CNN's 'Mission: Ahead' meets the innovators transforming the world of human mobility

Special coverage airs June 20-24,with a 30-minute program airing June 25-27

HONG KONG,June 22,2022 --This month on'Mission: Ahead',CNN Innovation and Space correspondentRachel Cranemeets inventors and entrepreneurs from across the globe who are rethinking the way we move and travel. The special 30-minute episode explores how new technology is changing human mobility,helping us go further – without the carbon footprint.

CNN’s 'Mission: Ahead’ meets the innovators transforming the world of human mobility

Shipsare notorious for their carbon emissions. On a mission to popularize greener boating isGustav Hasselskog,founder and CEO ofCandela,a Stockholm-based start-up hoping to speed up the electric vehicle revolution on the seas. Hasselskog designed a boat with a pair of computer-controlled hydrofoils which function as wings,lifting the boat out of the water. By gliding over the waves instead of pushing through them,Candela's boats use less energy so they can go faster and for longer on a smaller battery.According to the company,itselectric engine releases no emissions and no noise. In addition to recreational boats,Hasselskog is now developing city ferries too.

Air pollution affects cities across the globe. Part of the problem comes from the way people get around. In Asia,many use two wheelers,which produce more smog-forming emissions than cars,experts say.Horace Luke,an entrepreneur based in Taiwan,has an alternative – one he hopes will make city streets a lot greener. His companyGogorohas developed a range of electric smart scooters with swappable batteries– an idea that has taken Taiwan by storm. Gogoro is also expanding into larger scooter markets like China and India.

Rising sea levels are posing a threat to coastal cities around the world. A growing number of architects are planning for this future by developing communities that can – quite literally – go with the tide. Dutch architectKoen OlthuisfoundedWaterstudio,a firm dedicated to building floating structures. The companyis now working on itslargest-scale project to date:a floating city in the Maldives for twenty thousand people,complete with solar powered schools,shops and a raft of energy saving features. As the global population continues to grow,these kinds of projects could encourage cities to expand sustainably.

Next,on a mission to transform the way we access outer space isJonathan Yaney,founder and CEO ofSpinLaunch. The California-based start-up is working on a launch system that could one day catapult satellites and spacecraft out of the Earth's atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere,a rocket engine would kick in to carry the craft to its final destination. The system will use 70% less fuel and materials than conventional rockets,making it a greener way to get objects into space – and up to ten times cheaper,SpinLaunch says.

Finally,CNN hears fromHugh Herr,a professoron a mission tohelppeople overcome physical disabilities. Frustrated by the rudimentary prosthetics he was given after losing his legs in an accident,Herr set out to improve their design. Working alongsideotherscientists at MIT,Herr has helped conceive and developcutting-edge human bionic devices that are available to patients today. Herr isnowworkingontechnology that uses magnets tolink an amputee's brain and muscles to their bionic limb,so the prosthesis can move even more naturally.

Mission: Ahead trailer: https://bit.ly/3OmVrwV

Mission: Ahead images: https://bit.ly/3ye5crD

Mission: Ahead microsite: https://cnn.it/3rUoa2H

Airtimes for 30-minute special:

Saturday,25th June at 6:00pm HKT

Sunday,26th June at 11:00am HKT

Monday,27th June at 1:00am HKT

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