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Help NASA Boost Power to the International Space Station

Jan-18-13 By IdeaConnection
“Ye cannae change the laws of physics!” was the oft repeated cry of the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise. You are right Scotty, but as you so often did on Star Trek, you can make them work better for you.

In the real world of space exploration scientists are increasingly turning to open innovation and the crowd to help them discover more about our solar system and the Universe.

NASA’s latest open innovation challenge, The Longeron Shadowing Optimization Challenge, is a public competition to make the energy-gathering solar arrays of the International Space Station (ISS) more efficient. With more power scientists can conduct more experiments.

Prize Money on Offer for Super Bowl Ad Ideas

Jan-16-13 By IdeaConnection
Viewers of NBC’s hit show “The Office” will be familiar with Dunder Mifflin the fictional paper products company that the mockumentary is based on.

Well, it’s also now a real paper product, the fruits of a partnership between NBC Universal and paper company Quill.

To promote the product and bring it to a wider audience the Dunder Mifflin brand has a Super Bowl ad spot. And that’s where you come in.

The Kickstarter for Solar Could Make You Money

Jan-14-13 By IdeaConnection
Mosaic is a solar project financing company that aims to be the ‘Kickstarter for solar’. Last week it launched a new online platform that lets individuals invest as little as $25 in solar initiatives.

Within 24 hours the first project had attracted 400 investors who pitched in $313,325 to fully fund a number of rooftop solar projects. Investments ranged from $25 to $3,000. The average investment amount was nearly $700.

The big difference between Mosaic and Kickstarter is that it promises to pay investors a return, with an interest rate that varies from one project to another.

Planetary Scientists Need Your Help to Study the Climate on Mars

Jan-12-13 By IdeaConnection
A group of scientists wants the crowd to help them study the weather on Mars. The research is beyond the capability of current computing so it is best carried out by people power. There are also far too many images for the scientists to go through on their own.

Planet Four is a new citizen science project that is asking the public to analyze hundreds of thousands of images of the Martian surface to identify characteristic features that will help planetary scientists better understand the climate of Mars.

More Accurate Public Transport Data Courtesy of the Crowd

Jan-10-13 By IdeaConnection
Getting from A to B could become a whole lot easier thanks to the crowd and a new app called Moovit.

This crowdsourced transit app for iOS and Android is free to download and can determine accurate arrival times of trains and buses and the level of crowding from user locations.

Can you Crowdsource a Hit Record?

Jan-09-13 By IdeaConnection
We are used to seeing success stories of crowdsourcing initiatives improving innovation in industry and society - but can mass collaboration produce a hit record?

Swedish DJ and producer Avicii has partnered with mobile networking giant Ericsson to experiment with a crowdsourced music composition.

Big Money Prizes for BMW Prototypes

Jan-05-13 By IdeaConnection
The BMW Urban Driving Experience Challenge had one goal - transform a BMW or Mini into a “socially responsible machine that contributes to our global well-being.”

That’s quite a vague challenge as crowdsourcing contests deliver the best results when challenges are tightly scoped. But BMW received a plethora of great ideas from which three winners emerged.

New Challenges from IdeaConnection

Jan-01-13 By IdeaConnection
Get your new year off to a flying start with a healthy increase to your bank balance. IdeaConnection has launched two brand new technology scouting challenges and both offer five guaranteed awards of $1,000.

Can you help companies by uncovering technology leads for…?

Will 2013 Be a Bonanza Year for Crowdfunding?

Dec-31-12 By IdeaConnection
Before the champagne flows and the fireworks pop New Year’s Eve is a time of predictions. And there’s one in particular that has caught our attention.

According to a guest post on the Forbes website by David Drake, founder and chairman of LDJ Capital, a New York City private-equity firm, ‘crowdfunding will make 2013 the year of the gold rush.’

Crowd to Tackle Killer Fungus

Dec-30-12 By IdeaConnection
Ash dieback is a killer fungus that is threatening Britain’s woodland areas.  Experts say it poses a real threat to the country’s 80 million ash trees, and since its presence was confirmed in October 2012 the disease has received extensive media coverage.

To try and beat the fungus, scientists are seeking the wisdom of the crowd to help analyse some of its genes.