Two startups on opposite sides of the Atlantic have just unveiled breakthrough prototypes that could bring flying cars and hypersonic jets into everyday travel.

Hypersonic Air Travel and Flying Cars

Venus Aerospace has just tested a rocket engine it believes could make hypersonic passenger flights a reality, while Klein Vision has unveiled the production-ready version of the world’s first certified flying car.

Venus Aerospace Eyes Hypersonic Jet Travel

Houston-based Venus Aerospace made headlines last week with the first successful test flight of its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE), a propulsion system long theorised by engineers but unproven in flight – until now. The test, conducted at Spaceport America in New Mexico, marks a milestone in the company’s effort to develop Stargazer, a Mach 9-capable hypersonic aircraft that could one day fly from London to New York in under an hour.

The engine, described by Venus co-founder and CEO Sarah “Sassie” Duggleby as “the holy grail” of propulsion, works differently to traditional jet or rocket engines. Instead of burning fuel in a steady stream, the RDRE generates a series of controlled shockwave detonations that spiral around a circular chamber at supersonic speeds. This compact design produces more power, uses 20 per cent less fuel, and crucially, has no moving parts, thereby making it cheaper to build, operate, and maintain.

“We’ve proven that this technology works—not just in simulations or the lab, but in the air,” said Duggleby, who co-founded the company with her husband Andrew in 2020.

The recent test flight launched a small rocket to 4,400 feet, reaching 383 mph in just seven seconds, before descending safely by parachute. While that’s only about half the speed of sound, the company insists the trial was all about demonstrating scalability and real-world performance, not speed.

What Makes RDRE So Different?

Venus says the RDRE has the potential to revolutionise aerospace by enabling ultra-fast, cost-effective hypersonic travel across defence, commercial aviation, and space launch sectors. Traditional systems often rely on complex multi-engine configurations to operate across different speed regimes. Venus’s breakthrough is a single-engine solution that handles take-off, acceleration, and sustained hypersonic cruise.

In practical terms, the RDRE could, for example:

– Enable Mach 9 flight speeds (up to 6,900 mph)

– Carry passengers from San Francisco to Tokyo in only two hours!

– Reduce launch costs for satellites and cargo

– Deliver military-grade speed and agility in compact vehicles.

Funding and Support

With £66 million ($84m) in venture funding and support from NASA and the US Department of Defense, Venus is pushing forward with plans to flight-test a 20-foot drone at Mach 5 later this year. This will be followed by the development of Stargazer, a 150-foot-long, 150,000-lb aircraft designed to cruise at 170,000 feet, which is close enough to see the blackness of space and the curvature of Earth.

As Andrew Duggleby, the company’s CTO says: “This is just the beginning of what can be achieved with Venus propulsion technology”.

Challenges

However, despite the ambition and the confidence, it should be noted that there are some considerable challenges ahead. For example, engineers must solve the problem of extreme heat in the detonation chamber. This is what Sassie Duggleby likens to “lighting a fire in a wax fireplace without melting the wax.” The firm is also still years away from a full-scale passenger aircraft. This means that commercial readiness isn’t likely until the early 2030s.

Klein Vision Unveils Its AirCar 2 Flying Car

Meanwhile in Europe, Slovakia’s Klein Vision has taken a different route to next-gen travel. At this year’s Living Legends of Aviation Gala Dinner in Beverly Hills, the company revealed the production-ready prototype of the AirCar 2, a sleek vehicle that can transform from a car to an aircraft in just 80 seconds.

Unlike Venus, Klein Vision’s breakthrough is grounded (literally) in existing certification. The original AirCar, first flown in 2021, was awarded its Certificate of Airworthiness in 2022 after completing 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings.

“The AirCar fulfils a lifelong dream to bring the freedom of flight into the hands of everyday people,” said founder and designer Stefan Klein, who received the gala’s Special Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence.

The AirCar 2 is a major upgrade:

– 280-horsepower engine (replacing the previous 1.6-litre BMW engine)

– Cruising speed up to 250 km/h in flight

– 1,000 km range

– Full monocoque (single shell) body for improved safety and strength

– Compact enough to park in a standard garage.

Klein Vision claims the AirCar 2 can reach 200 km/h on the road, and take off from a conventional airport runway before cruising to its destination and driving off again, which means there’s no need for an entirely new transport infrastructure. A button in the cockpit unfolds the wings and tail, transforming the vehicle from road mode to air mode in less than 90 seconds.

