🚘 Flying Tesla, 'Shocking' solar panels, AI voice technology

Before an interview between Don Lemon and Elon Musk — the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX — turned sour, Musk revealed that the new Tesla Roadstar is ‘not really a car.” 

Better yet, the EV would not have a traditional steering wheel. Musk even suggested it might have flight capabilities, including some “rocket-y stuff.” For more on the details, take a look at today's Must Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Web and Automation Developer/Engineer
> Systems Engineer (Hybrid)

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MUST READ

🚘 A flying Roadster? Elon Musk says new EV will feature SpaceX tech

“The only way to do something cooler than the Cybertruck is to combine SpaceX and Tesla technology to create something that’s not even really a car,” Elon Musk told Don Lemon in an interview.

He added that it would be “something that’s never existed before” and it would have “Jetsons vibes.” When Lemon asked whether it would be a flying car, Musk replied with a simple “maybe,” adding that “it’s not out of the question.”

Musk didn’t reveal much more, as he said he was saving all “the really cool stuff” for the reveal of the new Roadster later this year. Musk has previously stated that the new Roadster would go from zero to 60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour in under a second.

☀️ Shocking containerized powerhouse packs massive 240 solar panel modules

Austrian startup Solar Container has unveiled a highly sophisticated and portable photovoltaic energy system that can fit 240 solar panel modules in a standard-size container.

The system can be transported to any part of the world and set up as a grid-independent energy system in just five hours with a simple click of a button. 

In the past, locations have installed their photovoltaic modules to stay independent of the grid. However, if the location needs additional clean energy to hold an event or case of a rescue operation, a portable solar energy unit would be ideal. This is exactly what SolarCont can deliver.

🗣️ How AI voice tech is forging more natural human-machine interactions

In the latest episode of Lexicon, Interesting Engineering’s podcast, Emmanuel Chaligné, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Partner of French-based Vivoka, joins us.

While there are many voice assistant giants out there — think Alexa and Siri —Vivoka’s offline solution gives its users freedom everywhere. “Since the very beginning of humans building machines, we have been forced to use our fingers to interact with things,” he highlighted.

In contrast, voice interaction will forge a more natural human-machine relationship. This includes navigating interfaces, replacing keyboards with voice commands, and even authentication processes (biometrics) using voice recognition.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> On Thursday (March 23), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old individual diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). (More)

> After two decades, scientists at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) have been able to prove the existence of a particular resonance structure that causes particle loss in accelerators. (More)

> The launch of a Russian Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) was aborted just seconds before liftoff on Thursday, with officials blaming a loss of pressure at a power source. (More)

ENERGY

> In a major step toward integrated microwave-photonic circuits, NIST researchers have partnered with several organizations to develop compact chips that convert light into microwaves. (More)

> Yotta Energy, a clean energy firm based in Austin, Texas, has developed an innovative rooftop solution that tops Tesla’s in this domain. The solution removes the need for a battery pack that is separately installed. (More)

> Researchers collaborated on a study to understand how the rate at which lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries charge and discharge changes over time. Their findings could help guide the future design of more powerful Li-S batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries. (More)

INNOVATION

> Step aside, concrete. Architecture studio Grimshaw and the University of East London (UEL) joined together to create a brick made out of bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane. (More)

> India’s ambitious venture to create reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) reached a thrilling milestone on March 21. The winged, SUV-sized rocket nicknamed “Pushpak” flawlessly executed a runway landing in Karnataka after an experimental flight. (More)

> Researchers have developed an injectable gel that can carry an electrical current. Using chemicals produced by living tissue, the gel eventually firms up into a soft electrode. (More)

VIDEO

> Here, IE looks at Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robots, which were recently trialed by Mercedes-Benz. They appear to be transforming manufacturing with their ability to automate physically challenging tasks alongside humans. (More)

> South Korean scientists claim to have created a room-temperature superconductor. In this video, explore how this could revolutionize everything from computing to transport. (More)

> In this video, see how a waitress' offhand suggestion became the identity of one of Elon Musk’s most influential tech companies in the 21st century. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

Hey there! Yesterday, we threw out a brain teaser on our socials: “How many days until the frog gets out?

The answer is: 20

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