The Daily Innovation Newsletter

Enjoying this newsletter? Know someone who would too? Forward this email to them!

Sign up (it’s free) | Advertise

March 31^st 2025

🚘 Transport

🇩🇪 Porsche launch pilot project to develop EV batteries from recycled cells

Porsche has launched a pilot project to produce high-voltage EV battery cells using recycled materials recovered from decommissioned development batteries. The process involves shredding used batteries into "black mass," refining key metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and reusing them to create new cells, aiming to test their performance in Porsche vehicles. This closed-loop recycling strategy supports the company's circular economy goals, reduces raw material dependency, and may help shape future EU battery regulations.

🚀 Space

🇺🇸 US startup develops ultra-efficient water thruster for satellites using just 1.5W of power

Florida-based company Miles Space has tested a tiny plasma thruster that runs on water vapor and uses only 1.5 watts of power—making it one of the lowest-power propulsion systems ever demonstrated in orbit. The Poseidon M1.5 thruster, tested aboard a European satellite, delivered 37.5 millinewtons of thrust with a high specific impulse of 4,800 seconds, ideal for long-duration burns such as orbital descent. Designed using AI-driven genetic algorithms and a neural net that refined designs through human feedback, the innovation could greatly reduce power demands for small satellite propulsion and benefit future missions using water as a widely available fuel.

🦾 Robotics

🇨🇳 Chinese robot aids Audi in safer, AI-driven inspections at smart factory

Audi has integrated UBTech Robotics' humanoid Walker S1 robot into its Changchun plant in China to automate quality inspections, marking the first use of such a robot in the automaker's global production system. The robot detects refrigerant leaks and performs other precision tasks that carry health risks for human workers, significantly improving safety and efficiency. With advanced AI, multimodal sensing, and swarm intelligence coordination, the Walker S1 enhances factory automation and sets a new benchmark for collaborative humanoid robotics in industrial settings.

🌎 Sustainability

🇺🇸 US researchers develop self-propelling "microcleaners" to hunt and remove submerged microplastics

Scientists at North Carolina State University have created biodegradable "microcleaners" that actively seek out and collect microplastic particles underwater, then rise to the surface for easy removal. Powered by plant-based oil and magnesium reactions, the chitosan-based pellets trap microplastics with sticky dendritic arms and use generated air bubbles to float up, forming a skimmable layer. Published in Advanced Functional Materials, this active approach offers a scalable, eco-friendly method to clean polluted waterways more effectively than passive filtration.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US researchers advance first hormone-free male birth control pill with reversible, side-effect-free results

Scientists from the University of Minnesota and Columbia University, in collaboration with YourChoice Therapeutics, have developed YCT-529—the first oral, hormone-free male birth control pill to show 99% effectiveness in animal studies without side effects. Published in Nature Communications, the drug works by temporarily blocking sperm production, with fertility fully restored after discontinuation. Following a successful first human trial, YCT-529 could mark a major step toward shared contraceptive responsibility and expanded birth control options for men.

🇬🇧 UK scientists create rolling robot for deep-body 3D scans to detect cancer without biopsies

Engineers at the University of Leeds have developed a magnetic, oloid-shaped robot that can travel deep into the gastrointestinal tract to perform high-resolution 3D ultrasound scans. Published in Science Robotics, the device enables “virtual biopsies,” providing real-time diagnostic imaging without the need for tissue extraction. This innovation could allow faster, less invasive cancer detection and treatment in a single procedure, improving patient comfort and reducing delays.

Come for the news, stay for the laughs

Morning Brew isn’t just any newsletter—it’s your free shortcut to business news that actually matters. Fast, fun, and—dare we say—enjoyable.

No fluff, no jargon, and it takes less time to read than it does to brew your coffee (unless you’ve got a Keurig—then you might get to enjoy your Morning Brew with your actual brew).

Join over 4 million professionals who read it daily. Delivered bright and early, it’s news on your time—whether you read it when you wake up, over lunch, or before bed.

Try Morning Brew for free

That’s all for today, please reply to this email if you have any comments or feedback, we’d love to hear from you about what we can do better!

Have you enjoyed this email? Make sure to share it with your friends and colleagues.

See you soon,

Max

Subscribe (it’s free) | Advertise