The Innovation Report
Satellites, AI Revolutionizing How Forest Carbon & Deforestation Is Tracked
New technologies are providing unprecedented capabilities for combating deforestation around the globe, particularly in tropical forests. Why it matters: The technologies, which are made possible by advances in Earth observing satellites and...
Republican Opposition Could Slow The Push Toward EVs
On the campaign trail this election cycle, former President Donald Trump has indulged in a singular rant about electric boats and sharks. The story goes that a boat manufacturer complained to him about electric boats, and Trump wondered what would happen if the...
Tiny Batteries Could Power Cell-Size Robots
A battery designed by MIT chemical engineer Michael Strano and colleagues could make it possible for cell-size autonomous robots to deliver drugs in the human body or find leaks in gas pipelines, among other applications. Seeking to allow microscale devices to operate...
Sauce, Soap And Drugs Seized From Jail Drone Drops
Criminals in Greater Manchester are delivering everything from hard drugs to mustard to prison cell windows, police have said. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Det Supt Andy Buckthorpe said the region's gangs are using skilled drone pilots to deliver packages...
How Soon Will We Have Flying Taxis? What To Know After The FAA Ruling
The Federal Aviation Administration has formally recognized a new category of aircraft for the first time in roughly eight decades — a technology not so different from the flying cars of “The Jetsons” and “Back to the Future.” The FAA officially...
Waco Transit Offering Free Rides On Election Day
Election Day is less than two weeks away, and everyone here in Waco has a way to get to the polls. A common reason people don’t go out and vote is due to lack of transportation. To solve that problem, Waco Transit will be providing free rides to the polls on Election...
Robots That Sense The World Through Sound Are More Human-Like
Next month, at the Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL 2024) in Munich, Germany, experts from Duke University will introduce the world to SonicSense. This system offers robots a perception capability similar to humans. “We introduce SonicSense, a holistic...
AI To Enable Autonomous Underwater Robots To Maintain Offshore Wind Farms
Maintaining offshore wind turbines could be greatly improved by UNITE, a project developing AI and control systems that allow underwater robots to operate autonomously in turbulent seas. The technology is currently undergoing trials as part of UNITE (Underwater...
Penndot Adopts New AV Guidelines For Driverless Cars In PA
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) adopted new guidelines for highly automated vehicles (HAVs) on Pennsylvania roadways. The new guidelines update Publication 950 to allow certified users to operate autonomous vehicles on the road...
Sotheby’s To Auction Painting By Humanoid Robot In A Futuristic First
In a first for Sotheby’s, the famed auction house will sell a painting made by a humanoid robot — and it’s expected to fetch up to a whopping $180,000. The robot, known as Ai-Da, created the painting of renowned mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing...
