Important Innovations

Iconic Mustang Brand Going Electric as SUV Source:  Ford The Mach E Ford just announced, on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, a big entry into the electric vehicle global war.  Ford's 1st all electric SUV is called the Mach E and it's a Mustang. Ford says it's designed on the Mustang and not just named after it. Mustang is one of Ford's most successful brands and it goes back to the 1960's.  The Mustang was a groundbreaking design that provided iconic styling, sportsmanship and affordability.  The last time a new version of the Mustang was produced goes back to 1964. Preview for the electric Mustang SUV is Sunday. Mustang Appeal Ford thinks that the Mustang  brand will bring a lot of consumer interest in electric, green vehicles particularly for SUV's which are among the most popular modes of transportation   The new Mach E will debut in LA on Sunday.  Following that, Ford will take reservations online for the Mustang Mach E.  It will be available

Drone Shifts from Air to Ground Source:  University of Ben-Gurion of the Negev  FSTAR Drone The Flying STAR drone can drive, fly and even make itself smaller.  All of these functions are achieved using the same set of motors.  FSTAR stands for flying, sprawl-tined autonomous robot.  It's an outstanding achievement by a team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.  It flies like a quadcopter, drives on tough terrain and squeezes into tight spaces. A First This drone is a first.  It can travel on the ground up to 8 feet per second, can climb or go under obstacles and compress itself to traverse narrow spaces.  The drone flies flat.  The sprawl, which adjusts from flat to 55 degrees, allows it to transform from a flying quadcopter to a car-like robot. This hybrid flying, driving quadruped is unique.  It has low power needs and may have a big role in package delivery, search and rescue and other uses.

Good Environmental Sign for the Sound Source:  Ocearch Marine Scientists Say It's Reason to Celebrate For the first time ever, a great white shark has been spotted in Long Island Sound.  It was close to the beach at one of the US' wealthiest towns Greenwich, Connecticut.  Marine scientists say that's cause to celebrate. Good Environmental Message from the Great White Great Whites are selective in their swimming routes.  They go to clean water that's full of life.  The marine scientists from Ocearch say that the 10 foot shark is a strong indicator that Long Island Sound is in good environmental shape.  That's great news because it's wedged between the coastlines of Connecticut and Long Island, NY. Cabot The Great White was named Cabot, after the explorer John Cabot.  It was tagged in 2018 and is spotted by the tag's pings.  Cabot was tracked in April off North and South Carolina and made its way up to the Delaware Bay last week.  It was spotted

MarsQuake - NASA First Source:  NASA's InSight Interplanetary News NASA's robot on Mars InSight and its instrumentation have measured and documented a seismic event on Mars - a ground tremor that they're calling a MarsQuake.  This is the first time that seismological activity has been detected on a planet other than Earth.  It's an interplanetary first and big news.  For a news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: MarsQuake : NASA Documents Seismological Activity on Mars Source:  NASA InSight Interplanetary First NASA's robotic probe InSight has detect...

First HD Movie of Molecular Activity Source:  DOE - Molecules Reacting to Light US Dept. of Energy High Speed Electron Camera Breakthrough The US Department of Energy/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has created the world's 1st HD movie of molecules reacting to exposure to light.  They used a powerful, high speed electron camera.  The scientists say this technology will deepen their understanding of the fundamental chemical reactions that are the foundations of life.  For a great news blog on this by journalist Ed Kane, go to Important Innovations Collection: 1st Molecular Movie in HD : High Speed Electron Cameras Source:  DOE US Department of Energy's Breakthrough For the first time, researchers at the US Depar…                                                 The findings were just reported in the journal Nature Chemistry  Nature Chemistry, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41557-019-0252-7

UCLA's Wearable Nanogenerator to Monitor Athletic Performance Source:  Stock Image of Extreme Ski Jump SnowTENG - First of its Kind Nanogenerator This small, inexpensive, slim device can be embedded in the bottom of a ski or the sole of snow boots.  It generates its own power and can monitor the athletic performance of skiers and others engaged in winter sports.  The device converts contact with snow into electricity, which the device harvests.  Developed by UCLA engineers in warm, sunny LA, it has tremendous potential to create the next generation of wearable devices to monitor athletes and to work as smart weather stations with no battery power needed. Best in Snow For more details, go to Important Innovations Collection: Electricity from Snow - UCLA First : First of its Kind Nanogenerato r:  SnowTENG Source:  UCLA Generating Electricity from Snow - New Wearables From sunny, warm Los Angel...

