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Flying bike

The World’s First Flying Bike launches in the USA, and people are in awe of the bike.

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Motorcyclists always want something new and odd when it comes to innovation. Flying bike seemed a very long shot. Car drivers just get excited by getting cup holders and iPod docs but motorcycle riders want something unique that focuses on making the bike and biking even more enjoyable, faster, and safer.

Flying bike
Image Source: zeenews.india.com

From the world’s first petroleum-powered motorcycle to modern motorcycles with HD evolution Engines we have come a long way.

In the timeframe between the ’90s and 2000s when we were growing up the future of motorcycles or cars was portrayed with flying cars, bikes, and pods. Many people told of having flying cars by 2020 just like the science fiction movies depicted.

But due to the severe changes in climate and awareness about it was increasing and vehicular pollution was at its top the standard of future mobility deflected from flying vehicles to electric and clean mobility.

With these changes over the past years, one thing was evident if the major part of the R&D budget was going to move to make the whole mobility sector electric then there were not enough resources remaining to venture into the flying personal mobility space.

The flying bike and cars gave the impression of being a dream too far from the near future but some companies did not stop or get demotivated by the various reasons floating around and kept working to make this vision true. One such enterprise is a Japanese startup, AERWINS Technologies. They have built a flying bike or a human flying cluster of drones known as XTURISMO hoverbike.

Aerwins Technologies XTURISMO hoverbike was launched last week on Thursday, 15 September 2022, in Motown at the Detroit Auto Show 2022 which was held for the first time since the people were hit by the pandemic. The XTURISMO hoverbike can fly for about forty minutes and achieve a speed of 100 km per hour (62 miles per hour).

 The bike appeared similar to the bikes we have seen in the “Star War”. After this bike was unveiled, many people called it “the future of urban mobility”. You may not know but this same flying bike was first displayed during an Auto Show held in Japan last year in October.

The video of this Star Wars look-alike flying bike was widespread on the internet on social media platforms like Twitter. The people were indeed astonished after seeing it land after a flight.

Thad Szott, co-chair of the auto show is heard saying in the video, “I feel like I’m literally 15 years old and I just got out of ‘Star Wars’ and jumped on their bike.” “I mean, it’s awesome! Of course, you have a little apprehension, but I was just so amped. I literally had goosebumps and feel like a little kid.”

Source: indianexpress.com

How does the XTURISMO hoverbike Work?

This XTURISMO hoverbike utilizes two large central rotors backed by a 228 hp gas-powered Kawasaki motorcycle performance engine for thrust. Together with the main rotors, four smaller electric support rotors are also available on the motorcycle’s edges present on the outer side for maintaining stability.

At present, the hoverbike’s body which is a lightweight carbon fiber body weighs only 299 kg and appears to be 12 feet long. It also features an automatic control unit developed and designed to enhance safety.

Price and Availability

The XTURISMO hoverbike is expensive obviously because it is a flying bike that costs 777,000 USD which is roughly 6 crores INR. It is on sale in Japan already. Since Japan has strict rules for these vehicles so the bike is only allowed to fly over racetracks.

Despite that, Shuhei Komatsu, CEO, and founder of AERWINS stated that the firm is planning to sell a bit small version of this bike in 2023 in the United States. He also said that the firm is trying to cut down the bike’s cost to 50,000 USD for a small, electric model but it will take about 2-3 years for it to be ready. It will probably be ready by 2025.

DJI Osmo Action 3

DJI Osmo Action 3 Comes with Super-Fast Charging, Impressive Waterproof Rating, and Rugged Design

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DJI has always been renowned for its line-up of magnificent and user-friendly camera drones. The brand has also been endeavoring to take a part in the wearable camera market with the launch of 2019’s Osmo Action. The DJI Osmo Action 3 is a thoroughly redesigned camera in its third iteration. It features twin touchscreens and flexes its improved battery life, a quicker, more intuitive mounting system, and faster charging, and also it captures an image-stabilized 4k/120p Video.

DJI Osmo Action 3
Image Source: camerajabber.com

Design and Specifications

The DJI Osmo Action 3 which is a completely redesigned camera, audits back to the first variant of the Osmo Action. Its predecessor lacked the Osmo monitor and was called the DJI Action 2. It had a unique and interesting modular design. DJI has done and returned to the classic action camera styling of a small black rectangle.

