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…
I’m hoping you can join me for THINC! (Technology and Human Innovation Networking Conference), this Thursday, May 24th at EAA in Oshkosh. We’re going to discuss the global threat to American manufacturers, and why companies cannot afford to put innovation on the back burner. Three other thought leaders will join me this Thursday with THINC!…
I’ve talked before about the growing science of analytics, where companies are using data to make better decisions faster, throughout their organizations. Analytics is going beyond traditional sources into the realm of text. Analytics naturally came about as a result of today’s prolific generation of electronic data. The amount of numerical information created every day…
Innovators, whether part of a large organization or simply an individual inventor, are struggling with two things right now as they travel on their innovation journey — time and money. As I recently said in my weekly newspaper column, many have created more than enough ideas to move forward, but have a hard time getting…
No driver ever wants to nod off on those long drives, and now a French company has come up with a handy take-along device that allows you to whip up a shot of hot espresso as you travel. The company, French Handpresso, have invented and launched the Handpresso Auto E.S.E., an espresso machine built specifically…
Coffee grounds have been proven useful for new innovations in robot hands, biofuel engines for cars, warm sports clothing, and as printer ink. And now the latest: a team from The City College of New York has come up with a way to make an effective carbon filter out of coffee grounds that will soak…
As I reported in my weekly newspaper column, I recently went to China and got a first-hand look at a nation of innovation. Steeped in rich history, I learned many things about China’s softest commodity: silk! Silk is an innovation that has been around for thousands of years, but interestingly is pretty much in the…
I recently returned from an exciting few weeks in Shanghai, China, teaching, working with Innovationedge clients and studying the Chinese marketplace. As I wrote about in my weekly newspaper column, my colleague Pat Clusman and I were honored to be able to deliver innovation programs to Chinese companies, multinational organizations and government agencies at the…
