Case Studies
Henry Ford almost lost it all by not recognizing that an innovators job is never done
One of the secrets to being an innovator is the ability to ferret out the unspoken needs and unspoken wants of a customer and then develop a product or service that fills it. But the other secret is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and constantly improve that product or service to stay
Did you know that brandy was the unintended consequence of a medieval tax dodge?
Brandy is a distilled drink made from wine, though some forms are created from mash made from fruits other than grapes. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. It is generally served as an after dinner drink, though it is also used as the basis of mixed drinks such as brandy alexander. The name come
An innovation from Luna that could make the washer, the dryer, and the Laundromat obsolete
Right now it is just a design concept, but the Luna Wash, created by Juan Camilo Restrepo Villamizar for 2014’s Electrolux Design Challenge may be just the innovation that makes the washer, the dryer, and the laundromat obsolete. The Luna Wash is envisioned as a sphere that one fills with water and
The unintended consequence of a headache cure invented one of the most popular products in the world
Coca Cola is the most famous soft drink in existence and has penetrated almost every corner of the globe. Many do not know that Coca-Cola started as an unintended consequence when someone was attempting to invent a headache cure. Back in the 1880s John Pemberton, a struggling pharmacist, was attempt
An innovator may have just cured diabetes with the help of US taxpayers
Most people, at least outside of science circles, have never heard of Dr. Taylor Wang, an innovator and the founder of a company called Encapsulife. That may be about to change. According to a recent story in National Review, a device the company has just patented, known broadly as the “Wang Patch,”
Four companies who are using innovation to feed the world’s millions
Innovation is all about significantly improving the world through a new idea or product. With my move to Colorado and my 35 acre “ranch”, I’ve gotten back into looking at the intersection of innovation and agriculture. To feed the world’s millions as well as protecting the environment are major are
Military technology innovations to create the Navy of the future
It is no secret that a major source of innovation throughout history has been in the military such as the Navy. Researchers are always in the hunt to develop technologies to better wage war and prevail against an enemy. A recent article on the CNN website suggests that a number of innovations in mil
Are inventions at risk to cyber attacks?
New inventions are the source of the exciting changes we see in technology, media, transportation, and pretty much every aspect of our lives. Could the process of turning an idea into a real life-changing invention be at risk to cyber attacks? According to Mark Anderson, the publisher of Strategic
The Impossible Project: Take something old and make it new again.
What if your best new business idea is simply a way to make an old idea new again? That is the question asked by the drivers behind The Impossible Project, a leap of faith effort to bring back analog instant photography invented by Polaroid. In 2008, Polaroid announced it would dismantle all product
Post-It Notes: 4 Lessons for Innovators
I love the behind-the-scenes story of Post-it notes. How many of these little, yellow sorta-stickies are flagged around your house or your office? Did you know they were originally a mistake? A very fortunate mistake. As the story goes, Spencer Silver was a skilled chemist and a very smart man. In 1