The unique thing to notice about this camera is the dual touch screens without needing separate modular units. The front sports a 1.4-inch 360px X 360px screen and on the back is a 2.25-inch 640px X 360px display. Both of them are touch-enabled for simple and user-friendly camera controls when capturing selfies and shooting vlogs and also, and they use Gorilla Glass which is highly protective.

It also features a magnetic quick-release plate which is also newly designed with a positioning clip that would withstand even the worst of impacts and enables the user to connect to several different mounts with or without the case. The magnetic chip supports vertical mounting which allows easy footage making for social media.

The Camera uses three-mic stereo recording to separate the wind. If the user needs even more high-quality audio, it also tends to those needs by supporting DJI microphones through USB-C connections or any other microphones via a 3.5 mm to USB-C adapter.

Battery Life

The Action 2 was renowned for its bad battery life i.e only 60 minutes. It is good news for the users that DJI addressed and corrected this in this brand-new Osmo Action 3 having a 1770mAh “extreme battery” which provides 160 minutes of extended battery Life

Durability

The Action 2 model also had overheating problems and operational issues in temperatures below freezing. DJI has promised that it has fixed these issues in the Osmo Action 3. This camera is said to be able to record constantly at 4K/60p until the battery is fully drained without overheating.

Camera and Video features

The camera features a 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor with 12 MP images. The maximum video resolution remains the same at 4K/120p. The lens provides a wide 155-degree view field or the equivalent of a 12.5 mm full-frame lens. You get the greatest image stabilization. “Rock Steady 3.0” minimizes the shake while shooting at the maximum video resolution.

However, “Horizon Steady” eliminates the shake and keeps the horizon level even with 360 degrees turns which is a perfect choice for surfers. It also has a “Horizon Balancing” option that helps correct tilt up to + 45/-45 degrees and smoothens the footage up to 4k/60p.

Pricing and Availability

The DJI’s Osmo Action is available to pre-order now and it will be unveiled on 9th October 2022. It is available in a Standard combo, priced at 329.00 USD which also includes a protective frame, lens protector, adapter mount, and other essential products like a battery and charging cable.

There also comes an Adventure Combo which will cost you up to 439.00 USD and offers everything that we have in the standard combo. The special items it provides are the multifunctional battery case, a 1.5mm extension rod for the unlimited adventure, and extra batteries.

Skyworks Solutions

Skyworks Solutions – A Wireless Semiconductor Solutions Specialist.

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Skyworks Solutions is an American company driving the wireless communication revolution. A member of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 market indices, is a multinational corporation with engineering, operations, marketing, sales, and support facilities spread across Europe, North America, and Asia. It is the biggest company in the world that specializes in wireless semiconductor solutions.

About The Company

Skyworks Solutions has its main office in California. It produces semiconductors for usage in radio frequency (RF) and cellular communications networks. Power amplifiers, front-end modules, and RF solutions for mobile devices and wireless network infrastructure are some of the company’s products.

Skyworks Solutions
Image Source: finbold.com

In a variety of new and previously unforeseen applications in aviation, automobiles, cellular infrastructure, broadband, connected home, healthcare, industrial, military, smartphone, tablet, and wearable markets, the company’s highly innovative analog semiconductors are tying together individuals, locations, and things. It provides optimized solutions for mobile network applications, ranging from fundamental parts and interconnected RF modules to full system platforms.

History

On June 26, 2002, Alpha Industries and Conexant’s wireless communications segment merged, resulting in the creation of a new company named Skyworks Solutions. It is based in Irvine, California, and has production operations there as well as in Woburn, Mexicali, and Newbury Park, California.

The company has design centers in Irvine, Santa Rosa, Newbury Park, Woburn, Greensboro, Cedar Rapids, and Ottawa, among other cities. The corporation has design, engineering, production, marketing, sales, and service facilities spread across Europe, Asia, and North America. The setting for the “Such Great Heights” music video by The Postal Service is Skyworks’s chip production facility in Newbury Park.

In 2015, Skyworks Solutions and PMC-Sierra entered a binding agreement under which Skyworks Solutions was supposed to acquire the company. However, after Microsemi outbid Skyworks Solutions, the contract was terminated.

