Transcript Slide 1

Practices of Modern Engineering
Add
Students’ comments on
Innovation
Luis San Andres
Mast-Childs Tribology Professor
http://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me489
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Comments on innovation
Does rigorous innovation actually works?? Can innovation
be forced?
Is forced innovation better that innovation that comes from
inspiration?
a) DO not confuse INNOVATION with either INVENTION or
INSPIRATION
b) Inspiration does NOT come from thin air.
“Arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity”.
INVENTION draws from experience, curiosity, and insight.
INNOVATION is creation (a new device or process) resulting
from study and experimentation
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Definitions taken from Dictionary (wordweb)
Comments on innovation
Innovation can be trained; what kind of training do we need to become
more INNOVATIVE?
How do we cultivate innovation/creativity? Is it an innate talent?
“innovation is a way of seeing things that mere mortals cannot.” Does
this mean it is an inborn ability?
INNOVATION is an ACQUIRED TRAIT (not inborn) that can be taught,
nurtured and spurred.
INNOVATION = Invention + Realization (market) follows
EXPERIENCE and PRACTICE
Qualities of INNOVATION
1. VALUE creation
2. ENABLES competitive advantage
3. MOVES into practice to FOSTER NEW products / services
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Comments on innovation
If an innovation is based on an invention patented by someone else, can
we still market it?
Only if obtaining license rights to use prior art (patent). Most cases
license your innovation to others (best if your company is small).
Rather than selling ideas to your bosses, is if better to use it for your
own and develop it?
??? – Question/comment not understood.
If innovation is developed with company resources/time and lies within
realm of expertise for which you were hired for then IDEA IS NOT Yours
to “SELL”.
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Comments on innovation
What happens once a University successfully invents via research a
product? Does the Univ. sell the knowledge to companies for
commercialization or do they freely disseminate the knowledge for
education purposes or further development?
A public University CAN NOT SELL TECHNOLOGY or INNOVATION
(it negates its educational charter or its public purpose)
All research universities have an Office of Technology Transfer and
Commercialization. The Univ. model is to LICENSE RIGHT to USE
technology (and hence receive royalties); or if developed with funds
from a company, to GRANT EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS to USE.
The model protects inventor & University by KEEPING ownership and
allowing to search for improvements if + funding is available.
Nowadays, University research is a BUSINESS. As such, it must be
profitable (no freebies).
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Innovation in Universities
Before nanotechnology can transform industries such as
energy or biotech, its innovations have to be
commercialized
Commercializing science is like commercializing any other good
or service. Once a new idea or solution to a problem is
recognized, that invention’s viability must be researched and
protected either with patents or secrecy.
The two biggest barriers to turning university discoveries
into commercialized ideas are infrastructure and business
development.
ASME Magazine, July 2009, Nano-entrepreneurship
Valerie Moore, Nano-world Headquarters
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Innovation in Universities
Infrastructure is perhaps the greatest hurdle to
commercializing high-tech inventions. Research and
development requires laboratory space and expensive scientific
equipment. In most cases, the research, because of IP issues,
must be done outside of university laboratories.
In an effort to clear this hurdle, off-campus incubators or
accelerators are being established to facilitate access to
laboratory space, and universities are increasingly offering
shared equipment programs for nominal user fees. But the
need for these sorts of relationships is still larger than the
supply.
ASME Magazine, July 2009, Nano-entrepreneurship
Valerie Moore, Nano-world Headquarters
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Comments on innovation
• When it comes to creating a product, what is more
important? Creating a need or satisfying a need?
All are important: satisfy, maintain and create
• Can Apple sue a company that is selling the iphone® look
alike for copying the outer appearance of the iphone®; as it
appears it is legal to sell these imitations. Similarly, is it
legal to sell an imitation art piece?
Yes, a company can sue another for using its name
(trade mark) w/o permission. A consumer can also
sue for being deceived. The problem is unfair
competition
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Comments on innovation
In education, National University of Singapore (NUS) enhances
innovation opportunities by implementing a design-centric curriculum
(DCC).
… BUT (another student)
If Innovation is going to be important in our future jobs, why isn’t NUS
offering the Design Centric Curriculum to every one?
Innovation has always been important, not only in
engineering. Eng. Innovation will allow you to remain
competitive in a fast pace ever-changing world.
Talk to your academic advisor (mentor). The DCC must
maximize benefits by recruiting first rated talent. Later on
benefits will cascade to others.
You have choices – exercise them!
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More comments
How is it that much of the imitation products in China are allowed
to be sold without facing prosecution by the law: SAMSUNG and
SAMSVNG cell phones.
How to be more creative?
How can one train his creativity?
How do we materialize our innovations?
How innovation is a management process?
What defines disruptive innovation?
What factors determine the success of disruptive
innovation?
How to do a good elevator speech?
What are some other indispensable qualities of engineering
What is the difference b/w science and physics?.............
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More resources
http://www.asme.org
The path to innovation
READ ME
Some companies have found a way to reach an elusive goal.
Uli Mahle, vice president of marketing at CoCreate Software, Sindelfingen, Germany
ASME Magazine, September 2007
Innovation is difficult. Creating new products is something
everyone must do, how anyone succeed? .. Despite the challenges and financial
risks, almost every company is engaged in this activity. Why? Because the
potential returns are worth the gamble.
How to:
TEAM DESIGN and NOT Design Teams
DIRTT = "Doing It Right This Time.“
Design & production must meet together
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