The Innovation Report
Cutting-Edge Farm Tech Demos Coming To Michigan
Farmers struggling with labor shortages and tight profit margins will have an opportunity to see cutting-edge agricultural technology in action this September at the first-ever Great Lakes Tek Flex event in Benton Harbor, Mich. Scheduled for Sept. 10-11 at the MSU...
Clark State Has New College Credit Plus Pathway In Manufacturing, Engineering
Clark State College now has a new College Credit Plus pathway for more students to prepare for manufacturing and engineering careers. The Innovative Waiver Pathway in Engineering Technology and Advanced Manufacturing allows high school students who may not meet...
Outcome First, Technology Second: Smart Manufacturing Insights From A Continuous Process Practitioner
Companies invest in smart manufacturing technology, the technology works, yet the operational results still disappoint. Pilots succeed in controlled conditions and then quietly fade when the dedicated team moves on. Projects deliver dashboards that nobody uses....
New Research Traces How ‘Forever Chemicals’ Move Through The Great Lakes And Into People
In the United States, PFAS chemicals are so ubiquitous — found in everything from frying pans to skincare — that nearly all of the country’s population likely has measurable levels of the so-called “forever chemicals” in their blood. It’s only in...
Humanoid Robots Get The Hype; Task-Specific Robots May Win The Market
Artificial intelligence has already transformed how machines process information. Generative AI and agentic systems can now reason, coordinate workflows, and automate increasingly complex digital tasks. But the next phase of AI is moving beyond the screen entirely....
UN Secretary General Calls For Global Ban On AI ‘Killer Robots’
When the Secretary General of the United Nations calls upon the international community to ban “killer robots,” that phrase is going to strike a resounding chord in the public imagination—especially when that public is already becoming wary of the current course of AI...
US Wants To Build Offshore Rocket Launch Sites; Critics: ‘Our Coasts Deserve Better’
The United States government is looking into launching commercial rockets from sea-based launch sites, but some ocean advocacy experts say the move is part of a larger trend of allowing the spaceflight industry to use the ocean as a dumping ground. The U.S. Bureau of...
America’s Auto Industry Is Fueling A $20 Billion Robotics Boom
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is accelerating investment in industrial robotics across the United States, with the automotive sector leading the expansion. More than $20 billion in active and proposed U.S. projects are focused on robot manufacturing...
How The Algae In Lake Erie Can Make Or Break The Great Lakes Economy
Toxic algal blooms are a big enough threat that Lake Erie is dotted with little buoys, constantly monitoring how much algae is in the water. It takes several minutes in a zippy speedboat to travel far enough offshore to see one of the buoys up close. On the way, one...
New USMCA Extension Window Passes Without Agreement; Automakers Preparing For Changes
The United States, Mexico and Canada have moved past a key deadline to extend the USMCA trade agreement, shifting the pact into an annual review process that leaves long-term rules for North American manufacturing open to further negotiation. Automakers continue...
