Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something. Like many of the new development buzzwords (which many of them are over-used on many business documents), the concept of innovation originates from the world of business. It refers to the generation of new products through the process of creative entrepreneurship, putting it into production, and diffusing it more widely through increased sales. Innovation can be viewed as t he application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term innovation can be defined as something original and, as a consequence, new, that “breaks into” the market or society.
Innoveracy: Misunderstanding Innovation article points out that there is a form of ignorance which seems to be universal: the inability to understand the concept and role of innovation. The way this is exhibited is in the misuse of the term and the inability to discern the difference between novelty, creation, invention and innovation. The result is a failure to understand the causes of success and failure in business and hence the conditions that lead to economic growth. The definition of innovation is easy to find but it seems to be hard to understand. Here is a simple taxonomy of related activities that put innovation in context:
- Novelty: Something new
- Creation: Something new and valuable
- Invention: Something new, having potential value through utility
- Innovation: Something new and uniquely useful
The taxonomy is illustrated with the following diagram.
The differences are also evident in the mechanisms that exist to protect the works: Novelties are usually not protectable, Creations are protected by copyright or trademark, Inventions can be protected for a limited time through patents (or kept secret) and Innovations can be protected through market competition but are not defensible through legal means.
Innovation is a lot of talked about nowdays as essential to businesses to do. Is innovation essential for development work? article tells that innovation has become central to the way development organisations go about their work. In November 2011, Bill Gates told the G20 that innovation was the key to development. Donors increasingly stress innovation as a key condition for funding, and many civil society organisations emphasise that innovation is central to the work they do.
Some innovation ideas are pretty simple, and some are much more complicated and even sound crazy when heard first. The is place for crazy sounding ideas: venture capitalists are gravely concerned that the tech startups they’re investing in just aren’t crazy enough:
Not all development problems require new solutions, sometimes you just need to use old things in a slightly new way. Development innovations may involve devising technology (such as a nanotech water treatment kit), creating a new approach (such as microfinance), finding a better way of delivering public services (such as one-stop egovernment service centres), identifying ways of working with communities (such as participation), or generating a management technique (such as organisation learning).
Theorists of innovation identify innovation itself as a brief moment of creativity, to be followed by the main routine work of producing and selling the innovation. When it comes to development, things are more complicated. Innovation needs to be viewed as tool, not master. Innovation is a process, not a one time event. Genuine innovation is valuable but rare.
There are many views on the innovation and innvation process. I try to collect together there some views I have found on-line. Hopefully they help you more than confuze. Managing complexity and reducing risk article has this drawing which I think pretty well describes innovation as done in product development:
8 essential practices of successful innovation from The Innovator’s Way shows essential practices in innovation process. Those practices are all integrated into a non-sequential, coherent whole and style in the person of the innovator.
In the IT work there is lots of work where a little thinking can be a source of innovation. Automating IT processes can be a huge time saver or it can fail depending on situation. XKCD comic strip Automation as illustrates this:
System integration is a critical element in project design article has an interesting project cost influence graphic. The recommendation is to involve a system integrator early in project design to help ensure high-quality projects that satisfy project requirements. Of course this article tries to market system integration services, but has also valid points to consider.
Core Contributor Loop (CTTDC) from Art Journal blog posting Blog Is The New Black tries to link inventing an idea to theory of entrepreneurship. It is essential to tune the engine by making improvements in product, marketing, code, design and operations.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.businessinsider.com/skills-you-can-learn-in-week-2016-12
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90492126/world-changing-ideas-awards-2020-education-finalists-and-honorable-mentions
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Need More Weird
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/25/you-need-more-weird/
What do you do when you need to solve a problem creatively? Me, I go for a walk, preferably in the woods. It’s about as far away from the desk and computer as possible, and somehow getting outside of the box that is my office helps me to think outside of the metaphorical box as well. Maybe it’s the fresh air, maybe it’s the exercise. Or maybe, it’s putting my physical head in a different (head)space that helps me to think differently.