In 2021, Skyworks Solutions and Silicon Labs reached a binding deal for Skyworks Solutions to pay $2.75 billion for Silicon Labs’ Infra & Automotive division. In order to improve its international Research and Innovation activities, its Cellular System Business Unit established its Indian subsidiary in 2003.

In just two years, the design centers in India (Hyderabad and Noida) have made a significant impact on our present and future products by developing, designing, and testing systems and software solutions for wireless handset devices. In 2021, Skyworks Solutions generated a revenue of over 5.11$ billion.

Products

A few of the products offered by this company are modulators, mixers, optocouplers, phase shifters, optoisolators, PLLs/VCOs/synthesizers power combiners/dividers, power regulation gadgets, receivers, switches, and technical ceramics. The company also offers amplifiers, circulators, attenuators, front-end modules, demodulators, diodes, detectors, directional couplers, hybrids, and infrastructure RF subsystems.

Founder and CEO – Liam Griffin

Liam K. Griffin is the founder, president, chairman, and CEO of Skyworks Solutions. He had held the positions of CEO, Director, and President since May 2016 before being appointed as the chairman of the board in 2021. He oversaw all of Skyworks Solutions’ business segments while serving as executive VP and corporate general manager from 2012 to 2014.

He served as the vice president of global sales at Vectron International, before joining Skyworks Solutions. He has completed his bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts and also holds an MBA degree from Boston University.

He presently sits on the executive committee of the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County as well as the board of National Instruments, a provider of software-defined systems for automated measurement and testing systems. Previously, Mr. Griffin was a member of Vicor Corps board.

Elron Electronic

Elron Electronic, A Well-Known Name In The Israeli Venture Capital Industry.

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Since 1962, Elron Electronic has been a well-known name in the Israeli venture capital industry. The company’s primary focus is initial investing, using knowledge across numerous sectors and significant strategic alliances to provide funding and support to potential Israeli digital startups, assisting them in realising their ambition to become great global leaders.

About The Company

Elron Electronic is a Tel Aviv-based Israeli technology holding firm that has been engaged in creating, financing, and developing more than 30 companies since its founding in 1962. It is regarded as one of the cornerstones of Israel’s high-tech sector. The company is active in various industries like medical technology, clean technology, information technology, semiconductors, and telecommunications. The businesses under Elron now have annual revenue of almost $5 billion. The company is headquartered in Haifa, Israel.

History

With the assistance of Dan Tolkowsky of the Discount Investment Corporation, Uzia Galil launched Elron in 1962. Shimon Peres, a defense minister at the time, visited Elron in 1966, and Uzia persuaded him to find a new business that would create minicomputers for defense uses. Initially known as Elbit Computers, the new business was a partnership between Elron Electronic and the Israeli Ministry of Defense (each holding 50 percent of the company). In 1967, the business unveiled the Elbit-100 minicomputer as its first product. Over the years, the business has evolved to become Elbit Systems, a global defense electronics company. Avraham Suhami, a brilliant engineer who had just received his Ph.D. from the Technion, was persuaded by Uzia to work with him in 1969 to launch a new business called Elscint that would concentrate on the innovation of scientific and medical solutions. The company produced MRI and CT scanners, among other pieces of medical imaging technology. Elscint was the first Israeli business to launch an IPO on NASDAQ in 1972. Elscint’s earnings increased to $311 million by 1996.

Current Holdings

Elron commemorated its 50th anniversary in 2012 and made the announcement that the company would only be investing in medical devices going forward. As of 2013, it held stakes in seven businesses operating in this sector, including Brainsgate, Given Imaging, and Pocared.

Elron Electronic
Image source: www.technion.ac.il

Founder – Uzia Galil

After a brief stint of working with Motorola in the US, Uzia Galil was introduced to the technology sector and decided to launch Israel’s debut high-tech startup firm. He founded the business in a buddy’s (Benjamin Sandller’s) apartment in Haifa while he was still in the Navy. The company’s initial offerings were measurement devices for use in electrical and medical applications. Uzia left the Navy in 1958, but the business failed to make enough money, so he took a job at the Technion’s physics lab. It was then that Dan Tolkowsky was introduced to Uzia. Dan, who found Uzia’s theories fascinating, persuaded the management of Discount Investment Corporation to provide funding for the business. Elron officially began operations in 1962 with a valuation of $160,000 and achieved $1 million in annual revenue within three years.

