NewLaunches points to this elegant and strangely retro alarm clock. It makes me think of the switchable plates used in the Enigma machine
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Under Pressure
We can add this to the plethora of blood pressure reduction devices:
Benefits: you can use this while you work without too much interference, and you can probably make best use of it while you are waiting for downloads to process and programs to open up, both stressful points when you are operating under pressure. On the downside, it probably does not really work.
Thankfully, many offices are pushing 20-30 minute afternoon naps, which do seem to have a positive side effect.
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Refrigerator
This is a great concept for a refrigerator.
Question: How else can we use the real estate on the front of the refrigerator. Home bakers often let the bread rise on the top of a refrigerator, for example, so why not a warm "rising box" on the top section. I could also see some slightly stronger door hinges combined with a set of hanging tool aprons. Need pens and pencils: right on the front of the fridge. Other concepts could include thick refrigerator doors plus akido pads for morning workouts or a refrigerator with a fold down "emergency shelf" just in case you have taken the eggs out but have no countertop space to work with. The dry erase fridge (or the chalkboard fridge) beat any of those suggestions.
I suspect that we would have more multifunction refrigerator doors if kitchen space were highly valued. I should look at the functionality offered by Japanese/ Korean apartment refrigerators, for example.
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Devolo
devolo dLan has gotten some recent coverage at OhGizmo:
This is all fascinating and the household appliance angle may make it easier for users who are setting up a first home network, but I sincerely hope that someone at devolo is approaching hospitals and airports and other arenas where internet cable installs are a pain and where wifi networks can cause problems with interference. There might be a quality testing hurdle here, to make sure that the product does not degrade the power stability to the MRI & etc, but signal over electric could really help hospitals deploy interference-free networks that are easy to reconfigure.
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Medgadget points to an elegant solution to screw removal in surgery. I'd like to speak with the biomedical engineering students at John's Hopkins and ask them about the way that they arrived at the solution. In particular I like the aspect of reconfiguring the device mid procedure:
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Military Team Simulation Software
There has been a good deal of interest in team formation at Innosight & seein' as innovators and military teams both operate in rapidly changing, low information environments, it might be interesting to apply military team optimization software to innovation.
From Gizmag:
To extend that thought, a fast developing battlefield situation will always be more hectic and intense than anything in the R&D lab. Despite this, the military does a decent job of adapting to a wide variety of situations on the ground without losing their overall cohesiveness. They are able to do this in large part because they have been trained in basic procedures and are trained to solve the very bottom level problems (how to fire and clean a rifle, how to pack a bag, how to communicate over a radio) in a consistent manner. This allows higher level adaptation.
In the design lab, can we find comparable routines? What is the design lab equivalent of using standard call signals? Would establishing and training on some procedures allow us to concentrate on higher value innovative work with fewer organizational complaints?
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Core77 Vacuum Cleaner
core77 points to a great new vacuum cleaner design. Now I want to develop "Mr. Potato Head" style play appendages that can be attached to any number of household implements
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Under Pressure
We can add this to the plethora of blood pressure reduction devices:
Benefits: you can use this while you work without too much interference, and you can probably make best use of it while you are waiting for downloads to process and programs to open up, both stressful points when you are operating under pressure. On the downside, it probably does not really work.
Thankfully, many offices are pushing 20-30 minute afternoon naps, which do seem to have a positive side effect.
==========================================================================
Refrigerator
This is a great concept for a refrigerator.
Question: How else can we use the real estate on the front of the refrigerator. Home bakers often let the bread rise on the top of a refrigerator, for example, so why not a warm "rising box" on the top section. I could also see some slightly stronger door hinges combined with a set of hanging tool aprons. Need pens and pencils: right on the front of the fridge. Other concepts could include thick refrigerator doors plus akido pads for morning workouts or a refrigerator with a fold down "emergency shelf" just in case you have taken the eggs out but have no countertop space to work with. The dry erase fridge (or the chalkboard fridge) beat any of those suggestions.
I suspect that we would have more multifunction refrigerator doors if kitchen space were highly valued. I should look at the functionality offered by Japanese/ Korean apartment refrigerators, for example.
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Devolo
devolo dLan has gotten some recent coverage at OhGizmo:
We’ve written about devolo dLAN products before because quite frankly the company makes some interesting network accessories. You see instead of rewiring your house with network cable the dLAN system allow you to use your existing electrical wiring for transmitting data. One of their latest products now uses that dLAN technology to extend your network even further via wifi.
This is all fascinating and the household appliance angle may make it easier for users who are setting up a first home network, but I sincerely hope that someone at devolo is approaching hospitals and airports and other arenas where internet cable installs are a pain and where wifi networks can cause problems with interference. There might be a quality testing hurdle here, to make sure that the product does not degrade the power stability to the MRI & etc, but signal over electric could really help hospitals deploy interference-free networks that are easy to reconfigure.
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Medgadget points to an elegant solution to screw removal in surgery. I'd like to speak with the biomedical engineering students at John's Hopkins and ask them about the way that they arrived at the solution. In particular I like the aspect of reconfiguring the device mid procedure:
First, a small incision is made near the expected site of a tiny orthopedic screw that needs removal. The probe is then inserted to help the doctor home in on the head of the screw. Its movements can be observed by the C-arm fluoroscope imaging equipment often used in these operations....When the screwhead is found, the coil detector is carefully removed from the probe's hollow tube. This two-part design resembles the cannula and trocar tools commonly used in biopsies. After the coil detector segment is taken out, the doctor inserts a screwdriver through the tube section, which remains perfectly positioned for removal of the screw.
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Military Team Simulation Software
There has been a good deal of interest in team formation at Innosight & seein' as innovators and military teams both operate in rapidly changing, low information environments, it might be interesting to apply military team optimization software to innovation.
From Gizmag:
...we’re pleased to note the release of some new software designed to forge a highly functional team when the job is mission critical. Aptima’s DDD 4.0 is simulation software for military and civilian organizations involved in planning and preparing for complex team-based missions. A desktop software application, DDD is unique in its ability to cover a wide range of scenarios, including AWACS air battle management, civilian disaster response, search and rescue, Joint Task Force command decision-making, and business management. A fully functional 30-day evaluation copy can be downloaded for free
To extend that thought, a fast developing battlefield situation will always be more hectic and intense than anything in the R&D lab. Despite this, the military does a decent job of adapting to a wide variety of situations on the ground without losing their overall cohesiveness. They are able to do this in large part because they have been trained in basic procedures and are trained to solve the very bottom level problems (how to fire and clean a rifle, how to pack a bag, how to communicate over a radio) in a consistent manner. This allows higher level adaptation.
In the design lab, can we find comparable routines? What is the design lab equivalent of using standard call signals? Would establishing and training on some procedures allow us to concentrate on higher value innovative work with fewer organizational complaints?
==========================================================================
Core77 Vacuum Cleaner
core77 points to a great new vacuum cleaner design. Now I want to develop "Mr. Potato Head" style play appendages that can be attached to any number of household implements