Psychologists are finding that being outside, being an outsider, or even just being exposed to the straight-up strange can help you think weirder, that is, more creatively. That artists, authors, and other hyper-creative folks are often a little bit odd is almost a cliche. Think of the artists who did their best work while under the influence of drugs, mental illness, or drastic dislocations.
The good news is that you might not have to go so far. Psychologists are able to measure increases in creative problem solving simply by exposing people to weirdness.
The Perks of Being a Weirdo
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/the-perks-of-being-a-weirdo/606778/
How not fitting in can lead to creative thinking
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Keeps Tomorrow’s Engineers Busy During Lockdown
Today’s curious young minds are tomorrow’s engineers, designers and innovators.
https://www.eetimes.eu/what-keeps-tomorrows-engineers-busy-during-lockdown/?utm_source=Aspencore+Network+Newsletters&utm_campaign=1e270f145a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_27_11_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6c71af1646-1e270f145a-383755753
Some European countries have cautiously unveiled plans to ease restrictions and lift Covid-19 lockdown measures over the next few days or weeks. Nonetheless, some kindergartens, elementary schools, junior and senior high schools will remain closed through the end of the school year. Homeschooling is a challenge for parents and kids, but one of its secrets is diversity, and getting kids away from virtual classrooms to conduct practical experiments can develop their spirit of innovation. At EE Times Europe, we wanted to understand how kids, from toddlers to teens, are having fun under lockdown. Evidence shows that creativity and observation lead them onto each new project, allowing us to think that today’s curious young minds could potentially be tomorrow’s engineers, designers and innovators.
A quick search on the web, and parents will find hundreds of How-To tutorials to keep their kids entertained at home before or after homeschooling hours. But sometimes it is worth stepping back and letting their imagination run free. Traditionally, boredom has been associated with a range of negative outcomes. However, Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman, psychology researchers at the University of Central Lancashire, explained the creativity-boosting power of boredom.
Kids have limitless imagination and adapt easily to the constraints. Confined inside four walls, with or without a garden, they use curiosity and creativity to explore new ideas and make them come to life. They think ‘out of the box’, just like engineers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
21 Original Inventions That Can Help You Live a Better Life
https://brightside.me/creativity-design/21-original-inventions-that-can-help-you-live-a-better-life-729760/?utm_source=fb_brightside&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_enjoy_science
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/20-thrilling-pictures-that-reveal-a-lot-about-the-world-743810/?utm_source=fb_brightside&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_seen_everything
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vibrating Clothes Could Alter the Perception of Your Own Body
And that could be good news for your mental health.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/design/a32212835/vibrating-clothes-electronic-e-textiles/
New research shows that electronic textiles (e-textiles) can alter your mental state.
The scientists wanted to see if the sensation of hard rock might make subjects feel stronger, for instance, or if people might be happier if they felt like they were made of water.
Earlier this year, the team published their work in the scientific journal Frontiers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Guide for Parents: How to Learn Electronics and Coding with the Arduino Student Kit
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/04/30/a-guide-for-parents-how-to-learn-electronics-coding-with-the-arduino-student-kit/
Schools have recently had to make a sudden and seismic shift in the way they teach. As both educators and students get used to remote learning, the onus is now more on parents to support their children through homeschool, and that means parents themselves need support. At Arduino Education, we want to help you and your children by making remote learning experiences as smooth (and fun!) as possible.
Learning electronics and coding at home
As parents to children aged 11-plus, learning electronics and coding with them at home may not be something you’d ever think you’d be doing. But don’t worry, it really isn’t as daunting as it sounds, and electronics and coding skills are crucial in the world your children are growing up in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Downloading the Human Brain to a Computer: Elon Musk’s Neuralink
Human testing of the noninvasive device could start as early as this year.
