Perspectives on Innovation

I was trained as a sensory psychologist and after a couple of academic positions lucked onto a career in R&D. I have spent most of the last 15 years working in sensory research and human factors in the medical device industry (SOLA International and Carl Zeiss Vision). I heard about InnoCentive when I was managing a product development area and we were looking to improve the product innovation process. In particular, I was impressed with the ideas Charles Leadbeater was promoting about new models for collaborative innovation in the future.

With this in mind, I believe the model set out by InnoCentive, combined with the ever increasing connectedness of the planet, is a major step in the right direction. It is clear to me that collaborative innovation and other forms of networking with customers are going to be the basis of some great innovations as we move forward.

I’m also excited to see many newer companies starting life with collaborative innovation built into the fabric of their organization. I currently work for Image-Line Software, an innovative Belgian company that makes music/audio production, DJ & web development software. Their business and product development model is how I think the smart, flexible, companies will organize themselves in an increasingly capricious marketplace. That is, they have a globally distributed workforce, many of whom work via the net from home, and tightly integrated customer relationships through social media networking and their own forums. Watching the to-and-fro of ideas between customers and the software developers on their forums and social media sites is to experience collaborative innovation in action every day.

I think the big challenge is for traditional and established companies to take on these values open innovation, as the processes usually fall under layers of confidentiality and trade secret provisions. I have noticed that it is particularly difficult for the IP department, who squirm at the thought of opening up the R&D process and the complexities of IP ownership. That’s where I see InnoCentive providing a valuable mediation role between the great mass of customers/thinkers and the internal R&D processes. But I digress, I am just passionate about the opportunities in this area and would love to see more of this type of collaboration.

Interestingly, my work background had little to do with the challenge I solved. It was more about keeping an eye on the challenges and then one day a problem appears that makes your heart race, you have an answer! There are millions of answers out there just waiting for a problem, all companies need to do is pose the challenge.

PS: If you want to know what I am doing in the bio pic, recording the sound of Bees, you can hear and download the recording from another wonderful collaborative site (Freesound) here…

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=59451

Regards

Scott Fisher

2010 is already a big year for innovative film-making – “Avatar” won the best film award at the Golden Globes. The history behind the movie is already blockbuster legend: James Cameron had to shelve this idea twelve years ago because the technology and film techniques did not exist in 1994. In 2005, confident that the technology had finally caught-up to his vision, he started work on “Avatar”. It is now considered to be a breakthrough in film-making technology, developed with cameras specifically designed for its production, and has boosted the techniques of 3D viewing and stereoscopic film-making exponentially.

My favorite movie innovation is one that is more within the movie as opposed to an actual technique. In 2002, Spielberg released this film called “Minority Report”, about a “precrime” police officer, played by Tom Cruise, who apprehended criminals based on the foreknowledge of three psychics called “precogs”. Whilst that in itself is pretty forward-thinking way of handling crime, I want to focus on what has become known as the “mall scene”. Check out the video from YouTube: this is the scene where Tom Cruise (who is trying very hard to be anonymous) walks into the mall and his retinas are getting scanned by 3D advertising screens. The screens subliminally call his name to get his attention and tell him a store has jeans in his size or the shirt style he last bought at such-and-such a store is on sale, etc.

I am simultaneously impressed and alarmed at the potential to be reached in such a focused and intimate manner. This concept is certainly not new – current web ads, for example, are banners of brands and items you have searched. But the ads in the movie were calling you by name! Oooo…..

Current shivers notwithstanding, tell us some innovations you’ve noticed in movies that you think are cool, and why!

This is a big thanks to all of you who have voted for ASSET India in Round II of the $1 Million JP Morgan/ Chase Giving Facebook voting contest. If you haven’t been able to as yet, you have until midnight on January 22^nd to cast your vote.

ASSET India is a noble non-profit organization who provides marginalized women and children in rural India access to the skills and knowledge needed to escape the sex trade. They hope to use the $1 million prize money to give 5,000 women and children access to literacy programs.  They will also produce wireless routers to enable access to their programs for those living in rural areas. The program is currently limited to 500 due to space and resource limitations so this prize would dramatically increase the program’s impact and enrollment.

We ask you to support ASSET India’s efforts by voting for them. As evidenced by film producer Pat Loewi’s video of students at the ASSET center Delhi, ASSET India’s programs do much to enable women and children to escape the sex trade environment by arming them with knowledge, self-confidence and purpose.

The voting link is: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/717045

Their target is 100,000 votes and we can help them reach their goal.

Thanks so much for your help!

In September 2008, a very important Challenge was solved by the InnoCentive community.  The Challenge was to create technology for a solar-powered wireless router to provide marginalized women and children in rural India access to the skills and knowledge needed to escape the sex trade.  This noble Seeker is the non-profit organization ASSET India. Today, you have the opportunity to help ASSET India further its cause to help at risk women and children in India.

ASSET India has won Round I of the $1 Million JP Morgan/Chase Giving Facebook voting contest, and they are now eligible for the Round II voting contest.  Voting starts at midnight January 15th and ends at midnight on January 22nd. The highest vote-getter receives the prize of $1 million. If ASSET India wins, they will use this money to give 5,000 women and children access to literacy programs.  They will also produce wireless routers to enable access for those in rural areas. The program is currently limited to 500 due to space and resource limitations so this prize would dramatically increase the program’s impact and enrollment.

InnoCentive is proud to be associated with such an organization, and we ask you to support ASSET India’s efforts by voting for them. Their literacy programs not only give women and children an opportunity to have a legitimate alternate livelihood by getting out of sex trade environment, but also give them knowledge, self-confidence and a purpose to better their lives, as captured so eloquently by documentary film producer Pat Loewi in this video of students at the ASSET center Delhi.

The voting link is: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/717045

Their target is 100,000 votes and we can help them reach their goal.

Thanks so much for your help!

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was split apart by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake. Their beautiful capital with the lyrical name, Port-of-Prince is devastated. The death toll is in the thousands and slowly rising due to injuries and over-taxed medical help. As one of the world’s poorest countries, Haiti has become entirely dependent on the help of the outside world. Please join InnoCentive and support the Haiti Earthquake relief efforts through American Red Cross or Global Giving.