The Innovation Report
Spacex Launches Starfall Mission For In-Space Manufacturing
SpaceX launched a demonstration mission Tuesday to send a reusable capsule into space and then recover it, part of a new program that may allow the Elon Musk-led company to tap into the emerging market of in-space manufacturing. Under the Starfall program, which...
Astemo Engineering Careers Tour Meets Marcis Jansons, Wayne State University
The Global Auto Mobility and Smart Mobility Today team spent the day on campus at Detroit’s Wayne State University just before winter break. During our visit, Cindy Polakowski and John Petty met with Marcis Jansons, Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering...
EVs Can Power The Grid; Why Aren’t More Of Them Doing It?
When some EV owners in California and Massachusetts plug in their cars, the large batteries inside now serve a second purpose: sending power back to the grid when the vehicles do not need it and earning cash for their owners in the process. In one Massachusetts pilot...
GM Installs Robots At Flagship EV Factory After Laying Off 1,300 Workers
Dozens of new robot arms have been installed at General Motors’ flagship electric vehicle factory in Detroit—even as 1,300 workers remain out of work following what was supposed to be a temporary layoff. The latest automation push has spurred union pushback over a...
AI-Driven Velocity Is Manufacturing’s New Competitive Edge
In the volatile world of manufacturing, one factor is emerging as the ultimate differentiator in 2026: speed, and in particular, operational velocity. This is the ability to sense market changes, make decisions quickly and decisively, and recover swiftly across the...
UK Electric Car Sales Target Set To Be Weakened
The UK government is set to water down its target for how many new cars that are sold need to be electric vehicles (EVs). Under the current rules, 80% of all new cars sold in the UK need to be EVs by 2030, but car makers and trade unions have been lobbying government...
First Turbine Installed At Ocean Winds’ 500MW EMDT Wind Farm
Ocean Winds ("OW"), the international offshore wind energy company jointly owned by EDP Renewables and ENGIE, announces the successful installation of the first wind turbine at the Dieppe Le Tréport offshore wind farm ("EMDT"), marking a key milestone in the project's...
Watchdog Says Too Few Of The US Air Force’s Flying Gas Stations Are Ready To Fly Missions
The US Air Force's aerial refueling tanker fleet has fallen short of its readiness goals every year since 2019, a government watchdog found, raising new concerns about a critical part of the US military's airpower. According to a new report from the...
MIT’s Hydrogel Tendons Boost Biohybrid Robots 30× In Strength
“If muscles are nature’s motors, tendons are the drive shafts—and MIT just built a better one.” That’s how one researcher framed a breakthrough with the potential to redefine biohybrid robotics. In their latest work, MIT engineers have designed hydrogel-based...
Four-Legged Detection Robots For Safe Firefighting Operations
A detection robot developed under the leadership of TU Graz can "sniff out" hazardous substances and support high-risk fire service operations as a remote-controlled advance guard. A recent study shows how fire services can bring the high-tech helper into the team. In...
