Important Innovations

 Japan Deploys  World's 1st Dual-Mode Bus-Train                                       Source:  Japan's DMV New Innovation From Japan Japan is putting into operation the world's first dual-mode vehicle (DMV), which is a bus that converts into a train.  The DMV is capable of driving on the road with its standard set of rubber tires.  And when it reaches its railroad destination, it can deploy its steel wheels to travel as a train on the tracks in just 15 seconds.  This 2-in-1 vehicle combination is now in commercial operation in coastal southern Japan.  It is being operated by the Asa Coast Railway Company and it is a world first in travel innovation. Tech Specs The vehicle is lighter in weight than most buses and trains.  The company says it operates on diesel fuel, but the light weight of the vehicle cuts down on emissions.  The vehicle can carry 21 passengers.  On the road, in bus mode, it can hit 62 mph.  On the tracks, in train mode, it can hit 37 mph.  The Asa Coast Rai

  20 Miles of Green Energy                                                                      Source:  Daejeon, South Korea                                           Source:  Solar Bike Highway                                   Source:  Sejong, SK Solar Energy and Green Transportation South Korea has built a 20 mile solar "bike highway" that is both green and highly innovative.  The solar bike lane sits on top of a 20 mile stretch of highway running between the city of Daejeon, which is a transportation hub with a population of 1.5 million and Sejong, the de-facto administrative capital of South Korea.  Solar panels cover the path's roof for the entire 20 miles.  They shield cyclists from the sun and also generate electricity.  The location is highly unusual as 3 lanes of highway traffic straddle either side of the solar bike path. Green Electricity The solar bike path is highly effective.  It produces enough electricity to power the highway's electric vehicle charg

  Air Force One at Mach 5                                      Source:  Hermeus Hypersonic Jet Flying 5 Times The Speed of Sound Atlanta, Georgia based Hermeus Corporation is developing a hypersonic Mach 5 passenger jet.  The jet will be capable of flying from New York City to London in 90 minutes.  Hermeus has established a partnership with the US Air Force and with the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (PE) to develop the 20 passenger vehicle for the President of the United States and his executive staff as a hypersonic Air Force One. NASA Onboard Very recently, NASA joined with Hermeus, the USAF and PE in a concerted effort to develop the jet.  Hermeus has successfully tested a prototype engine capable of powering an aircraft to travel at five times the speed of sound.  Another US company, Exosonic of California, is simultaneously partnering with the USAF and PE to develop a supersonic jet capable of speeds of 1.8 Mach to carry the US President to destinations around th

 An Inflatable E-bike Source:  Add caption POIMO May Be Your Next Bike This is fascinating new, lightweight travel technology, that's so flexible and inflatable it can be carried in a large backpack. It's an electric bike, called POIMO, invented by researchers at the University of Tokyo.  The inventors claim that because the e-bike is lightweight and inflatable, it protects riders and pedestrians in the event of an accident. At the moment, it's a prototype that the researchers intend to develop into a final product that's even lighter and more portable for commercialization. Future of Travel Innovation:  Soft Mobility This is a great example of the potential future of travel innovation. The researchers call POIMO soft mobility or personal mobility using soft, lightweight and inflatable materials to make the vehicle portable, foldable, flexible, inflatable, deflatable and storeable in a backpack.  So you can take it and deploy it wherever you want. Next St

All-Electric Submersible Convertible for Land and Sea Source:  Rinspeed Swiss Mobility Innovation This is the ultimate, all-electric concept car for land and sea from Switzerland.  The sQuba is an all-electric vehicle that's the world's 1st fully submersible car that drives perfectly on land and underwater.  And, the travel from land to underwater is seamless.  It's a concept vehicle designed to demonstrate the future of mobility Straight Out of James Bond 007 The car designer is Frank Rinderknecht and his Swiss team at the Swiss mobility lab Rinspeed.  Rinderknecht has been creating innovative concept cars for forty years. The inspiration for the sQuba comes from the Lotus submarine car "Wet Nellie" that James Bond 007 drove in the 1977 movie "The Spy Who Loves Me".  That car was pure fiction.  The sQuba is the real thing. Submersible Convertible The sQuba is powered by three electric motors charged by lithium ion batteries.

Author Ed Kane's Latest Book on Breakthrough Innovation - Travel, Vol. 2 My colleague journalist Ed Kane has just published a great book on the latest innovations in travel and transportation.  This is an accelerating area of innovation that is impacting all of us.  Here's a link to a journalist's take on what is the latest in travel innovation I mportant Innovations Collection: Important Innovations Collection - Travel, Vol. 2 : Important Innovations Collection - Travel, Vol. 2 by Edward Kane Important Innovations Collection - Travel: Volume Two Kindle Edition ...

New Look at Flying and Commuting Innovation The Bell Nexus This Bell Helicopter piece of aviation innovation is a real vehicle, under development and readying for takeoff.  It's an aerial drone taxi that's capable of vertical takeoffs and landings and speeds up to 250 mph.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Bell Nexus, Air Taxi Flying Machine : New Look at Flying's Future Source:  Bell Helicopter's Bell Nexus Readying for Takeoff Bell Nexus, created by Bell Helicopt...