Tesla’s new Cybertruck made a lot of noise on social media after they made a showing of the new electric pickup truck at their Design Studio in Los Angeles. The main story was the “unbreakable” window getting shattered by a metal ball. This caused some uncertainty with the company’s product knowledge and reliability. But Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, reassured the truck’s capability after posting a video of the same ball being thrown at the Cybertruck and not breaking.

The Cybertruck has very impressive capabilities and an interesting look. Some of the features are the bulletproof windows, electricity powered, and the 0-60 mph speed; which is 2.9 seconds. The Truck can tow up to 14,000 pounds. This power was showcased on Musk’s twitter account when Musk posted a video of the Cybertruck towing a Ford F-150 up an inclined road. The Cybertruck impressed so much that 250,000 orders have been placed for the truck that is set to be available to customers in 2021 and Tesla’s stock rose.

Tesla is proving that their new electricity powered cars are more reliable and just as affordable as the traditional gasoline powered cars. This provides a more sustainable option for our environment and a financial relief for great, efficient cars. Tesla continues to push the boundaries and expand their brand by broadening their range of products and their performance. Overall, Tesla, despite the unbreakable window mishap, is doing very well with innovating their products and appealing to customers.

References:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/22/cars/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-truck/index.html

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The possibilities of 3D printing are becoming more useful and innovative everyday. James Rogers, a writer for Fox News, wrote an article on engineers who made a bionic arm in just 10 hours, The bionic arm was inspired by another engineer who made one for his son who had a partially amputated arm. The group from WMG was apart of the IMPACT Project that created this 3D printed arm that has sensors to have more mobility in the arm. The group also set up a site to have people customize these arms for both size and personalization, like different colors.

The 3D printing ability has also expanded to assist in the making of boats, bridges, and other types of infrastructure. The Air Force is also using the technology to print parts for their airplanes. This wide use of 3D printing for multiple things in all types of markets could lead to a disruptive innovation. Right now the technology does take some time to do the actual printing, but the use of one tool to repair and make all sorts of products from jets to mechanical arms. It also allows for one substance to make all different products. One final aspect that the 3D printer will put into effect is the idea of technology convergence. This is because this one tool will be used to make many products and will replace the need for other tools. It is also surprising because this does not follow the “pocket rule,” which says that technology that doesn’t fit into your pocket will diverge instead of converge.

Reference: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/11/14/giant-3d-printers-for-making-boats-bridges-buildings-and-rockets

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/bionic-hand-produced-with-3d-printer-in-10-hours

Apple released its new AirPods pro last month. The new AirPods are noise cancelling, made for a more comfortable fit, and have many more new features that suggest Apple is making strides towards turning its smaller products into “wearable AR.” Dan Moren, a writer for the website “Macworld,” explains how Apple is using its “wearable” products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods are using its features like noise cancellation and real time notifications to allow these products to have an AR mode.

The noise cancelling technology in the new AirPods have a transparency mode that allows the user to listen to both the audio playing through the AirPods and the outside world. This is possible through a new vent system that lowers the volume so that the user hears both the sound in the AirPods and the sound that comes from outside. Technology like this and the real time notifications suggest that this AR mode will be used in future “wearable” products. Moren suggests that Apple AR glasses will have these features inside of the lens. Siri would be more involved and interactive as the user receives phone calls, notifications, and the general tasks Siri does. For example, with the power of Siri in AR glasses, the user could ask questions like, “Hey Siri, what am I looking at?” and have a real time answer through AR technology in the glasses. The potential to read and hear notifications in real time without lifting a hand would be a big step for Apple’s AR technology for everyday consumers.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/10/apple-reveals-new-airpods-pro-available-october-30/

https://www.macworld.com/article/3452667/what-the-airpods-pro-hint-about-apples-wearable-ar-philosophy.html