power lines to power electric locomotives.  This is a major project of the Piush Goyaled Indian Railways.  The project is considered a world first. Testing Phase This is a joint project of Indian Railways and Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited.  It's a 1.7 megawatt solar power plant.  According to the companies, the plant can "produce 25 lakh of energy yearly and save an amount of Rs 1.37 crore for Indian Railways every year."  They are now testing the technology. 3 Gigawatt Solar Plant The plan is to install a 3 gigawatt solar power plant within a few years, after completing tests on their 1.7 megawatt solar plant system.  According to the Indian Railway Ministry, the power plant's feeding directly to the railway&

New Green Tech from Europe Source: Platio Solar Charging - Green Plus Green From Europe, there's a new technology first. A European Union funded company, Platio of Budapest, Hungary, has just installed the world's first solar driveway for residential use.  The technology and environmental concern behind this new green energy technology is extraordinary. Pavers The system consists of interlocking units called Patio Solar pavers.  Each paver is made from 400 recycled PET  plastic bottles.  According to Platio, the  pavers are more durable than concrete. Multi-Functional You can use the solar driveway pavers for energy to power your electric car.   Or the energy generated by the driveway  can be fed back into your home's power network to provide electricity to your home.  The company claims a 20 square meter driveway will cover the yearly energy consumption for the average residential property.   The pa

Based On Photosynthesis in a Leaf, Artificial Photosynthesis Source" stock image of leaves in the Sun Lawrence Berkeley National Lab The new technology is an artificial version of photosynthesis.  It's a dreamed-for renewable energy technology that top scientists and engineers have been chasing for decades.  Artificial photosynthesis has just been achieved by a team of scientists at the renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is the sunlight-driven, chemical reaction process that leaves and algae use to convert CO2 into cellular fuel.  Led by scientist Heinz Frei, the Berkeley Lab team has developed an artificial photosynthesis system.  It's composed of nano-sized tubes capable of all of the key steps in fuel generation. Big Green Deal This new green, renewable energy technology is a very big deal.  The new technology has the potential to generate vast amounts of renewable energy by using the CO2 i

Important Wearable Device Breakthrough Source:  Wrist Watch Bionic from Nanjing University Safe, Low Power Display Screens on Your Skin This is fascinating new innovation from Chinese researchers at Nanjing University.  They've invented a new way to put displays like a wrist watch bionic or real time medical readouts on your skin.  The extremely thin device is said to be safe, flexible and requires very little power to operate.  It's a new wearable similar to a temporary tattoo but it displays electronic data like time. Tech that Could Revolutionize Wearables This new technology could revolutionize wearable devices for many users.  For runners, it could mean a bionic watch taped on your hand to watch your times as you run.  For health care tracking, it could mean real-time displays on your skin of medical data from already flexible medical devices. What Makes This New The Chinese researchers have overcome the need for high voltage to operate skin wearables, which

New System to Fight Climate Change Source:  MIT image of the system New Carbon Capture Technology from MIT Engineers This new technology is from MIT engineers to clean the air of CO2 and fight climate change.  Their invention removes CO2 from air streams at almost any concentration levels from the open air to emissions from power plants.  MIT says it works like a large battery and it requires low energy and low money to operate when compared to other approaches. Like a Battery Like a very large battery, the MIT system absorbs CO2 from a gas stream that passes over its electrodes as it charges up.  While going through the process, the device alternates between charging and discharging.  During the charging cycle, fresh air blows through the system.  During discharging, concentrated carbon dioxide blows through.  As the process is done, pure carbon dioxide is discharged.  The MIT engineers say their carbon capture tech shows the power of electrochemical approaches

New Autonomous Roofers in Town Source:   University of Michigan Autonomous Roofers University of Michigan engineers and roboticists have invented a drone that can put a new roof on your house and do it autonomously.  The drone nails shingle to a rooftop and decides in flight where to target the nails.  The aerial vehicle is autonomous, positions the nail gun on a nailing point, places the nail and then moves on to the next point without any human intervention.  It's a cutting edge example of drones being capable of what can be dangerous construction work for humans. Octocopter The drone is a DJI S1000 octocopter equipped with a standard nail gun.  The drone uses a system of cameras and markers to cover test roofs with asphalt shingles.  The roofs have a range of slopes. Machine Vs. Human Right now, the University of Michigan team says the drone is less effective than a human roofer.  But they think the system will be improved by a power tethered system.