A Car. A Plane. A Market Disruptor?

The company, which has been bootstrapped from the start, is now gearing up for production. According to co-founder Anton Zajac, the first models will retail for between $800,000 and $1 million starting in early 2026, with the ability to produce 100 units per year once certification is complete. It’s understood that pre-orders are already in progress.

Klein Vision’s ambitions are underpinned by bold market predictions. With global air mobility forecast to reach $162 billion by 2034, the company believes its vehicle has a first-mover advantage.

“We’re not just witnessing the future of transportation—we’re engineering it,” said Zajac.

Scepticism

However, some commentators are (understandably) sceptical about Klein Vision’s claims. For example, the flying car market has been promised for decades, and critics often point to limitations in infrastructure, regulation, cost, and public adoption. There’s also the challenge of power. While the current model runs on petrol, Klein Vision admits they plan to go electric “as soon as battery energy density allows.”

Also, with just seven people on staff, Klein Vision appears to be unusually lean for such a capital-intensive industry. The company spent $5 million developing the first AirCar, most of it funded by Zajac himself, though it is now “open to external investment.”

Different Paths, Same Sky

What makes this moment significant is not just the individual accomplishments of Venus Aerospace and Klein Vision, but the fact that two very different approaches (i.e. rocket-driven hypersonic flight and road-to-air transformation) are simultaneously reaching new levels of feasibility.

For example, one is reimagining how fast we can travel, while the other is changing how flexibly we move between ground and sky.

Although each faces enormous technical, regulatory, and financial obstacles, both appear to be making some credible progress, backed by data and test flights. It seems there’s now a growing sense that the next leap in mobility may come not from giant aerospace primes, but from agile, focused startups willing to bet on bold ideas and reinvent the rules.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

These two announcements feel like a genuine turning point in aviation’s long evolution from commercial airliners to something altogether more ambitious, and more personal. Whether it’s Venus Aerospace’s promise of New York to Tokyo in under an hour, or Klein Vision’s vision of driving to the airport and flying yourself to your next meeting, both represent a dramatic departure from the limits of traditional air travel. Also, for a sector that hasn’t seen many transformative passenger-facing breakthroughs since Concorde, this sudden surge in innovation feels both overdue and quite exciting.

For UK businesses, hypersonic travel, if it becomes commercially viable, could create a new level of global agility for finance, tech, and trade sectors, shrinking long-haul logistics and giving British firms the ability to meet clients or partners halfway across the world in the space of a lunch break. Also, a certified flying car like the AirCar 2 could, in time, reshape regional mobility by unlocking point-to-point travel for executives, engineers, or consultants who currently rely on slower rail or road connections. The early costs may be high, but as production scales and competition grows, accessibility may follow.

Of course, there are still some big questions, especially around safety, certification, regulation, and infrastructure. In both cases, it’s not yet clear how existing aviation authorities will adapt to technologies that blur the lines between car and aircraft, or jet and rocket. Also, public acceptance and use will also hinge on reliability, insurance frameworks, pilot licensing, and in the case of hypersonic flight, whether everyday passengers can truly stomach the physics involved.

Then there’s the competitive landscape to consider. For example, as Venus pushes to commercialise RDRE-powered jets, it enters a growing field of rivals including Hermeus, Sierra Space, and Virgin Galactic, all with overlapping ambitions. Similarly, Klein Vision must prove it can scale manufacturing, meet regulatory expectations, and fend off future entrants with better-funded teams or deeper aviation experience.

However, even with these challenges, the pace and credibility of recent progress seems to suggest that this may no longer be a question of if, but when. The fact that two very different technologies, i.e., one focused on blistering speed, the other on personal freedom, are both edging closer to commercial reality shows that the sky is no longer the limit. The travel industry may be on the cusp of a transformation that doesn’t just shrink time and distance, but redefines how we connect with the world. And that’s a future well worth watching.

Hundreds of thousands of criminal, financial and personal records have been compromised in a major cyber attack on the UK’s Legal Aid Agency, raising serious questions about digital security in one of the country’s most sensitive justice systems.

What Is the Legal Aid Agency And Why Was It Targeted?

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), part of the Ministry of Justice, provides funding for legal representation to individuals who can’t afford it. This includes people facing criminal charges, eviction, domestic abuse, or complex family matters. Each year, it processes hundreds of thousands of applications and manages payments to solicitors and legal providers across England and Wales.