https://interestingengineering.com/downloading-the-human-brain-to-a-computer-elon-musks-neuralink
Tomi Engdahl says:
What do I design? Collaboration and learning experiences
https://medium.com/creativity-unfolded/what-do-i-design-collaboration-and-learning-experiences-574d08e43898
Tomi Engdahl says:
A lifetime of learning – you learn something new everyday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
16 Robots that Shaped Engineers
From anime and purely mechanical robots to humanoid shaped and controlled versions, robots have been both an inspiration and learning platform for many of us.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/16-robots-shaped-engineers?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13153&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elon Musk Claims Neuralink Could Render Human Language Obsolete In Five To Ten Years
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/elon-musk-claims-neuralink-could-render-human-language-obsolete-in-five-to-ten-years/
Verbal communication is just too imprecise and unreliable, according to Elon Musk, which is why he is hoping to do away with it all together within the next decade.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast – yes, the same one he famously smoked weed on, which resulted in a $5 million NASA investigation into the suitability and professionalism of SpaceX as a government contractor – the SpaceX boss claimed that his company Neuralink could allow brain-to-brain communication in as little as five years, thereby overcoming the need to go to the trouble of actually talking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Give people the right toys to play and innovate
Nitin Dahad: So as a CTO, your job is to look at the future and look at what’s coming up in terms of both technologies and applications. How would you enable your successors to take on that kind of role?
Lars Reger: The one thing that I can do as a CTO is invite people to play with NXP. That is, if I would only have one sentence. That is the job that I have to do. Give the people the right Lego blocks, the right toys to play. You have 26,000 customers. And I have no clue in overseeing what type of innovations they are doing with our chips.
So, my successors will need one thing. They will need the ability to instill curiosity in the people that they talk to, the willingness to play with our stuff. And that is very much what I also see in the young generation – they are more easy-going. “Let’s program this little thing here and that little thing and then play with this and then it’s funny. And then I can share it and I get energy out of that.”
https://www.eetimes.com/nxp-cto-understand-distributed-networks-and-be-curious/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kaksiulotteinen hiukkanen onnistuttiin havaitsemaan ensimmäistä kertaa
https://www.tiede.fi/artikkeli/uutiset/kaksiulotteinen-hiukkanen-onnistuttiin-havaitsemaan-ensimmaista-kertaa
Tomi Engdahl says:
ELON MUSK TEASES NEURALINK ADVANCEMENTS: ‘REALITY IS GETTING WEIRD FAST’
Neuralink, the brain-computer linkup firm, looks set to make some jumps.
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/elon-musk-teases-neuralink-advancements-reality-is-getting-weird-fast
Tomi Engdahl says:
A dearth of ideas
https://www.aeaweb.org/research/charts/ideas-harder-to-find
Economic growth doesn’t just happen because we have more humans producing “stuff;” it relies on people creating new ideas.
But will there be a point at which original ideas run out?
At least in the semiconductor industry, creativity seems to be slowing down.
The authors looked at research productivity and Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors packed onto a computer chip doubles every two years. That translates to a constant exponential growth rate of 35 percent a year.
Moore’s Law is represented by the blue horizontal line set at the 35 percent growth rate. The effective number of researchers since 1971 is shown by the green line, marked along the right vertical axis. If humans were as productive as they were in the past, those lines would parallel each other. But that’s not what the data show. In fact, the number of researchers required to double chip density is more than 18 times larger than the amount required in the early 1970s. Research productivity in this case is declining at a rate of 6.8 percent per year.
The authors document similar results throughout the US economy, including agriculture and medicine. The findings offer important implications for the assumptions economists include in their models. Research productivity does not neatly track the number of experts dedicated to solving problems. If the growth rate of these research “inputs” were to slow down, then it would cause economic growth itself to fall.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Seven talks on journalism innovation that you should watch
From podcasts to AI and journalism, some food for thought while you are stuck at home
https://medium.com/hacks-hackers-london/seven-talks-on-journalism-innovation-that-you-should-watch-199c0a26747a
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://futurism.com/the-byte/physicists-discover-new-trick-to-stabilize-fusion-reactors
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists remotely hacked a brain, controlling body movements
https://bgr.com/2017/08/18/brain-hack-science-limb-control/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://brightside.me/inspiration-family-and-kids/16-tips-that-help-parents-teach-their-children-in-a-peaceful-manner-795847/?utm_source=fb_brightside&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_5mincrafts_kids
Tomi Engdahl says:
TangibleCircuits Makes Circuit Tutorials Accessible to Everyone
Researchers have developed a tool that enables users to interact with a 3D-printed model of a circuit via audio and haptic feedback.
