The Innovation Report
Two Seattle-area Students Finalists in NASA Design Contest for Lunar Dirt-digging Robots
Dig this — two Seattle-area students were semifinalists in a national contest run by NASA in which kids in grades K-12 were tasked with designing a robot that could scoop up and transport lunar soil. The Lunabotics Junior Contest winners were named at...
Now Robots Can Also Peel Bananas
Robots are able to serve restaurants, do stunts and dance, but one of the biggest challenges is getting them to do activities that require fine motor skills. That is why the model presented by researchers at the University of Tokyo was...
Are You Ready to Share the Road with an Autonomous 18-Wheeler?
Elon Musk has called them the most impactful technology on the horizon. But unions are lobbying against their widespread use, citing studies showing they may kill up to 500,000 jobs. They are autonomous trucks, which supporters pitch as the remedy to a growing demand...
These Drone Operators Used to Make ‘Nice’ YouTube Videos; Now They Record Alleged Russian War Crimes
A gray car speeds on a highway near Kyiv, heading towards the Ukrainian capital. As it approaches a Russian position, it does a sharp U-turn, stopping shortly after. A man then opens the door. A second later, he is on the ground. "He raised his hands...
Food Industry Automation – A Silver Lining of the Pandemic
Automation in the food industry is quite challenging due to the wide variation of food products and processes. Despite this, most large-scale food companies have successfully automated their processes and are reaping enormous benefits as a result. The COVID-19...
Hubble Space Telescope Spots Most Distant Single Star Ever Seen
The most distant single star seen yet dates back to less than 1 billion years after the universe's birth in the Big Bang, and may shed light on the earliest stars in the cosmos, a new study finds. The scientists nicknamed the star "Earendel," from an Old...
Miniature Medical Robots Step Out from Sci-Fi
Tiny machines that deliver therapeutic payloads to precise locations in the body are the stuff of science fiction. But some researchers are trying to turn them into a clinical reality. Cancer drugs usually take a scattergun approach. Chemotherapies inevitably hit...
Walgreens Turns to Robots to Fill Prescriptions
Inside of a large facility in the Dallas area, they fill thousands of prescriptions for customers who take medications to manage or treat high blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions. Each robot can fill 300 prescriptions in an hour, the company said — roughly...
Fedex’s Newest Cargo Plane Is an Autonomous Drone
Starting next year, the delivery company is testing out an autonomous cargo drone from Bay Area aircraft startup Elroy Air. The hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing plane (that means it doesn't need a runaway and is more like a helicopter) will take packages...
The Drone Operators Who Halted Russian Convoy Headed for Kyiv
Special IT force of 30 soldiers on quad bikes is vital part of Ukraine’s defence, but forced to crowdfund for supplies One week into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia massed a 40-mile mechanised column in order to mount an overwhelming attack on Kyiv from the...