CEO – Ari Bronshtein

After acting as co-CEO of Elron from May 2009, Mr. Bronshtein has been the company’s CEO since June 2010. In the past, he was also the director of Elron. He provides a wealth of experience in company growth, financial management, and managing technological enterprises. He has held a number of executive positions at Bezeq, Comverse, and Tadiran. He currently holds directorships in Cellcom Israel, as well as other businesses belonging to the Elron and IDB groups. Mr. Bronshtein graduated from Tel Aviv University with a BA in Finance and Management and a Master in Finance & Accounting.

Eaton Corporation

Eaton Corporation – A Century Of Ingenuity In Power Management Corporation.

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Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management corporation that has been in business for over a century. Electrical products, electrical systems and services, airplanes, vehicles, and, most recently, eMobility are among the company’s segments. The portfolio of Eaton can be separated into two parts. One segment of its business is the industrial sector, which caters to a wide range of end customers including commercial vehicles, general aviation, and trucks. Eaton’s electrical sector portfolio, on the other hand, services data centers, utilities, and the residential end market, among other things. While the corporation benefits from favorable tax classification as an Irish domiciliary, the majority of its operations are based in the United States.

About The Company:

Eaton Corporation marked its 100th anniversary in 2011, highlighting a history of innovation and skill that has helped the company address some of the world’s most difficult power management challenges. When Joseph Eaton started the corporation, he had in mind a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship that was driven by honesty and an unshakable devotion to ethics. Eaton has expanded since then from a vehicle technology leader and developer to a leading power management firm that also services the hydraulics, aerospace, and electrical markets. From more energy-efficient buildings, communities, and infrastructure to next-generation aircraft, vehicles, trucks, and equipment, our proven technology and products play a significant role in controlling power in many things that touch our everyday lives.

Eaton Corporation Plc offers energy-efficient solutions to assist its customers in managing electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical power more effectively. Electrical components, systems, and services for power quality, distribution and control, power transmission, lighting, and wiring; hydraulics components, systems, and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics, and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drive train and power train systems for performance, fuel economy, and safety are also available. Electrical Products, Electrical Systems and Services, Hydraulics, Aerospace, and Vehicle are the company’s five segments. Electrical components, industrial components, residential products, single-phase power quality, emergency lights, fire detection, wiring devices, structural support systems, circuit protection, and lighting products are all part of the Electrical Products section. The company was created on May 10, 2012, in Dublin, Ireland, and is headquartered there.

Eaton Corporation
Image source: www.gannett-cdn.com

Divestments and Acquisitions:

In 1994, Eaton Electrical acquired the Westinghouse Distribution and Controls Business Unit, which was one of Eaton’s largest acquisitions. The transaction comprised the whole Westinghouse electrical distribution and control product business, as well as conditions that the Westinghouse name cannot be used on similar goods for several years.

Eaton’s Electrical Distribution and Control company (previously Cutler-Hammer) purchased Delta plc’s electrical division in 2003. This acquisition combined Delta’s brands Holec, MEM, Tabula, Bill, and Elek under the Eaton nameplate, as well as the previous Westinghouse divisions, and provided the company with manufacturing facilities that met IEC standards, one of the steps toward becoming a global company and developing a worldwide standard. Eaton announced on May 21, 2012, that it had agreed to buy Ireland-based Cooper Industries for approximately $11.46 billion in cash and equity. Eaton Corporation plc is the name of the new company, which was founded in Ireland.

Eaton finalized the $1.65 billion acquisition of Tripp Lite on March 17, 2021. Danfoss purchased Eaton’s hydraulics division in August 2021 for $3.3 billion, which manufactures systems and components for agriculture, construction, mining, forestry, utilities, material handling, machine tools, molding, and power generation, primary metals, and oil and gas markets.

