The Innovation Report
US Military Invests in Energy Beam Weapons to Take Down Drones
The US military has invested in a prototype energy beam weapon designed to zap drones in the sky. This week, the US Air Force said the prototype, dubbed the Tactical High Power Operational Responder (THOR), is a "directed energy" weapon that could use...
Patent: Facial Recognition Drones Could Identify You From Above
An Israeli biometrics startup called AnyVision with ties to Israel’s military has applied for a U.S. patent on technology that tells drones how to maneuver to capture better facial recognition images of people on the ground. Facial recognition technology has...
Biden’s Plan to Boost U.S. Chip Production Finds Unlikely Ally
Huawei, currently banned by the U.S. from buying American-made chips, is hoping that a new Executive Order could open the door for a reevaluation on that Trump administration policy – which was designed to cut off supply for Chinese companies deemed a security...
How Soil Management Combats Climate Change
The solution to the world’s climate change problems could be under our feet, as soil has the potential to store more than three times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere But about 45% of the Earth’s soil is used for agriculture, and most farmland has lost up to 30%...
Ford: European Car Lineup All-EV by 2030
ord Motor Co on Wednesday said its car lineup in Europe will be all-electric by 2030 as the US automaker races to get ahead of CO2 emissions targets and looming bans in some countries on fossil fuel vehicles. The carmaker said it would invest $1 billion over the next...
Climate Change May Be Behind Massive Craters Forming in Siberia
It was the 17th hole to appear in the remote Yamal and Gyda peninsulas in the Russian Arctic since the first was spotted in 2013, mystifying scientists. The craters are thought to be linked to climate change. Drone photography, 3D modeling and artificial intelligence...
Apple Hires Engineers to Develop 6G Wireless
In October of 2020, a consortium of companies announced formation of the Next G Alliance -- created to "advance North American mobile technology leadership in 6G and beyond over the next decade." At the time of the announcement, the Next G Alliance included...
Smart Materials: From Tiny Robots to Colour-Swapping Clothes
Imagine concrete bridges that can heal cracks without human intervention, or tiny machines that can be injected into the body to treat disease. These are just two applications for a category of smart materials that change and adapt to their environment. Inspired by...
New World Record for UN Mission Drone Delivery
The UN mission in Somalia, using a PRT drone on a routine return delivery, broke the existing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone delivery record. Drone developer Plymouth Rock believes that this flight has set an additional new record for complete 'round trip'...
Commission Tells DoD to Prepare for ‘Military AI Readiness’ by 2025
A panel Congress created to study artificial intelligence’s impact in national security recommends Congress and the Biden administration ramp up AI research and development funding over the next few years for the United States to maintain its tactical edge over its...
