IdeaConnection Innovation
BLOG
Posts in December 2013
Scientists Tap the Crowd for New Antibiotics
Dec-31-13 By IdeaConnectionThe evolutionary arms race between humans and bacteria has given rise to MRSA, the hospital superbug that is resistant to many types of antibiotics.
As bacteria evolve, their immune systems become impervious to the therapeutics that we throw at them. So scientists develop more powerful drugs, and for a while they work, until the bugs become resistant to these as well.
The ILIAD Project is a citizen science, crowdsourcing initiative that aims to find new antibiotics by asking people to perform their own trials at home using pre-packed kits.
Failed Innovation Predictions
Dec-29-13 By IdeaConnectionAt this time of year more than at any other, the soothsayers come out of the woodwork to predict what’s going to happen in the near future with innovations that could revolutionize our lives.
Sticking your neck out like this is a bit of a gamble and the province of the brave, foolish or supremely confident. History is littered with dozens of examples of people who’ve had to eat their words.
Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing, but even so, for a bit of fun we thought we’d publish some memorable quotes from those who got it oh so wrong.
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” (1895) - Lord Kelvin, mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society.
IBM’s Predictions of the Top 5 Innovations Coming to You Soon
Dec-29-13 By IdeaConnectionFor years, man has been making predictions about the next big thing around the corner, the science and technology revolutions that are going to enhance our lives, principally by making them easier, more fun and less stressful. It’s a risky business as unfortunately for the speakers, many future predictions crash and burn. Remember Betamax anyone?
Still, that doesn' stop people from staring into the future to envisage what’s coming next. IBM has revealed its predictions for the five biggest innovations that are going to change our lives within the next five years. They are:
Can You Replicate a Culture of Innovation?
Dec-27-13 By IdeaConnectionWhat exactly is a culture of innovation? Can its essence be bottled and sprinkled on companies to help them steal a march on their competitors? Or as The Atlantic magazine ponders, can you replicate the ethos, values and behaviors of Silicon Valley, one of the most innovative places on the planet?
In seeking out the answers, the publication featured extracts of a conversation between a historian and a librarian, held at The Atlantic's Silicon Valley summit.
Crowdfunded Lego Car Powered By Air
Dec-22-13 By IdeaConnectionWhat’s made of plastic breaks, was funded by the crowd and can reach a top speed of around 20km/h fueled by nothing but air? The answer is an air-powered car built of Lego by Australian entrepreneur, Steve Sammartino and a Romanian technologist, Raul Oaida. The innovative pair met on the internet.
The machine used more than 500,000 pieces of Lego and has four air-powered engines and 256 pistons, also constructed out of Lego.
Open Innovation Contest Offers $100,000 in Prize Money
Dec-21-13 By IdeaConnectionThe 2014 Shale Gas Innovation Competition organized by the Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center (SGICC) is offering awards totaling $100,000 to the four best shale gas-oriented innovations, new product ideas, or service concepts.
The contest is for researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania or West Virginia or those willing to locate to either state. Any idea related to shale energy will be welcomed, even if it has already been commercially developed.
NPR Compiles its Innovation Wish List
Dec-19-13 By IdeaConnectionHave you got an idea for a great innovation, a superlative product that meets an unmet need and makes life easier for all of us? Throughout 2013 people have been sending their ideas to NPR’s All Tech Considered.
The blog has recently compiled a list of some of its favorite submissions and they include reversible tattoos, expandable Tupperware and steering wheel fans.
Crowdsourcing Blood Donations
Dec-17-13 By IdeaConnectionWe’ve seen several examples of how crowdsourcing can be deployed to save lives such as using the crowd to create a database of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the Philadelphia area and social media-based projects to improve disaster relief.
Now the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) is launching what it describes as the world’s first crowdsourcing app for blood donations – the Red Cross Connection.
3 Fascinating TED Talks on Innovation
Dec-14-13 By IdeaConnection“Everyone’s using the word but I do not think it means what they think it means.” That’s an intriguing opening gambit of a TED Talk on innovation by Carl Bass the president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc.
TED Talks provide rocket fuel for the brain, a series of short and inspiring discourses covering a wide range of scientific and cultural topics. Here are some of the talks on innovation that have caught our attention:
Defense Agency Turns to Open Innovation for Technology Needs
Dec-11-13 By IdeaConnectionThe US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has launched an open innovation portal called Needipedia to find solutions to some of its pressing needs.
The aim of the platform is to circumvent the often slow procurement process for emerging technologies and harness a more diverse base of solution providers.