However, behind this critical public function, the agency’s digital infrastructure was running on fragile systems that, according to critics, had been neglected for years. For example, the Law Society had previously warned that its technology was “too antiquated to cope”, a warning that now appears to have been tragically justified.

What Happened And How Did the Hackers Get In?

Officials first became aware of the cyber attack on 23 April, when the LAA’s online digital services began to show signs of compromise. At first, it was thought that only legal aid providers (i.e. solicitors and firms who use the system to log work and request payment) were affected.

However, further investigation revealed something far more serious. On 16 May, it was confirmed that the attackers had in fact accessed and downloaded a large volume of personal data belonging to legal aid applicants going back as far as 2010.

The data accessed (and probably downloaded) includes names, contact details, dates of birth, national insurance and ID numbers, employment status, criminal history, and sensitive financial data such as debt levels and payment records. Some reports even claim up to 2.1 million pieces of data may have been taken, though this has yet to be formally verified.

Who Was Behind the Attack?

The group responsible has not yet been officially identified, but officials have said they do not currently believe this was the work of a hostile nation-state. Instead, it appears to be the work of an organised criminal gang, possibly seeking to extort or sell stolen data for financial gain.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre are now investigating the incident, with assistance from the Information Commissioner’s Office. Meanwhile, the LAA’s online portal has been taken offline, and work has begun on building a replacement system.

Why Did This Happen And Could It Have Been Prevented?

According to a source within the Ministry of Justice, vulnerabilities in the LAA’s systems were known for years but not addressed under the previous government. Critics have described the breach as the result of “long-term neglect”, pointing to repeated calls for investment and reform from legal bodies such as the Law Society.

In the words of Law Society president Richard Atkinson, “Legal aid firms are small businesses operating on the margins of viability… these financial security concerns are the last thing they need.” He added that the system’s fragility had already hindered reforms and warned that any further delays would now be “untenable”.

Real-World Risks for Individuals and Firms

For the thousands of people affected, this isn’t just an IT failure – it’s a personal risk. Many legal aid applicants are already in vulnerable situations. For example, some are dealing with domestic abuse cases, immigration hearings, or criminal charges, while others have been wrongly accused, or are applying for legal help in family disputes.

Now, it seems those same individuals are facing the anxiety of not knowing where their personal data has ended up, or how it could be used. Cybersecurity experts warn that data like this is often used in targeted scams, phishing campaigns, or identity fraud, with long-term implications.

Also at risk are the legal aid providers themselves. These are often small law firms already under financial pressure, now left scrambling for alternative ways to process claims and payments while the LAA rebuilds its systems.

What Should You Do If You’re Affected?

The Legal Aid Agency has urged anyone who applied for legal aid between 2010 and 2025 to take immediate steps to safeguard themselves. This includes:

– Being alert for suspicious phone calls, texts, or emails from unknown senders.

– Updating passwords, especially for any accounts that may have reused information.

– Verifying the identity of anyone requesting personal or financial details before responding.

The National Cyber Security Centre has also published updated guidance for individuals and businesses affected by data breaches, with a particular focus on spotting phishing scams and securing mobile devices.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This breach is yet another reminder that outdated digital systems are no longer just an inconvenience – they are a real liability. For UK businesses, particularly those in legal services, social care, government contracting, or any industry that handles sensitive personal data, this incident is a wake-up call.

This is also a reminder that cyber risk is no longer confined to banks and tech giants. It seems that public sector agencies, legal support organisations, and even small private firms are all now in the firing line, mainly because cybercriminals are increasingly targeting entities with sensitive data but outdated or underfunded digital defences, seeing them as easier to exploit than large, well-protected corporations.

If an organisation’s systems haven’t been independently tested, audited, or updated in the last 12–18 months, now is the time to act.

The Legal Aid Agency may recover, but its credibility has been badly shaken, and for the people whose data was exposed, the damage may be permanent. What this breach shows is that in the digital age, trust isn’t just earned through good service. It’s also earned (or lost) through cybersecurity.

A government-commissioned red teaming exercise has found that One Login, the UK’s flagship digital identity platform, can be compromised without triggering any alerts.

The test, carried out by the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cross-Government Red Team, revealed serious gaps in the system’s ability to detect and respond to intrusions. One Login is intended to provide a single, secure sign-in for services like tax, pensions and benefits.

Over 2 million users are already enrolled, but the findings raise concerns about whether the platform is safe for wider rollout. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the exercise was “routine best practice” and confirmed improvements are being made, but offered no technical details.

