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Easing Traffic Congestion with Open Innovation

Jul-28-17 By IdeaConnection
Hair-pullingly frustrating, hazardous to health and a huge time drain, traffic congestion on freeways and in our towns and cities is one of the most irritating blights of modern life.

Without changes, the problems will clearly become worse over time.  To stop this from happening and to give us all space to move, transit authorities in numerous countries have turned to the crowd for help.  Smart minds are needed to develop solutions.

Here is a rundown of a few open innovation initiatives that have attempted to unclog our traffic-filled roads.

NASA’s Open Innovation Origami Challenge

Jul-21-17 By IdeaConnection
In reaching for the stars NASA also reaches for the crowd.

At the moment, the space agency is seeking folding concepts for a radiation shield for a Mars transfer vehicle. It needs to be something that can easily be packed, because with regards to space travel mass means money.  And bulky items take up room that could otherwise be occupied by instrumentation or people.

Crowdsourcing Project for the Health of the Oceans

Jul-14-17 By IdeaConnection
Capelin are small fish found in the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Arctic oceans. They are forage fish, which means they are an important part of the marine ecosystem as a food source of other species such as seals and puffins.  They also play a role in keeping the oceans healthy.

And the more we know about these fish the greater the insights into the health of our oceans and the animals that live there.  But therein lies the problem, because knowledge of capelin is lacking.  And so scientists are calling on the crowd to help.

Sephora’s Open Innovation Approach to New Products

Jul-07-17 By IdeaConnection
The internet has redefined the relationship between businesses and customers.  Many firms are now turning to their audience for help and insights from the very beginning of the product development process.

One of the latest companies to do this is the prominent retailer Sephora.