The Founders -Joseph Oriel Eaton II, Viggo V. Torbensen, Henning O. Taube

The Torbensen Gear and Axle Co. were founded in Bloomfield, New Jersey, in 1911 by Joseph O. Eaton, his brother-in-law Henning O. Taube, and Viggo V. Torbensen. The company was designed to manufacture Torbensen’s innovative internal-gear truck axle with financial assistance from Torbensen’s mother. To be closer to its major business, the automobile industry, the company relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914. Eaton executives believed that buying companies in the automotive industry would be the fastest way to grow the company. The diverse corporation was renamed Eaton Manufacturing Company in 1932. Eaton became international in 1937 when it opened a manufacturing factory in Canada.

Digimarc

Geoff Rhoads got the idea for founding Digimarc while he was working to remove noise from digital photos.

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In 1995, Geoff Rhoads founded Digimarc, a publicly-traded company that offers digital identifiers including QR codes and digital watermarks. The company is based in Oregon, United States. The company mainly offers these products and services to prevent counterfeiting, increase accuracy, product authenticity, and many more. The solutions of Digimarc are used in multiple industries from health and beauty to automotive and manufacturing sectors. With the digitized products of Digimarc, companies can witness better brand integrity and full supply chain traceability. Currently, the company has around 300 employees who are working under the leadership of Riley McCormack.

Founding Story

Entrepreneur and astronomer, Geoff Rhoads, worked at Tektronix before founding Digimarc. While he working with the electronics manufacturer, he began his research on space imagery and content protection. This thorough research work took place in the early 1990s and in 1994 Rhoads founded a company called Signet. This venture was exclusively focusing on the concept of digital watermarking. He got the idea for founding Signet while he was working to remove noise from digital photos of deep space imaging. In 1995, Digimarc was founded as a part of Signet and was spun off in the same year. The company was founded in Portland, Oregon with only three employees. In 1996, after the initial funding round, Digimarc released its first product for image copyright communication. The product was basically a digital watermarking plug-in bundled with software like Adobe Photoshop. 

In the first round of funding, Digimarc raised $4.5 million which was the highest compared to other new startups in Oregon. Adobe acquired 10% of the company and became one of the major investors. In 1997, Bruce Davis became the new CEO of the company and in the same year, the company was awarded the first digital watermarking patent. Today, the company has nearly 1,100 patents in its portfolio. After a couple of years, the company aimed for developing a global system for deterring the creation and usage of unauthorized banknotes (digital copies). So, it signed a multi-year deal with several banks for preventing digital counterfeiting. In the same year, the company filed its IPO where it raised more than $90 million. By the end of the decade, the company launched MediaBridge for shifting readers from printed media to web content. 

Digimarc
Image source: www.digimarc.com

Expansion

In 2000, Wired launched its first digitally-enhanced magazine and featured Digimarc technology. The next year, Digimarc acquired a business division of Polaroid Corporation and the assets of the company were used to establish Digimarc ID Systems. This ID system was launched to enhance driver’s licenses in 37 states. But, in 2008 the company sold this business unit for $315 million and shifted its focus toward content protection and digital media engagement. In 2002, Bruce Davis became the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and in 2003 Michigan issued its first driving license using Digimarc technology. In 2004, Digimarc was featured in Forbes magazine for being one of the top 25 fastest-growing companies. 

For advanced image identification and a rigorous search system, Digimarc launched Digimarc ImageBridge in 2005. In 2007, the company partnered with Nielsen such that the latter can use the watermarking technology for video content. Digimarc was also recognized by IEEE for having one of the most valuable patent portfolios among software companies. In 2012, the company acquired Attributor Corporation (specializing in content protection services). In 2014, Digimarc ranked four in the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon, and in the next year received  Emmy Award for Technology & Engineering.

After its huge contribution to the entertainment industry, the company’s next focus was the retail sector. In 2016, the company partnered with leading retail scanner vendors like NCR, Zebra, and Honeywell. New Seasons Market, an Oregon-based grocery supply chain also adopted the Digimarc barcode in the same year. In 2017, the company opened new offices in Germany and Japan. In April 2021, Bruce Davis retired as the CEO of the company and he was replaced by Riley McCormack. To expand its product base, Digimarc completed the acquisition of EVRYTHNG, an IoT software company in 2022. 

About Riley McCormack

Riley joined Digimarc recently and before that he was the CEO and PM of Tracer Capital Management. He is also the founder of this New York-based hedge fund. Riley also worked as a research analyst at Morgan Stanley and also founded TCM Strategic, a fund that has recently made an investment in Digimarc.