Important Innovations

  Toyota's Secret Weapon                                   Source: Toyota & Toyota Patent Filing Toyota Is Seeking Patent Protection For the New Vehicle Toyota is scurrying to secure patent protection on a surprise, small, hybrid-electric SUV that it's developing.  Experts say that the patent filing for the vehicle, which occurred in Australia, clearly depicts the Toyota small SU EV concept that was unveiled in December 2021, but with some very innovative new styling. Production Ready Vehicle Automotive experts believe that this is a production-ready design and quite a surprise weapon for Toyota.  The design is virtually identical to the December 2021 concept with the exception of a new, lower bumper with an unusual, embedded honeycomb pattern on the vehicle's front end, along with integrated fog lights. Based on the patent filings, the vehicle appears to be a hybrid-electric SUV with an electrified powertrain and a combustion engine.  It is likely to be built on Toyota

  It's the Most Fuel Efficient Pickup on the Market  Source:  Ford Under $20,000 Starting Price & It's a Hybrid Ford has a very interesting new pickup just entering the market.   It's the new Maverick pickup.  Ford calls it their smallest and most fuel efficient pickup.  The vehicle has a hybrid powertrain that provides 40 mph and 37 mph combined, which makes it the most fuel efficient pickup on the market today.  The pickup has the capacity to haul 1,500 pounds and to tow 2,000 pounds.  The starting price is $19,995.00.  The range on a tank of gas is 500 miles. Unique Pickup with Interesting Features The pickup truck's rear loading bed is unique.  Ford calls it the All New Ford Maverick FLEXBED. For the owner, it is customizable to their needs.  Ford has built slots into the sides of the truck's bed.  2x4's and 2x6's can be dropped in to create unique spaces like raised platforms, bike platforms and storage spaces.  It also has two, 110 volt outlets to

Drone-X-Pro Source:  Drone-X-Pro Easy Flying - Tiny Drone - Smart Gadget If you're interested in drones, the inventors of the Drone-X- Pro say this small drone is easy enough for anyone to operate.  It's the size of a cellphone that you can hold in the palm of your hand.  You charge the battery, install the App and in under ten seconds, you're good to go.  You control the small drone's flight by your smartphone. Foldable Propellers This is a precision engineered drone specifically designed for easy flying inside and outside.  Its propellers fold in for easy carrying and the design is lightweight. HD 360 degree Images The drone is equipped to take HD photos and videos and can capture 360 degree images from the air.  It's equipped with gravity sensors to automatically avoid collisions with objects and the ground.  Drone-X-Pro can fly up to 12 meters per second and a maximum  distance of 2 km.  And, it's capable of flying ten minutes without having to

DARPA's Blackjack Satellite Program Source:  DARPA  - Artist concept of  Blackjack New Race to Space The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, is moving forward on an important project called Blackjack to launch large networks of small, inexpensive satellites into Low Earth Orbit to strengthen US defensive capabilities. The small satellites are more difficult targets to hit for enemy forces. It's an ambitious program that is showing a lot of promise.  For a news blog on it, go to Important Innovations Collection: DARPA's Blackjack Satellite Program : US Pentagon Concept:  Large Networks of Small, Cheap Satellites Source:  Artist Concept of DARPA's Small Sat System Blackjack Up ...

Genesis Concept Car: Luxurious, Small, Electric Source:  Genesis The Genesis Mint Korean luxury automaker Genesis unveiled its newest concept car at the New York International Auto Show that opened today.  It's called the Genesis Mint.  It's a 2 door electric car, that's getting rave reviews from attendees and the press.  It's a small, luxurious, 2-seater that is battery electric powered.  It's designed for city driving. Sporty and Futuristic The Mint is the size of a Fiat with a range of 200 miles and has a quick recharge.  It's futuristic looking, sporty with a minimalist interior.  The driver and passenger share a leather bench between the two front seats.  No word on price or plans for production.  But in this case, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Genesis was spun off from Hyundai three years ago.  It currently has three luxury sedans available for sale in the US that are targeted at customers interested in Mercedes, BMW and Audi.

Ionocraft - Size of a Penny Source:  UCal Berkeley No Moving Parts, Just Electricity And Ions Ionocraft is being called the world's smallest flying drone.  It's powered by ion thrusters and is breakthrough drone innovation from University of California Berkeley. Small and Silent The flying drone measures 2 cm x 2 cm, weighs just 30 mg and is the size of a penny.  When it flies it is completely silent.  The concept behind this is electrohydrodynamic thrust or EHD.  The concept has been around for many years but never applied to larger EHD craft because of the size of the components involved. The Berkeley team says working as they did on a smaller scale is providing an excellent example of the technology.  It's resulted in improved thrust to weight ratio and lower voltage requirements. Ion Thruster Power The team uses a high strength electric field which generates a plasma of ions. In essence, when the ions hit air molecules that generates the thrust.  Berkeley e