The Innovation Report
Cephalopod-Inspired Synthetic Skins Could Enable Color Switching For Soft Robots And Wearables
Taking a cue from ocean-dwelling species, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are developing synthetic skins that will support the emergence of next-generation "soft" machines, robots and other devices. The skins closely approximate the mechanical action of the...
Two Chinese Spacecraft Met 22,000 Miles Above Earth
China brought two spacecraft together high above Earth as part of a refueling demonstration mission, according to a space situational awareness company. China's Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites had been moving toward each other in geosynchronous orbit, around...
Drones Could Be Dispatched As First Responders To Crime Scenes In Hawaiʻi
A crime reported on Hawaiian homelands may someday trigger police to dispatch a flying drone with the quick press of a button. That’s the pitch Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert made Tuesday to the Hawaiian Homes Commission as he underscored...
UK’s Pulsar Fusion Brings Nuclear Space Propulsion Research To Austin
Pulsar Fusion, a U.K.-based firm attempting to unlock nuclear fusion to power space travel, is opening its first U.S. location in the Austin area. The company announced Monday that it's searching for roughly 50,000 square feet to build a clean room and to conduct...
Walmart Expanding Drone Delivery To Five U.S. Cities
Walmart has announced it is significantly expanding its drone delivery service to five major U.S. cities, marking the retailer's largest roll-out of the technology since launching the program three years ago. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant will begin...
General Atomics Develops GHOST Drone For US Air Force
The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio, has awarded a nearly $100 million contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) to develop a hybrid-electric ducted fan-powered unmanned aerial...
Greece Launches First Hydrogen Fuel Station Driving Green Fuel Transition
A significant leap forward for green fuels and sustainable transport in Greece has been made with the inauguration of the nation’s first publicly accessible commercial hydrogen refueling station in Agioi Theodoroi, west of Athens, developed by Motor Oil...
Trump’s Auto Tariffs Strike At The Heart Of Japan’s Economy
US President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten to batter Japan’s vital auto industry and derail the country’s long-standing efforts to engineer a sustainable economic recovery. With the 25% US tariff now in place on cars and auto parts, Japan’s major automakers —...
Rocket Lab Launches Japanese Earth-Observing Radar Satellite To Orbit
Rocket Lab launched an Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit for the Japanese company iQPS on Wednesday morning (June 11). An Electron rocket topped with the QPS-SAR-11 spacecraft lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Wednesday at 11:31...
Bedrock Ocean Dredges Up $25M To Map The Seafloor With Robots
Oceans may cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, but we have better maps of the moon than we do the seabed. There are good reasons for that: The ocean floor is obscured, and the harsh environment makes it hard to send humans down to get a closer look. But as...