Experts say silent compromise of a national identity system could expose millions to fraud, data theft or service disruption, especially if undetected for long periods.

Although this was a simulated attack and no real data was exposed, the key concern is that One Login failed to detect the breach, showing a weakness in spotting intrusions. For businesses, the lesson is that detection matters as much as prevention. Regular testing and active monitoring are vital to catch threats before they cause damage.

A new sustainable building material that’s stronger than steel and made from ordinary timber is about to go into mass production, and it could change the face of construction forever.

From The Lab to the Launch of ‘Superwood’

In 2018, materials scientist Liangbing Hu and his team at the University of Maryland developed a method to convert ordinary wood into a material significantly stronger and lighter than steel. The innovation, initially viewed as a promising (but laboratory-bound) breakthrough, involved finding a new way to densify wood to enhance its strength and durability through a chemical and compression process. It seems that only now, after seven years, 140 patents, and millions in investment later, Superwood is actually heading to market.

InventWood

The startup behind the commercial rollout, InventWood, is gearing up to begin production this summer 2025 (summer 2025 is as accurate a launch date as InventWood has given) at its first dedicated facility. Backed by $15 million in Series A funding from climate-focused investors including the Grantham Foundation and Builders Vision, the company believes Superwood could soon replace a substantial chunk of the steel used in buildings, and significantly reduce the environmental cost of construction in the process.

How is Superwood Made?

Superwood is essentially regular wood that has undergone a chemical and physical treatment to alter its structure at the molecular level, thereby significantly increasing its strength and durability.

The process starts with regular timber, which is mostly composed of the two key compounds of cellulose and lignin. Cellulose is the strong, fibrous material that gives plant cells their rigidity, while lignin acts as a kind of natural glue. Ironically, it’s the removal of lignin that unlocks the strength hidden inside the wood.

The process to strengthen the wood and turn it into ‘Superwood’ includes:

– Boiling and bonding. The wood is first boiled in a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite – a process not unlike that used in paper production. This removes most of the lignin and hemicellulose, while keeping the cellulose intact.

– Compression and heating. Next, the softened wood is compressed and gently heated, causing the cell walls to collapse. This triggers hydrogen bonding between adjacent cellulose fibres, vastly increasing the wood’s strength.

– Stabilisation. For external use, some samples are impregnated with polymers, improving resistance to moisture and environmental wear.

The Result

The result of this transformative process is to create material with up to 20 times the strength of natural wood, and a strength-to-weight ratio up to 10 times greater than steel! Also, according to InventWood, it’s also highly fire-resistant (Class A fire rating), pest- and rot-resistant and, unlike most tropical hardwoods, naturally beautiful, thanks to a deep, rich colour created during the compression process. As InventWood’s CEO Alex Lau says: “It looks like walnut or ipe, but we haven’t stained any of it,” and that “These are the natural colours. It’s just wood, re-engineered.”

Steel-Level Performance Without the Carbon

The potential sustainability benefits of Superwood are huge. For example, globally, the production of steel accounts for about 7–9 per cent of direct emissions from fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Also, concrete and steel together make up around 90 per cent of the carbon footprint of new buildings. This means that being able to replace even a fraction of that with a renewable, carbon-sequestering material like Superwood could be a game-changer.

On a like-for-like performance basis, Superwood generates 90 per cent lower emissions than steel and, because it locks carbon into the material itself, every Superwood beam or panel becomes a kind of mini carbon store.

The material can also be made from underutilised or waste wood, adding another layer of circularity and environmental value.

What Can It Be Used For?

At launch, InventWood is targeting facade and cladding applications for commercial and high-end residential buildings. These “skin” uses are designed to be ideal early-stage deployments, giving architects and developers a chance to work with the material in lower-stress contexts while the production process is scaled up.

However, it seems that the real ambition lies deeper in the building. For example, as Lau says, “Eventually we want to get to the bones of the building”, including structural beams, columns, and even I-beams being made entirely from Superwood. The strength, light weight, and stability of Superwood means it could be used not just in walls and roofing, but in entire load-bearing structures.

Beyond construction, other possible applications could include:

– Furniture. Stronger, lighter, and more durable wooden furniture with high aesthetic value.

– Vehicles. Potential use in interior vehicle panels or lightweight frames.

– Protective Gear. Early tests showed Superwood could stop bullet-like projectiles, leading to speculation it might be used in low-cost body armour or impact-resistant products.