First Photo of Black Hole in Space Source: EHT Photo of Black Hole in Space Historic Moment - Seeing the Unseeable Astrophysics history was made today, when a team of international scientists released the world's first photo of a black hole deep in space, 54 million light years away.  Black holes are huge masses created when stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their life cycle.  They are so large and the gravitational field is so intense, nothing, even light, can escape them  For a great news blogs on this historic first, go to Important Innovations Collection: First Photo of a Black Hole In Space : Seeing the Unseeable Source:  EHT Historic Achievement in Astrophysics An international scientific team has released the first photo...

First Photo of a Blackhole in Outer Space Source:  NASA Artist Rendering Mysterious Mass Millions to Billions Larger than the Sun The photo, to be released on Wednesday April 10th, will make history.  It's also expected to provide new insights into these space behemoths at the center of every galaxy.  They are so large and their gravitational field is so intense, experts say nothing, including light, can escape.  For a great news blog with more information, go to Important Innovations Collection: First Photo of a Blackhole in Space : Mystery Masses at the Center of Every Galaxy Courtesy:  NASA Artist Rendering Gravitational Field So Intense Nothing Can Escape...

Terrafugia's Transition Goes to Market  Source:  Terrafugia Flying & Driving in 2019 Terrafugia's Transition is the world's first FAA and NTSB approved flying car.  The company is taking orders for it.  The driving/flying vehicle is a smart looking 2-seater that will be delivered to customers in 2019.  The US is one of the first markets where it's available. MIT Engineering, Now Chinese Owned Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by a group of MIT engineers.  It's now a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China, which also owns Volvo. Details on  Hybrid Electric Vehicle The Transition has foldable wings while on the ground and driving.  For driving, a hybrid electric powertrain provides propulsion.  It converts to a flying machine in less than a minute.   Flight is powered by a 4-cylinder petrol engine. Speed and Altitud e According to the company, the vehicle can fly at a cruising speed of 100 mph to an altitude of 10,000 fee

Biodegradable, Wireless, Tiny Implants Courtesy:  Northwestern University - Bioelectric Medicine Pulses of Electricity to Accelerate Nerve Regeneration Northwestern University researchers and Washington University neurosurgeons have developed the first example of bioelectric medicine.  It's an implantable, biodegradable, wireless device.  It speeds nerve regeneration and improves healing by pulses of electricity targeted directly at the site. Size of a Dime The implant is tiny.  It's the size of a dime and has the thickness of a piece of paper.  It delivers pulses of electricity to damaged nerves.  In lab tests on post-operative animals, it proved very successful in accelerating the regeneration of nerves and enhancing the recovery of muscle strength and control. Naturally Disappears In a week or two, the implant biodegrades, is naturally absorbed into the body and totally disappears.  The next steps will be testing it on humans.  The research team believes that

Space First for Japan and the World Japan's  Hayabusa-2 Spacecraft Japan Making Space & Innovation History with the Asteroid Ryugu If touchdown goes as planned, Japan will be the first to land rovers, two of them, on an asteroid.  Japan's Hayabusa-2 spacecraft started on the mission in 2014 and has recently arrived on the 3000 foot wide Ryugu asteroid. Mission Possible for Japan 2 of the 4 onboard rovers will be deployed on Friday 9/21/2018.  They're 7 inch wide devices that will hop around the space rock to take photos and temperature readings.  They hop rather than roll because of the asteroid's low gravity readings. Next Stops - Incredible Research Opportunities About the Earth 2 larger landers will be released to collect data and rock samples over the next year. The spacecraft will depart in 12/2019 and bring back the samples and data to researchers.  The Japanese research mission is looking for evidence of water and organic materials similar t