Important Innovations

  New Partnership Between Lexus & The Royal College of Art                                                                                           Source:  Lexus Stunning New Lexus Designs Lexus has formed a new partnership with the prestigious Royal College of Art.  Lexus has asked graduate students in design to envision and design luxury Lexus for the year 2040.  The designs address a future world of mobility, new lifestyles, sustainability and how new technologies might impact the Lexus brand. The grad students were also tasked with creating new ways to meet future travel challenges in Europe.  The results are spectacular and highly innovative new Lexus vehicle concepts.  Lexus has recently selected six finalists in their design competition.  Here's a look at several particularly fascinating ones. The Alto                                                                      Source:  Lexus - The Alto The Alto by grad student Richard Newman is a VTOL or vertical takeoff and

  New "Sphere" Concept Cars                                                  Source:  Audi Cars "Shaping the Future" Audi designers and engineers have innovated a new series of concept cars:  a sports car - the Skysphere; a limousine - the Grandsphere; and a SUV - the Urbansphere.  Audi says these concept cars, that will debuted over the next year,  reflect how Audi envisions luxury cars of the future.  The sphere theme represents Audi's holistic, digital ecosystem for an exciting in-car experience.  Technological innovations and luxury envelop the passengers.  The vehicles can be driven or drive autonomously. Skysphere The first vehicle to premiere will be Skysphere on August 10, 2021.  Skysphere is a sports car that can be driven or drive autonomously and it can be converted into a personal lounge.  Audi says the vehicle is shaping the future and "redefines progressive luxury".  It is a large, 2 seat vehicle with a possibly transparent roof in Audi&#

  UK's Jetpack Aviation Prototypes & Plans                                                             Source:  Jetpack Aviation's Prototype P1 Tests Successfully                            Source:  Jetpack Aviation JB10 Speeder                     Source:  Jetpack Aviation Speeder with Different Frame                   Source: Jetpack Aviation Speeder with Different Frame Speeder - A New Form of Travel In the UK, a flying motorcycle, named Speeder, that can fly at speeds of 300 mph and carry two people or cargo, has just cleared flight testing and is available for pre-order.  The vehicle has been developed by Jetpack Aviation, which is famous for its jet pack personal flying technologies.  The vehicle is jet turbine powered and will cost in excess of $380,000. Jetpack plans to offer the vehicle with different types of frames and propulsion system for different customers and uses, emphasizing the versatility of this new travel technology. VTOL Speeder is a VTOL - a vertical

  VW's Project Trinity Electric Vehicle - Its Flagship of Technology                                            Source:  VW Project Trinity Coming in 2026 - All Electric & Autonomous  Volkswagen is working on a revolutionary new vehicle.  The development is called VW's Project Trinity EV and it will serve as VW's technology flagship when it hits the market in 2026. For VW, the vehicle will lead the way in the next generation of zero emissions and autonomous cars, which can serve as living spaces and entertainment venues on wheels. It is all electric with a bold new architecture that blends the designs of a crossover, hatchback and a sedan.  VW says it will manufacture the vehicle with a radical new production approach. The EV will also be autonomous. "Over-The-Air Updates" VW intends to sell the EV in a standardized form at a starting price of $42,415.  Customers can obtain existing features through software updates.  New features will be offered at additional

  Spike Aerospace's S 512                                                                        Source:  Spike Aerospace Getting to Places in Half the Time The Concorde supersonic jet was decommissioned 18 years ago.  Now there is a new entry in the SST travel space.  The Spike S 512 is the ultimate in flying.  Travelling at supersonic speeds without sonic booms, the jet is quiet and can cut travel times in half.  Now under development by Spike Aerospace headquartered in Boston, the jet will fly at Mach 1.6 and will travel 720 km/h faster than any other civilian aircraft.  An example: this SST will enable passengers to fly from New York City to London in just three hours.   Luxurious Flying The Spike S 512 is a luxury business SST jet.  It can carry 18 passengers.   The cabin is pure luxury and advanced tech.  There is high speed wireless internet, panoramic views as you fly to your destination, plush seating, full telephone services, high definition display screens, reduced cabin