– Consumer Goods. From tools to sports equipment, the applications could span industries.

Mouldable Into Different Shapes

One other big practical and aesthetic advantage is that, because it’s mouldable during the early stages of production, the wood can be shaped and formed into complex designs before hardening, thereby opening up design possibilities beyond what’s possible with standard timber.

Scaling Up

With its first production plant due to go live this summer, InventWood is keen to prove it can scale efficiently. The initial batches will be smaller and aimed at showcasing Superwood’s performance and aesthetics in real-world projects.

Over time, the plan appears to be to mass-produce structural timber products using waste or fast-growing softwoods, such as pine or poplar, woods that are cheap and abundant but typically too weak for major construction use.

By applying the Superwood process, these everyday species could be upgraded to high-performance materials without the costs or carbon associated with tropical hardwoods or engineered metal.

Investor Interest

Not surprisingly, the company has already attracted interest from major investors and partners in the climate tech space, and says the long-term goal is to replace up to 80 per cent of the structural steel currently used in building and infrastructure projects.

Hype or Hope?

Despite the excitement, it should be noted that Superwood isn’t without its critics, or its hurdles. For one, the technology is still in its commercial infancy. While lab tests and prototypes are impressive, the construction industry is notoriously conservative when it comes to adopting new materials, especially for structural use. Engineers, insurers and regulators will need to be convinced of its long-term performance under varied conditions, including moisture, temperature change, and mechanical stress.

There’s also the question of cost and scalability. While Lau says the process has been reduced from “more than a week to a few hours,” manufacturing densified wood still requires energy, chemical treatments, and controlled conditions. Whether the environmental benefits are maintained at large scale will depend on the sourcing of those inputs and the overall lifecycle of the material.

Some environmental groups have also raised concerns about supply chain transparency. If demand for Superwood grows rapidly, there will be pressure to ensure that input timber is sustainably and ethically harvested, particularly if production expands beyond waste wood and fast-growing species.

Benefits Outweigh Challenges

However, supporters of the technology argue that the potential benefits outweigh the challenges. For example, investors involved in the funding round have highlighted the urgent need for new, low-carbon materials in response to the climate crisis, and view Superwood as a promising solution that combines high strength, aesthetic appeal, and significantly lower emissions. Some believe it could represent one of the most important material innovations of the decade.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

If Superwood’s apparent potential to dramatically reduce carbon emissions while delivering on performance could make it an attractive alternative to steel and tropical hardwoods, especially at a time when the construction industry is under growing pressure to decarbonise.

For UK businesses, particularly those involved in architecture, building design, and sustainable development, this could open up exciting new opportunities. Superwood’s combination of strength, lightweight handling, and natural beauty offers practical advantages that go beyond green credentials. If adopted at scale, it could help developers meet net-zero targets, reduce material costs, and differentiate projects in a highly competitive market. Manufacturers and timber suppliers may also find new demand for underused or waste wood, potentially driving regional supply chains and creating jobs linked to circular production.

Also, with early use cases already being explored in areas like furniture, transport, and protective materials, Superwood’s commercial reach could extend well beyond construction. For example, as the product matures and real-world performance data emerges, its use may spread into consumer goods, automotive interiors, and even defence applications.

That said, its long-term impact will hinge on more than just innovation. It will depend on how quickly the production process can be scaled, how effectively it’s regulated, and whether sustainability claims can be backed by transparent, verifiable supply chains. For clients, designers, and contractors alike, due diligence will be essential.

Still, in a sector where true breakthroughs are rare and often slow to emerge, Superwood offers something genuinely different, i.e. a material that aligns strength, sustainability, and versatility in a way that could reshape how (and what) we build in the years ahead.

ChatGPT has had a major upgrade when it comes to its memory functionality. This video tells you everything you need to know to use this new memory upgrade to the fullest.

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Worried your login details might be floating around the dark web? There are paid solutions available which your IT expert can offer but if you’re a pinch, Microsoft Edge can alert you if any passwords you’ve saved in the browser have appeared in a known data breach, and it only takes a moment to switch on.

How to:

– Open Microsoft Edge.
– Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select Settings.
– Go to Profiles > Passwords.
– Scroll down and toggle on ‘Show alerts’ when passwords are found in an online leak.
– If prompted, sign in with your Microsoft account to enable monitoring.

Pro-Tip: You can also click Scan now to run an instant check on your saved credentials. If Edge flags anything, update the password immediately — ideally using a strong, unique replacement.