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👇️ Todays’ Feature: FAA Accelerates eVTOL Regulation

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• Futurism, the latest in future concepts and cutting edge deep tech

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TOP CONSUMER TECH NEWS:

Meta — Launched the $799 Ray-Ban Display with neural interface and an in-screen display; AI-powered Horizon Worlds platform and the Hyperscape VR tool; $499 Oakley Vanguard for athletes; and the Ray-Ban Gen 2 with 8hr battery.

Apple's| iOS/watchOS Updates — Apple releases iOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and watchOS 26 featuring wrist flick gestures, enhancing privacy, adding call screening, and improving navigation across devices.

Google Payments Protocol — The new Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) open protocol for AI-driven purchases is supported by 60+ merchants and financial institutions including a major Paypal pship. It integrates crypto wallets.

Nothing AI — Nothing raises a $200 million Series C led by Tiger Global, valuing it at $1.3 billion. The startup plans an AI-first device launch next year, targeting young, tech-savvy consumers despite integration challenges.

Snap Enhancements — Snap OS 2.0 upgrades AR glasses with new Travel Mode for improved positional tracking, WebXR support, and fresh apps like Gallery and Spotlight for better AI on its consumer launch in 2026.

WEEKEND CRYPTOGRAM:

PayPal Links — PayPal introduces PayPal Links for p2p payments, enabling users to create personalized, one-time links for transactions. Supporting Bitcoin and Eth, it's initially available in the U.S., with links expiring after 10 days if unclaimed.

Base Token Plans — Coinbase may launch a native Base network token, announced Jesse Pollak. This shift from earlier no-token plans aims to strengthen its Ethereum connections, following others like Kraken's Ink.

FEATURE ARTICLE

FAA Accelerates eVTOL Regulation

By Sam Elyaszadeh

The Federal Aviation Administration’s latest move loosens a major constraint that has grounded much of the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) sector. A new pilot program will let startups test certain operations before complete regulatory certification.

What’s Changed

• Startups can now carry out operations of defined types under this program by partnering with a state, tribal, territorial, or local government.

• The FAA plans to approve at least five projects (up to three years) covering short-range air taxis, fixed-wing longer-range flights, cargo and medical logistics, emergency operations, and some automation safety initiatives.

• Applications close December, with the potential for pilots to begin in 2026.

Why This Matters

Regulatory uncertainty has saddled eVTOL developers with long waits and limited testing. Up to now, many operations have remained tightly constrained until full certification, slowing investment, delaying deployment, and increasing risk. The new FAA program unlocks a phase where real‐world data can be gathered in semi-regulatory limbo. Projects can operate in controlled but more practical settings, offering sharper feedback loops between design, operations, and oversight.

This matters for safety, too. When efforts scale, hazards multiply - from weather and airspace integration to ground operations. Gathering operational insights early (before full certification) may reveal emergent risks that lab or test environments can’t simulate. The other side: public trust depends on seeing these operations succeed without compromise.

Who’s in Motion

Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation both plan to apply. Archer has confirmed it will work with United Airlines, one of its existing partners and investors.

Their participation signals two things: first, that mature players see value in accelerating regulatory flexibility; second, that partnerships (governmental and commercial) are central in this transitional era.

Challenges & Open Questions

• Scope & scale: How broad will accepted operations be? Even under this program, not everything gets tested early. Full certification remains required for many use cases.

• Uniformity of oversight: With projects involving multiple government layers (local, tribal, state), ensuring consistent safety standards across jurisdictions could become complex.

• Public perception: Any failure or accident under pilot projects might raise scrutiny, possibly slowing regulation rather than helping it.

Looking Ahead

If this pilot program works as intended, it may reshape how advanced air mobility (AAM) emerges in the U.S. It sets a precedent for “in-between stages” — regulatory scaffolding that supports innovation without compromising safety. For startups, this is a chance to iterate in operational settings. For regulators, this is a chance to build frameworks grounded in real experience.

TECH IN ARTS & CULTURE:

Emmy Awards 2025 — "The Studio" won best comedy, "The Pitt" best drama, and Noah Wyle best actor amid CBS's cancellation of "The Late Show". CBS's broadcast achieved 7.4M viewers, the highest since 2021, boosted by Paramount+ streaming.

Paramount's Warner Bros Bid — Paramount Skydance Corp. is planning a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., potentially reshaping the media landscape.

Penske Media Sues Google — Penske Media Corporation is suing Google over AI summaries of its content, claiming business harm and threats to digital media.

USA Today Chatbot — Gannett launched DeeperDive AI chatbot across 220+ USA Today publications to boost reader engagement and combat Google's AI features.

Armani's Succession Plan — Giorgio Armani's will directs heirs to sell 15% stake in his fashion empire, with LVMH, Essilor-Luxottica, or L'Oreal as priority buyers.