Tech Communicating Using Body Language, Sounds & Lights Source:  Volvo 360c Incorporating Origins of Human Communications  Volvo's vision of the future of autonomous driving is based on the origins of human communications, going back 10,000 years.  The Sweden based company is developing technology to enable autonomous cars to communicate with each other, other drivers and pedestrians.  The techniques include body language, basic sounds and light pulses.  Volvo said today that it believes the long term solution to avoiding accidents and safer driving is autonomous, self-driving vehicles. Volvo 360c Autonomous Car Concept The Volvo 360c is Volvo's proprietary, autonomous concept car, leading the autonomous way.  The vehicle communicates with other vehicles, bikes and pedestrians on the road.  It uses external lights, sounds and even subtle "body language" movements to communicate what the vehicle is about to do.  Volvo researchers aim to give self-driving cars a for

Next-G, Helicopter Command Post Source:  Airbus Website Helicopter Travel's Future:  The H145 Flying Computer This is one of the world's most advanced military helicopters and it's still being developed to include more next-G technology.  The Airbus H145 is a multi-role helicopter that essentially functions as a flying computer.  Designed for the military, it's being developed and outfitted as a flying command post.  Airbus says it can be used for armed reconnaissance, weapons fire support, evacuation of the wounded and to rescue hostages.  C5 Capabilities Airbus is focused on expanding the vehicle's C5 capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers and collaboration/intelligence.  The H145 is a look at the future of military helicopter travel in battle zones. Brand New, Innovative Technologies The Airbus helicopter is a light, twin engine vehicle.  It can maneuver at low level altitudes where fixed wing aircraft and UAVs cannot. 

Electric, Clean, Autonomous Travel Hyperloops, Flying Cars, Bikes & Boats Beyond the global pandemic, a future of exciting new ways to travel awaits us.  Innovation in electric, autonomous, green, clean travel is leading the way.  Hop onboard with journalist Edward Kane's new book  "Future of Transportation 2020's And Beyond".  It's a ride you won't want to miss!  ASIN: B08633CTBW amazon.com/author/ekane ... ...

Hubble's 30 Years of Discoveries Source:  Hubble Space Missions Ahead The Hubble Telescope has been  exploring and discovering new worlds in space for thirty years.  It was deployed in space on April 25, 1990. More than anything else, it has showed mankind the Universe around us. Early Years The first few years of its space tour of duty were riddled with technical problems, particularly with its mirrors.  But new technology and new cameras were launched and deployed by astronauts on Hubble. Hubble Field By 1994, it began its riskiest and richest mission - the Hubble Field.  For ten days scientists used Hubble to examine what seemed like a dark spot in the Universe. No signs of any brightness, probably no stars. What Hubble found were thousands of distant stars and  galaxies.  Those findings,  back in 1994, have forever changed our view of the Universe, as an immense world of discovery. Wh

A  Look at the Exciting New World of Personal Mobility Green, Autonomous, Electric Driving and Flying Journalist Edward Kane's latest book "Future Transportation 2020's And Beyond"  has just been published by Amazon and Kindle.  The book contains valuable, fun, news you need to know on the innovative, new vehicles you'll be driving and flying in.  It's the future of personal mobility that rolling out this decade and beyond. To take a look go to  https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08633CTBW&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_hX4CEbX55ARMQ You'll love this book and the exciting rides that await you.   amazon.com/author/ekane  I co-authored the book with Ed.

World's Fastest E-Sportscar, E-Cybertruck and More EVs Source:  Tesla Roadster Electric Sports Car Diversifying and Expanding Model Lineup 2020 is proving to be a great year for Tesla and CEO Elon Musk.  The share price has soared and catapulted Tesla to the world's 2nd most valuable automaker, only behind Toyota.  What is billionaire entrepreneur CEO Elon Musk doing to sustain this?  He's creating buzz and excitement with new models like the Tesla Roadster, expanding his model offerings to include pickup trucks and smaller, less expensive SUVs, and looking to bring on more affordable electric cars to widen his global customer base. Tesla Roadster Musk calls his Tesla Roadster the "fastest car in the world". It's  expected to roll-out in 2020 or 2021.  It's a 4 seater sports car that can go from 0 to 97 mph in 1.9 seconds, which is quicker than quick.  The top speed is 250 mph, the battery range is reported to be a huge 620 miles

