TECHNOLOGY: Hey Mr. Ford…This is How You Make A Car
The auto industry in Australia is dead. In fact, globally there are a number of car makers that are struggling to adjust their business to the changing needs of society.
It’s for this reason companies like Ford and General Motors have put their hand out for help. And government has been willing to keep them alive.
With technology today, there’s no need for big, thumping cars with gas guzzling engines. Advances in green technology mean the days of the combustion engine are numbered.
‘Yeah, yeah, we’ve been here before Sam. Electric cars will save the world, blah, blah, blah.’
Our guess is that thought may have run through your head at some stage, and that’s fair. There’s been big promises by electric car makers before, and they haven’t delivered.
But what held back the makers of electric cars was the lack of infrastructure and technology to do so. ‘Traditional’ car makers have been making cars based on an age of industrial revolution.
That is, getting people to operate machinery to build cars. It worked so well for so many years and created companies worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
But yesterday we saw a video of a car maker that operates in the world we live in today. This company embraces technology and realises efficiency is best achieved by computer programs and robots. That’s not to say their process doesn’t need people at all. It just means robots make their cars better than people do, so they use them more.
This link will take you to a video. This video will show you how Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] make cars.
If you were unaware, Tesla is the electric car maker founded and run by serial entrepreneur Elon Musk. Watch it. You will be amazed, because you’re looking at a company that’s looked into the future of their industry and created a vision. They’ve then built their company around this vision and put it into practice.
If you are at all wondering why Ford and Holden aren’t competitive in Australia, and why the traditional car makers are struggling against upstarts like Tesla, the video should help clear that up.
It’s not the immediate end of big companies like Toyota, GM and Ford, but it’s certainly a sign that if they don’t change, it could be lights out before they know it.
HEALTH: How the Flick of a Switch Could Change Lives
If you’re having a baby you don’t get to choose its gender…usually. What we mean by that is you may or may not know, but in some countries you can choose the gender of your unborn child.
In countries like Thailand and Malaysia you go to the right kind of doctor and say, ‘I want a boy,’ or ‘I want a girl.’ Using modern medical technology the doctor goes through the process of getting the right sperm and egg to get the right gender. What seems like a crazy concept is a relatively simple procedure.
This is all achievable because of our understanding of DNA and the human genome. Over the last 10 years our knowledge of the structure of humans has moved forward at a rapid rate. This is thanks to the research that had come about because of the Human Genome Project.
And a new breakthrough means genetic manipulation may just become a normal part of having a baby. Gender selection will be common place and the traits of your future child will be customisable.
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts have been able to ‘silence’ the extra chromosome that exists in Down syndrome patients. This breakthrough means the syndrome can be ‘switched off’.
This is a proof of concept discovery. It wasn’t trialled on people. The belief is it won’t necessarily reverse Down syndrome, but it will potentially eliminate certain symptoms of the disorder.
The bigger picture from this breakthrough is the impact genetic manipulation might have on the world. We could see a huge improvement in the health and wellbeing of generations to come. All thanks to being able to turn on and off particular genes. It’s another example of genetic science advancing at great speed.
With the ability to manipulate genes to ‘switch off’ down syndrome, you wonder where this science will lead to next.
Already there’s a listed company working in the field of genetic science that we think has the ability to end disease and illness with the ‘Flick of a Switch’.
Fear mongers have it that these ‘crazy scientists’ are playing ‘God’ and just want to create ‘designer babies’. But perhaps the flip side is a future generation that doesn’t suffer from some of the ailments and illnesses that impact people’s lives today.
From our perspective we see genetic manipulation become more prevalent and relevant, and being used for the greater good, not to create designer babies.
ENERGY: Hypersonic Is Now a Little Step Closer
Back in late March we wrote about Reaction Engines. Reaction are a UK based company working away at a world first Hypersonic engine system. The name of the project is SABRE, which stands for Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine.
The point of this project is to work with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build the world’s first hypersonic plane. In effect that means you’d be able to travel from Sydney to London in under four hours.
And there’s been an update to the work that Reaction is doing with the ESA just in the last week. The press release from the ESA reads,
‘The UK government has announced plans to invest in the development of an air-breathing rocket engine – intended for a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane – following the ESA-managed feasibility testing of essential technology.
‘The £60 million investment, provided through the UK Space Agency, will back technical improvements leading to construction of a prototype Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine, or SABRE.
‘Designed by UK company Reaction Engines Ltd, this unique engine will use atmospheric air in the early part of the flight before switching to rocket mode for the final ascent to orbit. The concept paves the way for true spaceplanes – lighter, reusable and able to fly from conventional runways.’
This is a big deal for Reaction. Like any tech company, there’s always a need for ongoing funding. To get assurance from the UK government that the funding is there is reassuring for the company.
We have no doubt that Reaction is on track to get a fully working engine on a plane soon. With the ESA helping and the UK funding it should happen a lot faster than previously thought.
When a test flight actually happens it will reshape the entire concept of intercontinental travel.
The whole aerospace industry will change for the better. And that’s the whole point of revolutionary technology, to change the world for the greater good.
Sam Volkering+
Technology Analyst, Revolutionary Tech Investor
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