The crowds continue to provide wisdom when it comes to consumer desires and that’s very true in the travel industry. Lots of travel sites out there offer to find consumers the cheapest flights. Most of them use search engines to find those cut-rate fares. But one organization, Australian Flightfox, goes to their crowds to save…
We all do a lot of sitting. In our daily work routine it seems there is barely enough time to move from office chair to airplane seat to the conference room before fatigue and poor health begin to take a toll on our bodies. It’s becoming a dangerous epidemic and an occupational hazard for those…
Today there are so many ways available to share information. Collaboration and social dissemination of information are done through a variety of means including workshops, focus group sessions, communities of practice, teleconferences, video conferencing, net meetings, idea portholes and Web applications. Many corporations have also gotten a taste of the success that can come from…
We’re seeing more and more innovative ways inventors are finding to charge our battery-operated devices. Creative charging methods include a pedal-powered table, a charging handbag or a USB-equipped urban bicycle! News from Kenya reports an entrepreneur has now developed a tiny chip inserted in the sole of a shoe that can charge the wearer’s cell…
No matter where I go in the U.S., or what type of industry I work with, I see a common challenge across almost all companies. Many industries have significantly cut back the financial resources they have earmarked for innovation. This situation is having impact on innovation leaders and their teams, as well as the companies’…
Transdermal patches were approved by the FDA and first marketed in the early 1980s. They have advanced significantly since then and are now available to treat a limited variety of conditions. Most of the patches work in the same general way: Medicine is applied to the adhesive side of a patch that is placed on…
Manufacturers today are facing a broad array of challenges as they strive to develop products faster, improve efficiencies, and streamline their marketing and sales organizations. Manufacturing is a diverse field, but there are common themes among many of the businesses that represent the industry. This includes the need to reduce time and cost to market,…
I was surprised to discover how easy it is to create urban farms in areas where people most need inexpensive, fresh food. Urban-farming is really taking off in cities such as Detroit and Cleveland. Check out this article from Fast Company, on how cities can transform disused land into tomorrow’s (healthy) dinner: 4 Tips For…
One retailer in Asia is doing something innovative to attract shoppers during those quiet times when most stores are empty. Korean retailer Emart set up several 3D QR code sculptures throughout Seoul that –when the sun shines on them just right–can be scanned for discounts. Shoppers need to scan between the peak sun hours of…
As part of my innovation consulting efforts, I’m getting more heavily involved in the area of biomimicry and the idea of using nature as a guide to providing technological insights. The exploration of nature and its processes to yield innovative solutions to complex problems is an interesting and novel approach that not only researchers, but…