Betting Big on Electric Vehicles Driv ing to an All Electric Market Over the next five years, GM CEO Mary Barra expects to spend more money on research, development and selling electric vehicles than gas powered cars.  She also thinks the production of electric cars will be less labor intensive than gas powered vehicles.  GM has 20 electric models in the pipeline that will be on the market in 2023.  Barra believes the future of driving and the future for GM is fully electric. UAW Contract:  No Limits on Electric Vehicles CEO Mary Barra shared her vision of the future of electric vehicles with the Wall Street analyst community.  She forecasts that electric vehicles will start becoming an increasingly larger part of the sales mix by 2030.  Barra just signed a labor contract with the UAW union that is concerned about its membership losing jobs because of the less labor intensive manufacturing of electric vehicles.  However, the new UAW contract does not limit the number of electri

New Book on Travel Innovations New book by journalist Ed Kane on the future of travel.  Inventions and emerging vehicle innovation for land, sea and air. Important Innovations Collection: "How to Travel in the Future" by Edward Kane : Future of Travel Innovations Flying cars created by Terrafugia are going on sale for consumers to purchase in the United States w...

Artificial Intelligence Bringing Rapid Restaurant & Retail Change AI at the Point of Sale Experts forecast that artificial intelligence and machine learning will bring tremendous innovation and change to restaurants, retail and hospitality in the next few years.  Big changes are already happening in restaurants utilizing artificial intelligence.  For a great news story, go to Important Innovations Collection: Artificial Intelligence and Restaurants Future : Rapid Retail Change Source: Stock Image of  Fast Food Artificial Intelligence at the Point of Sale Artificial intelligence and ma...

Pope Francis and the Future of Robotics Source:  The Vatican Vatican Conference on AI, Robotics and Humanity The Vatican is holding a high level conference with scientists, roboticists, ethicists and theologians on the rapidly accelerating innovations in AI, robotics and other emerging technologies.  Pope Francis is urging that the new innovations be studied and utilized to benefit humanity.  There are many important ethical questions about the future of technology and the impact on humanity.  For a news blog with more details including a partnership between the Pope and Microsoft, go to Important Innovations Collection: Pope Francis & Future of Robotics : Vatican Summit Source:  The Vatican Humans, Robots, AI - The Future At the Vatican, scientists, roboticists, ethicists and theologian...

DARPA's AI System to Predict the Future KAIROS - Schema-based Artificial Intelligence System The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA - is developing a schema-based, AI system to predict the future of major global events for the US government. This is a world first, knowledge-directed artificial intelligence reasoning over schema system. To put it simply, schema is common language people use to describe and make sense of global events. KAIROS Mission The purpose is to help the US Defense Department better understand and predict world events that could lead to chaos or unrest.  The end result is to provide actionable understanding and predictions on how major, dynamic events will unfold.  For a great news blog on this, go to my journalist colleague Ed Kane's blog at Important Innovations Collection: DARPA's Tech to Predict Future : KAIROS - System to Forecast the Future Source:  DARPA's KAIROS Project Combines AI and Sc

Brain Uses Two Clocks to Anticipate Source:  University of California Innovative Research - University of California - Berkeley It's called anticipatory timing by the brain. And it's a 2 barreled system.  One type of timing relies on memories from past experience.  A second type is based on rhythm.  They work together.  An example is putting your foot on the car's gas pedal as the light starts turning from red to green.  Berkeley neuroscientists have discovered that in music, sports, speech and other activities we calculate movements in two parts of the brain. Brain Timekeepers The neural networks supporting these timekeepers are split between 2 different parts of the brain.  The scientists discovered that timing isn't a unified process.  Their research has documented that there are 2 different ways we make temporal decisions and they are dependent on different parts of the brain. Your  Brain Actively Anticipating the Future Berkeley scientists have provi