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Success for Planet Hunters

Sep-29-11 By Aminda
Only a couple weeks after citizen scientists solve an AIDS molecular challenge on Foldit, volunteers for Planet Hunters may have identified two new exoplanets. In the past decade, more than 500 such exoplanets have been identified using techniques including Doppler observation.

The Planet Hunters project has been analyzing data from the Kepler Space Telescope; volunteers look for transit signals in the data, which cause the light from the star to dim periodically. The new planet candidates were flagged only two months after the data were released to the public in December, 2010. Currently known as KIC 10905746 and KIC 6185331, they have radii of 2.32 and 8.0, respectively.

Turkey’s Time to Shine

Sep-28-11 By Aminda
The country of Turkey may not yet appear at the top of anyone’s list of most innovative nations. But the country sure seems determined to change that. The European Innovation Scoreboard describedTurkey as a “catching up” country, with current innovation performance falling below average compared to the EU-27 but with an above-average rate of improvement. Finance and Support, Firm Investments, Throughputs and Economic Effects have been the main drivers of the improvement in innovation, as the country has achieved rapid recovery from a 2001 financial crisis.

Citizen Scientist Project to Aid Syria

Sep-27-11 By Aminda
An interesting venture is underway combining citizen science and social responsibility. Crisis mapping expert Patrick Meier of Ushahidi is coordinating a project with the Amnesty International USA to use satellite imagery to identify evidence of mass human rights violations from the Syrian rebellion. Digital imagery was shared with AI for free but professional satellite imagery experts with time to volunteer their skills are harder to come by.

In response, an online volunteer community was enlisted to tackle the task of analyzing and tagging the data. Efforts are focused on three key (but unidentified) cities in Syria and on identifying evidence of three primary features: large crowds, large military equipment and checkpoints. These features have been determined as relatively easy to identify.

Plans Released for Technology Testing City

Sep-26-11 By Aminda
Plans are underway to build what would be the world’s largest technology testing and evaluation center in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Pegasus Global Holdings has entered into a memo of understanding (MOU) with the state’s Department of Economic Development to build the Center for Innovation, Test and Evaluation. Development, construction, and operating costs will be funded by the private sector. The Center will create 350 new direct jobs and is expected to create more than 3,500 new indirect jobs through construction of the facility, supporting industry, and contractors.

Accelerating the Automotive Industry

Sep-22-11 By Aminda
New innovations and innovation platforms have the potential to produce big change in the automotive industry. The U.S. Airforce Research Lab (AFRL) is currently developing a design from the Air Force’s Open Innovation Pavilion. The design is for a remote-controlled vehicle that can deploy an airbag under a fleeing car that would slide it to a complete stop, potentially keeping police officers and citizens out of harm’s way. The technology will have both military and law enforcement utility. A retired engineer won $25,000 for the winning vehicle concept which is electric-powered and has the ability to accelerate up to 130 mph within three seconds.

Crowdsourcing Best Practices

Sep-21-11 By Aminda
A software industry writer has recently published an insightful series of articles on how to ensure crowdsourcing is a best practice and not a worst practice. While the material is focused on the software industry and features insight from executives at TopCoder there is plenty of wisdom for professionals in all industries. The article cautions that crowdsourcing, like outsourcing of years past, is so trendy that it has become a solution for everything. In reality, businesses are better off analyzing projects on a case by case basis to determine which are suited to crowdsourcing and which are not. Then the best model must be determined. For example, Top Coder has calculated optimal participation metrics for each type of contest they host, indicating the optimal number of submissions that will provide the best experience for both customer and member.

Kudos or Critics of the Crowd?

Sep-20-11 By Aminda
Crowdsourcing has received plenty of publicity this summer, both positive a not so positive. This month Google received criticism for relying too much on input from the crowd to provide content for Google Places. The New York Times recently reported on incidents in which businesses have been reported as being closed on the Google Maps local search service.

Foldit Solves Molecular Challenge

Sep-19-11 By Aminda
A citizen science web project has achieved a notable success, giving hope to similar projects. According to an MSNBC article, users of the program Foldit, have figured out the mysterious molecular structure of a monkey-virus enzyme. The enzyme is from an AIDS-like virus found in rhesus monkeys. Such enzymes, known as retroviral proteases, play a key role in the virus' spread — and if medical researchers can figure out their structure, they could conceivably design drugs to stop the virus in its tracks.

GE Launches New Innovation Challenge

Sep-16-11 By Aminda
GE is well known to innovators for the company’s Ecomagination Challenge, which offers significant prize money to winners of various clean energy-related innovation challenges. Now, GE Healthcare, along with four venture capitalist firms, has announced a $100 million Healthymagination challenge.

The challenge is focused on “Assembling Tools to Fight Cancer” and is described as an open call to action for businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and students with breakthrough ideas for accelerating early detection and enabling more personalized treatment for breast cancer. More specifically, the challenge is aimed at funding promising initiatives that may improve diagnostics and lead to better understanding of the aggressive triple negative cancer. Enhanced early detection and treatment options will improve care for 10 million cancer patients.

A Stimulus Alternative

Sep-14-11 By Aminda
A recent post discussed the positive role many believe open innovation can play in economic recovery. Another writer agrees, believing open innovation can provide an alternative to stimulus programs, bailouts and traditional government job-training schemes. He provides a well written, concise outline on how open innovation is a pro-business, pro-taxpayer and, ultimately, pro-consumer strategy benefiting private industry, government agencies and academic institutions.