https://www.hackster.io/news/tangiblecircuits-makes-circuit-tutorials-accessible-to-everyone-be836203f725
Tomi Engdahl says:
Physicists Criticize Stephen Wolfram’s ‘Theory of Everything’
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/physicists-criticize-stephen-wolframs-theory-of-everything/
The iconoclastic researcher and entrepreneur wants more attention for his big ideas. But so far researchers are less than receptive
Tomi Engdahl says:
9 New Suggestions For Bored Engineers
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/geek-life/hands-on/9-new-suggestions-for-bored-engineers
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/denizcam/2020/05/18/bill-gates-summer-book-recommendations-during-pandemic-2020/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
The biggest tech companies have the resources to out-innovate their competitors and further solidify their dominance as smaller rivals struggle
Not Even a Pandemic Can Slow Down the Biggest Tech Giants
https://www.wsj.com/articles/not-even-a-pandemic-can-slow-down-the-biggest-tech-giants-11590206412?mod=djemalertNEWS
The only thing better than being essential to the global economy during a crisis? Having the cash to continue to out-innovate your suddenly impoverished competitors.
Then there are the internet-era businesses in every category, from Airbnb to WeWork, that might not have the cash to survive in their current forms.
Meanwhile, Big Tech’s biggest advantage—business models which convert cash into innovation, market share and an ever-larger lead over their competitors—is accelerating, thanks to the pandemic. The biggest of the big—not just Google-parent Alphabet, but also Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. —all have businesses that throw off huge profits and bigfoot anyone and anything that gets in their way.
Investment in developing proprietary systems is key to keeping firms dominant in their markets. And spending on acquisitions helps them do that and quash competition. With the eye-popping warchests these companies have accumulated, it is clear they have the power, and the habit, of continuing to spend—even if the current situation damages their revenue and profits.
And it might. Economists at the International Monetary Fund predict this will be the largest global recession since the Great Depression.
Tomi Engdahl says:
SpaceX Crew Dragon Perfected by Continuous Development
Engineers have made numerous improvements and changes since the capsule’s 2014 introduction in Washington, D.C.
https://www.designnews.com/aerospace/spacex-crew-dragon-perfected-continuous-development/12424060663097?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13302&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
Friday Funny: Toy Engineer Tells the Story of GoldieBlox
Both funny and inspiring, Debbie Sterling tells her amazing girl-engineer-with-a-great-idea story at a TED talk.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/friday-funny-toy-engineer-tells-story-goldieblox/191771032663060?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13372&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/engineering-fun-home?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13372&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 20 Greatest Hoaxes in the History of Engineering
From scandals and cons to faux innovations and pranks, here’s a look at the most infamous hoaxes throughout engineering history.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/20-greatest-hoaxes-history-engineering?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13372&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
15 Modern Things That Were Actually Predicted Way Before They Appeared
https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/15-modern-things-that-were-actually-predicted-way-before-they-appeared-764760/?utm_source=fb_7secondriddles&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_7secondriddles
Inventors and science fiction writers excite us with their ideas. But the most amazing thing is that some of their ideas have become reality, even over the past century. Most of us probably don’t even realize that smartphones were predicted a long time before they appeared
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-knittedkeyboard-plays-and-sounds-like-a-traditional-keyboard-but-is-made-of-fabric-59bfa312f991
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-Cost Flexible ShArc Sensors Use Capacitance, Geometry for Accurate Multi-Bend and Shape Sensing
Built using flexible printed circuit board technology, the ShArc sensors are claimed to be largely self-correcting.
https://www.hackster.io/news/low-cost-flexible-sharc-sensors-use-capacitance-geometry-for-accurate-multi-bend-and-shape-sensing-56f6771a0776
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://scitechdaily.com/einsteins-two-big-mistakes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.earthwonders.co/entertainment/35-times-peoples-terrible-tastes-were-somehow-perfectly-executed/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Future of Work in Electronics: Interdisciplinary Integration
Electronics companies must promote interdisciplinary integration across teams. Can’t do it? Then “you are dead.”
https://www.eetimes.com/future-of-work-in-electronics-interdisciplinary-integration/
Companies are beginning to understand that agility is not some vague virtue. Agility has specific goals, and there are specific processes for achieving those goals. We recently spoke with Yole CEO Jean-Christophe Eloy, the CEO of Yole Développement (Lyon, France), about what being agile actually entails.
