The Innovation Report
Rivian’s Factory Will Soon Be Powered Partly By Old Batteries From Its Own EVs
At its factory in Illinois, Rivian will soon use more than 100 retired EV batteries in an on-site power system that will help it save money on electric bills. The electric automaker is one of the first customers of Redwood Materials’s new energy storage...
World Quantum Day 2026: Experts Reflect On Industry Developments This Year
Today is World Quantum Day and many tech and science enthusiasts celebrate “the wonders of quantum science” as the official page puts it. The choice of date, 14 April, is no coincidence. The site explains: “The World Quantum Day is celebrated on April 14, a reference...
Smart Mobility Today: 13 April 2026
It was all about space this past week. The world seemed to be watching as a small capsule made its way to the moon and back. Ingenuity, technology. universities, teams of people, suppliers all over the country, and a lot of money propelled the craft containing the...
Michigan Betting That Space Is Next Frontier To Create Jobs
When the US this month sent its first crewed rocket mission into space in 50 years, Michigan-made products went along for the ride. Blades and nozzles in the four engines of the Artemis II rocket came from Moeller Aerospace in Harbor Springs, a state supplier to NASA...
How Appealing Are Electric Vehicles And Hybrids To Americans?
About a third of Americans say they would very or somewhat seriously consider purchasing an electric vehicle as their next vehicle. This is a similar share as last year but down from 42% in 2022. Roughly half (53%) say they are not too or not at all likely to...
Artemis II Crew Completes Record-Breaking Trip Around The Moon And Sees “Unreal” Solar Eclipse
Artemis II astronauts made history Monday as they took a trip around the moon and reached a maximum distance from Earth of 252,756 miles, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 by over 4,000 miles. The Orion spacecraft's four-person crew has traveled farther...
Light Pollution Has Brightened Earth By 16% Since 2014, Satellites Find
Artificial lights at night brightened up planet Earth by 16% between 2014 and 2022, a new study using satellite images has revealed. But some areas, including those struck by war and natural disasters, or those in countries with effective light pollution and...
Online Supermarket Tests Autonomous Delivery Vehicles In Belgium
Collect&Go will test driverless delivery vehicles in central Leuven, Belgium, from mid-May to August. The pilot, run with mobile network operator Telenet, uses its network to connect vehicles to a remote security control centre. The delivery vehicle used is...
World’s First Megawatt-Class Hydrogen Turboprop Engine Completes Maiden Flight in China
China says the AEP100, a megawatt-class hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine developed by the Aero Engine Corporation of China, has completed its maiden flight on a 7.5-tonne unmanned cargo aircraft in Zhuzhou, Hunan. The 16-minute test covered 36km at 220km/h and 300...
US Firm’s New Humanoid Robot Learns Emotional Cues And Recalls Past Conversations
Las Vegas-based robotics firm Realbotix has delivered its first Vinci-equipped humanoid robot to telecommunications company Ericsson, marking a step toward integrating visually aware robots into enterprise environments. The announcement highlights the debut of Vinci,...