Ocean Wave-Solar Renewable Energy System Source:  EcoWave Power World's 1st Grid Connected Wave Energy Array The EcoWave Power is a world first.  The Swedish invention converts both wave and solar power into green renewable energy on the same device.  It's deployed in the port city of Jaffa, Israel and is connected to the city's electric grid.  This is the world's only grid connected wave energy array.  The device is now also topped with solar panels to generate more energy.  The innovative tech consists of floaters on coastal water attached to existing man-made structures.  This makes the system accessible and simple to install and maintain. The additional solar panel component is now being deployed and tested in Jaffa. Wave+Solar Power Generation Provides Many Benefits The system converts the rise and fall of coastal water into electricity and has worked effectively for several years. To increase efficiency, the Swedish team added solar panels o

Charges Devices by Spinning its Wheels Source:  ROLLOGO Charging Your Gadgets on the Go ROLLOGO is the world's first self-charging luggage, that has wheels with a suspension system.  It's a remarkable combination of engineering, style and design.  Designed by well known innovator/designer Frederic Gooris of Brussels, it's a very smart gadget to keep your smart gadgets charged when you're on the go.  Importantly, this charging suitcase is TSA approved, according to ROLLOGO, so there's no problem at airport check-ins. Spinning its Wheels The ROLLOGO Escape S suitcase charges its power bank by spinning its wheels.  The company calls it a new way to travel smarter and more sophisticated.  Ten minutes of rolling wheels can create enough power to talk on your smartphone for an hour.  The suitcase contains an 8000 mAh lithium polymer power bank, that's recharged by the company's patented power generating wheel system.  The fully charged power bank offer

GymCam Source:  Carnegie Mellon University New Smart Camera, New Algorithm, New Exercise Tracking Carnegie Mellon University engineers have developed a smart fitness tracker for the gym and for your home exercise area.  The GymCam system scans the crowds in a gym to automatically identify exercises and count the number of repetitions. All that's needed is a stationary camera with the new algorithm in a gym to detect exercise, the type of exercise and reliably count the number of repetitions. In your home for personal use, it can do the same functions.  It works with a smartphone for a person to record and track their workouts at home.  CMU says a number of companies are expressing interest in the system for in-home exercise. Vision Based System with New Algorithm This is a vision based system that employs a new algorithm to detect repetitive motion.  The CMU inventors say it goes beyond wearable sensors like smart watches, which they say don't track all exercises equa

MIT's Roboats Source:  MIT Roboat Test World's First Bridge Composed of Autonomous Boats This is the world's first bridge composed of autonomous boats that disconnect and reassemble into various configurations.  It's the invention of engineers and other scientists at MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions.  The city of Amsterdam has big plans for them in their canals to reduce busy traffic on congested city streets. Amsterdam Deployment Amsterdam wants the roboats to cruise its 165 canals to transport people and goods, collect trash and self-assemble into popup platforms like bridges and stages as needed. The roboats are equipped with sensors, thrusters, GPS modules, cameras, microcontrollers and other hardware.  They are far less expensive and far more versatile than traditional bridges. New Algorithm Upgrade The roboats have just been upgraded with a new control algorithm that enables them to be "shapeshifting", auto

Advanced Water Harvester from UC Berkeley Source:  UC Berkeley's Water Harvester Capable of Supplying Fresh Water to Global Villages in Need One of humanity's biggest challenges is to develop technology to meet global drinking water supply needs.  A team at UC Berkeley has invented a new water harvester capable of collecting water from very dry desert air.  Most importantly, the team says their technology is scalable and capable of supplying clean drinking water to people in villages.  This technology promises to be a new source of clean drinking water to people in arid environments globally. New Engineering The device has been tested in the Mojave Desert and it works.  The base is a metal-organic framework (MOF) that pulls in and condenses water molecules from the very dry desert air.  The cartridges of MOFs are in a large, transparent box that includes a condenser to collect the water molecules as liquid water. Third Variation on an Innovative Theme This is the

Naturbeads from the UK - Green Replacement for Plastics Source:  Naturbeads New Innovation to Replace Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics These biodegradable microbeads invented by engineers at the University of Bath in the UK are an eco-friendly replacement to plastic microbeads found in cosmetics. Their invention is called Naturbeads and they've created a company around it that's receiving investment money from Innovate UK and Sky Ocean Ventures.  Naturbeads are made of cellulose which is a naturally occurring material.  Unlike plastics, it causes no environmental damage. Scalable Tech The engineering team creates their Naturbeads by pressing liquid cellulose through tiny holes to create drops and then detach them with vegetable oil.  There are many uses for this new invention including safer, greener cosmetics.  The bottom-lime:  Naturbeads are biodegradable, cellulose microparticles that replace plastic microbeads.  They are plastic alternative products that are prod

JellyfishBot Source:  Max Planck Institute Tiny, Soft, Swimming Robot with Big Potential Scientists at The Max Planck Institute in Germany have invented a remarkable tiny soft robot.  Inspired by jellyfish, the robot swims and performs a number of functions including transporting beads and mixing liquids.  It has significant potential for medical and environmental uses.  For a detailed news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Jellyfishbot : German Scientists Invent Remarkable Jellyfish Robot Source:  Max Planck Institute Big Potential for Medical and Environmental Applica...