At the strategic level, agility means being able to identify and react to market shifts early and quickly. Meanwhile, product development is becoming exceedingly complex, both because multiple processes must occur in parallel, and also because many new products require disparate technologies combined in new ways. So agile companies commonly form teams that bring together specialists with distinct areas of expertise, and it is sometimes a challenge to get them to speak the same language to solve engineering problems at the intersection of different disciplines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Repetitive Negative Thinking Increases The Risk Of Alzheimer’s Disease, According To New Study
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/repetitive-negative-thinking-increases-risk-alzheimers-disease-according-new-study/
Persistently worrying about the future or ruminating on the past can have a detrimental effect on cognition later in life, even increasing the risk of certain forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
The capacity of our thoughts to influence our physical health is something that is widely recognized yet poorly understood, with scientists largely unable to explain exactly how a person’s state of mind can alter their biology
Tomi Engdahl says:
Not your grandma’s sewing kit! This project out of Google Research puts thread to work in an e-textile helical sensing matrix.
https://www.hackster.io/news/bringing-interactivity-to-soft-devices-with-e-textile-microinteractions-27ecf98afc21
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/06/15/heikko-innovointi-voi-koitua-yrityksen-kohtaloksi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NcGBmDEe5qXB7dFBF/assessing-kurzweil-predictions-about-2019-the-results
Tomi Engdahl says:
UC Berkeley Study Finds Diluting Blood Plasma Reverses Aging In Mice
https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/06/17/2346224/uc-berkeley-study-finds-diluting-blood-plasma-reverses-aging-in-mice?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
In 2005, University of California, Berkeley, researchers made the surprising discovery that making conjoined twins out of young and old mice — such that they share blood and organs — can rejuvenate tissues and reverse the signs of aging in the old mice. The finding sparked a flurry of research into whether a youngster’s blood might contain special proteins or molecules that could serve as a ‘fountain of youth’ for mice and humans alike. But a new study by the same team shows that similar age-reversing effects can be achieved by simply diluting the blood plasma of old mice — no young blood needed.
https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/06/15/diluting-blood-plasma-rejuvenates-tissue-reverses-aging-in-mice/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2020/06/17/anyone-can-teach-anything-on-this-education-site—and-thats-why-its-worth-billions/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematician-terence-tao-and-the-collatz-conjecture-20191211/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Strange Numbers That Birthed Modern Algebra
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-strange-numbers-that-birthed-modern-algebra-20180906/
The 19th-century discovery of numbers called “quaternions” gave mathematicians a way to describe rotations in space, forever changing physics and math.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://brightside.me/inspiration-psychology/8-hidden-psychological-problems-a-messy-home-can-reveal-about-us-729710/?utm_source=fb_brightside&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_seen_everything
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.businessinsider.com/dark-matter-experiment-possible-discovery-new-particle-physics-2020-6
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/buildings/air-conditioning-wasnt-invented-to-provide-comfort-to-human-beings
Tomi Engdahl says:
New MIT Random Number Algorithm Could Help Analyses of Complex Systems, From Earth’s Climate to Financial Markets
https://scitechdaily.com/new-mit-random-number-algorithm-could-help-analyses-of-complex-systems-from-earths-climate-to-financial-markets/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/vitor-barbosa-s-haxmark460-converts-a-lexmark-laser-printer-into-a-pcb-production-machine-36812afd951c
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://newatlas.com/physics/self-induced-spin-glass-new-state-matter/