NASA makes history with first All-female spacewalk
Harley-Davidsonhaltsproduction of newelectricmotorcycles
Hyundai’splanto invest$35billion in driving tech
Religion goes high tech on old tradition
H arley-Davidson has halted production and deliveries of its new LiveWire electric motorcycle after reportedly discovering a problem with its charging mechanism. The company discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which the company says is progressing well. Harley-Davidson says that it has been in close contact with their LiveWire dealers and customers and have assured them they can continue to ride LiveWire motorcycles. Stating that, “As usual, we’re keeping high quality as our top priority.” The company didn’t provide more details on the “non- standard condition” that was holding up production. But the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, said the company told dealers it was stopping production to test its charging mechanism. The motorcycle maker began previewing the LiveWire Electric Motorcycle last year in the U.S. and Europe, to try to rejuvenate lagging sales. The electric motorcycle was a step into a new territory for Harley-Davidson, which had previously been mostly known for louder motorcycles nicknamed “hogs.”
T he Vatican has launched a $110 “eRosary” in a bid to encourage tech-savvy Catholics to pray. e eRosary, available on Amazon as well as the Vatican’s own website, can be worn as a bracelet and is activated by making the sign of the cross. The rosaries are crafted together using 10 beads and a metal cross that detects movement and stores data plus the wearable smart device links to an app designed to teach users how to pray with Rosary beads. Traditionally, beads on the Rosary represent different Catholic prayers. Users can synchronize the eRosary to the app, which features an audio guide, images and personalized content. The app is free to download and shares the eRosary name. Once the device is activated, users are given several prayer options, with the app keeping track of which prayers have been completed. The Vatican launched the device under the Pope’s World- wide Prayer Network (WPN) and its “Click to Pray” scheme, a digital network that connects people around the world for prayer.
T he Hyundai Motor Group will invest 41 trillion South Korean won ($35 billion) in “future mobility technologies” by the year 2025. Among other things, the company said it would launch 23 battery electric vehicles over the next few years as the Seoul-headquartered conglomerate’s shift toward electric mobility is in line with other automobile manufacturers. In the self-driving sector, the Hyundai Motor Group wants to introduce SAE Level 3 autonomous vehicles on highways by the year 2021. By 2024 it wants to have introduced, in phases, Level 4 vehicles to city roads. Five “levels” of driving automation have been defined by SAE International, a global association of engineers and technical experts. At Levels 3 and 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and “will not operate unless all required conditions are met.” At Level 5, a vehicle’s automated driving features can drive it under all conditions. In September, the Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv announced they would establish a $4 billion autonomous driving joint venture in which the firms will each have a 50% stake. The companies said the joint venture, which will have headquarters in Boston, would focus on advancing the “Design, development and commercialization of SAE Level 4 and 5 autonomous technologies.”
T he world’s first all-female spacewalking team made history high above Earth on October 18th, replacing a broken part of the International Space Station’s power grid. As NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir successfully completed the job with wrenches, screwdrivers and power-grip tools, it marked the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that men weren’t part of the action. The pair insisted they were just doing their job after years of training, following in the footsteps of women who paved the way. America’s first female spacewalker from 35 years ago, Kathy Sullivan, was delighted. She said it’s good to finally have enough women in the astronaut corps and trained for spacewalking for this to happen. NASA originally wanted to conduct an all-female spacewalk last spring but did not have enough medium- size suits ready to go until summer. Spacewalking is widely considered the most dangerous assignment in orbit.
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NOVEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2019
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