New US Poet Laureate — Arthur Sze appointed as the 25th U.S. Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress, with a focus on promoting poetry and translation.

FOOD & DRINK TECH:

McDonald's Japan Limits Happy Meals — McDonald's Japan caps Sanrio Happy Meals at three per purchase to prevent reselling and reduce waste following chaos from the Pokémon Happy Meal launch.

Soybean Standoff — North Dakota farmers face a crisis as China halts soybean purchases due to trade war tariffs, risking financial ruin and echoing the 1980s farm crisis. Ongoing U.S.-China negotiations offer hope, but fears of bankruptcies loom.

Digital Detox Dining — Chef Rock Harper's Hush Harbor in D.C. offers a cell-free dining experience with Southern cuisine plus nostalgic activities like book clubs, trivia nights, and disposable cameras.

The Fall of McIntosh — The McIntosh apple is losing ground to premium varieties like Honeycrisp due to shifting consumer tastes, the Alar controversy, and trademarked apple competition, potentially disappearing from stores.

Emergency-Ready Stores by 2028 — Salling Group will equip 50 stores across Denmark to operate independently during crises, ensuring 80% of Danes live within 50km of emergency-ready locations with generators and essential supplies.

SPORTS & TECH DESK:

Sprint Stars Shine — U.S. sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the world championship 100-meter finals with a record-setting 10.61 and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville broke the men’s record with a 9.77 second time.

Historic Boxing Triumph — Terence Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision, becoming the first male boxer to be undisputed champion in three weight classes; 41M viewers watched the bout on Netflix.

Paramount's Sports Play — Paramount launches a sports entertainment division led by Jesse Sisgold to boost media footprint through diverse content production and athlete collaborations alongside CBS Sports.

Cerebro Sports Metrics — Cerebro Sports, founded by Ryan Girardot and John Cho, integrates basketball metrics for enhanced player evaluation, democratizing analytics access for fans, athletes, and professionals.

Vuelta a Espana Halted — Final stage of Vuelta a Espana abandoned due to pro-Palestinian protests in Madrid; Jonas Vingegaard declared winner despite disruptions linked to Gaza conflict.

FUTURISM:

Visible Time Crystals — University of Colorado Boulder physicists develop visible time crystals using liquid crystals, advancing Frank Wilczek's 2012 concept with applications in anti-counterfeit devices.

Mirror Life Debate — Scientists debate restricting research into mirror life, weighing therapeutic benefits against risks like uncontrollable proliferation of synthetic cells made from mirror-image molecules.

Clone Robotics — Clone Robotics is advancing lifelike androids with synthetic muscles powered by water, offering 200+ degrees of freedom. Their Protoclone V1 features advanced sensors to mimic human anatomy with future tactile skin upgrades.

DNA Cassette Revolutionizes Storage — Researchers create DNA cassette tape storing 36 petabytes (equivalent to 3+ billion songs), using DNA sequences with barcodes and protective coating for long-term digital storage.

AI Minister in Albania — Albania appoints AI bot Diella as a minister to manage public procurement, aiming to reduce corruption. Prime Minister Edi Rama claims Diella will resist bribery, though public skepticism about its effectiveness persists.

AI Science Factories Expansion — Lila Sciences secures a $235M Series A to boost its AI-powered autonomous research labs. The funds will expand or automated drug discovery AI Science Factories in Boston, San Francisco, and the UK.

Mini-Microscope Breakthrough — UC Davis engineers unveil DeepInMiniscope for real-time, high-resolution brain imaging in mice, utilizing 100+ lenslets and machine learning to advance brain disorder therapies

WELLBEING AND HEALTH TECH:

AI Disease Prediction — An AI tool called Delphi-2M can predict the likelihood of developing over 1,000 diseases, including cancer, up to 20 years in advance using health records and lifestyle factors from 400,000 UK participants.

AI-Assisted Surgery Revolution — Levita Magnetics' MARS platform completes a world first gallbladder surgery with AI-guided autonomous camera, enhancing precision while reducing invasiveness; FDA-cleared for multiple procedures.

AI-Driven Cancer Breakthrough — PDGrapher AI tool identifies multiple disease drivers and predicts optimal drug combinations for cancer treatment, providing individualized therapy options with superior accuracy and efficiency.

Organs on Demand — New Israeli research institute will focus on 3D printing of organs, AI data analysis, and medical robotics to revolutionize treatments and medical technologies.

3D-Printed Placentas for Research — University of Technology Sydney scientists create 3D bioprinted mini-placentas to study pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, enabling safer drug testing and improved understanding of early pregnancy issues.

Glue Gun Bone Fix — Modified glue gun 3D-prints bone grafts during surgery using hydroxyapatite and polycaprolactone; tested successfully on rabbits with human trials pending regulatory approval.