Friday, September 26, 2014

Home Is Where The Gadget Is

Home Is Where the Gadget Is

When people think of innovation in the household, they typically think of a huge TV screen in the living room or a new, techy appliance in the kitchen. However, innovative products can be used everywhere in your home, even in places you wouldn’t expect.

Master Bedroom

No one likes to wash clothes. Whether you take a trip to the Laundromat or haul your laundry to the basement, the chore takes all day once you’re done drying and folding. Whirlpool’s new product Swash can help you, though. Swash is a standalone “clothes refresher” that doesn’t replace your washing machine, but can refresh and de-wrinkle your clothes in between washes. In 10 minutes, you can have your favorite outfit reshaped, de-wrinkled and smelling fresh. The design is so appealing that most users even keep it in their bedrooms for convenience. Users say that Swash is perfect for your delicates and clothes that you would typically hand wash or dry clean, or items like blazers that don’t get washed often, but may need freshening up in between wears.

Bathroom

Toothbrush technology has come a long way in the past few decades. Oral healthcare went from a standard manual toothbrush to large, clunky, AA battery operated toothbrushes, to slimmer electric toothbrushes with rotating heads. Don’t even mention the changes that toothpaste and mouthwash have undergone. Just when you thought brushing your teeth couldn’t get any more innovative, along comes Kolibree, the first sonic connected toothbrush. Kolibree features 3D sensors that connect to an app and give real time feedback about the quality of your brushing. The product is especially helpful for parents and children to learn good brushing habits.  Kolibree says that their toothbrush is educational, fun, and useful for the whole family.

Kitchen

Healthy food is now trendy food. Foodies all over the world are simmering, braising, and toasting to find ways of making healthy and delicious foods a reality. Cauliflower pizza crust, portabella burgers, and Greek yogurt ice cream are making their way onto our dinner tables. For all you pasta lovers out there, there is an alternative to carby noodles: veggie noodles. The Spiralizer is a tabletop appliance that shaves whole vegetables into spiraling shapes that can be boiled (depending on the vegetable) or eaten raw.  Put a veggie, such as a zucchini, a sweet potato, or even a carrot into the device, turn a handle and ribbon-like spirals will come out. There are many recipes online that can give you ideas for low-carb meals with the help of the Spiralizer.

Kid’s Bedroom

Couch cushion and blanket forts were the ultimate toy as a child. You could hide for hours in your own little world, playing with toys or reading a book. But eventually, Mom, Dad, or a babysitter would tell you to put away the mess you made and the magic would be over. SquashBlox is a new product that allows kids to make their own forts without tearing up the living room. They are made of colored cushions that attach to each other to make tunnels, doors, castles, or anything else your child can dream of. The creators of SquashBlox say that the toy is appropriate for many ages. Infants can use it as a play mat, toddlers and preschoolers can create with the help of a grown-up, and older children can unleash their inner architect and create their own designs.  

Living Room

Living rooms are multipurpose rooms. Sometimes it’s the dining room, other times it’s the gym, and occasionally it’s a lounge.  Ideally, your furniture would be able to change along with your living room’s purpose. Sofista is a new interlocking modular sofa that can serve as one sofa, or break into a combination of different seating arrangements, such as an armchair, chaise lounge, and a bed. The minimalist design comes in a variety of neutral colors that will fit most living spaces. This furniture is perfect for a family that does a lot of entertaining or likes to redecorate frequently.

New innovations keep your home feeling fresh and up-to-date, as well as add fun flair to your everyday life. From the kid’s room to the bathroom, there is a new invention that will fit into your lifestyle. 

Which of these products are you most likely to buy? Do you have any you’d like to add to the list? 

Please Note: The products mentioned in this article are not InventHelp client inventions.

Friday, August 8, 2014

5 Technology Innovations That Are Changing Football

Get out the chips, dip, and brews; preseason football has begun. Soon we’ll see cooler weather, clashing helmets, flags and penalties and…technology? 

That’s right, technology. The century-and-a-half-year-old sport is not immune to innovation, and coming this season, there is some very cool technology making its way into the game. Let’s take a look at 5 innovations that are changing football.



1.   CONCUSSION PREVENTING HELMET 

      Riddell is working on a helmet that will help to avoid concussions by minimizing the impact of powerful hits by diffusing the blow and alerting the sideline through sensors.  The new helmet, called Speed Flex, will be rolled out on college fields this fall and may move into other leagues based on the success and reliability of the product.

In as little as a decade, we may even be able to see concussions through medical testing equipment. Concussions aren’t currently viewable on CT scans and many are missed because of this. The athletic and medical communities are making great strides to ensure players’ safety. 


2.   APPS, APPS, APPS 

      Tired of waiting in line for your $6 hotdog? NFL fields are creating apps that allow you
to order food right from your seat. If you’re sitting pretty in an expensive seat, your food can be delivered right to you. Otherwise, you have to go to a pickup location.

If you have a front-row seat on the couch at home, there is a new NFL app available to Xbox One and Windows 8 that allows you to personalize your game experience with different teams and players, media choices, and Fantasy Football. 


3.   GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY 

      Goal-line technology was unveiled during the 2014 World Cup. This method uses a series of high-speed video cameras to track the position of a ball using triangulation and then alerts officials whether the score was good or not. Although designed for tennis, cricket, and soccer, goal-line technology, or Hawk-Eye, could be easily adapted for use in the NFL.

Paul Hawkins, inventor of Hawk-Eye, has been talking to American sports leagues such as the NFL to discuss the possible integration of this technology. Goal-line technology would take out the subjective bias of referees on close calls, something that fans will appreciate. 


4.   IMPROVED DATA SYSTEMS 

      Next Gen Stats, developed by Zebra Technologies, will use real-time location system to track players and officials and collect and provide data such as speed, position, and distance. These pieces of data will be used to generate new reports and statistics that will change coaching, training, and the fans’ game experience. This works through a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag sewn into players’ jerseys.
 
“Working with Zebra will give fans, teams, coaches, and players a deeper look into the game they love,” said Vishal Shah, NFL Vice President of Media Strategy.


5.   TABLETS GALORE 

      Microsoft has partnered with the NFL to provide Surface tablets for coaches and players on the sidelines. Previously, the NFL had used Polaroid pictures or printed sheets with images and information from the play, which took up to 40 seconds to upload. Now, they only have to wait five seconds to receive information from the tablet. The tablets are operating on closed networks to prevent information from being hacked. Coaches and players aren’t Tweeting or taking video of the game, but so far, the Surface tablets have been received well in the football community. 

Safety, statistics, and fan experience seem to be the highest priorities for football innovation currently.  Now that the NFL is using apps, tablets, and concussion technology, who knows what the next few years will bring. 

What impact do you think these advances will have on football? What technology do you think the NFL should adopt?

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

How Wearable Tech is Evolving into the Coolest Gadgets Today

With the proliferation of Smartphones and the accompanying drop in prices of data, you can be connected to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Middle school children are demanding iPhones so they are able to text and connect with friends and social media networks, and Baby Boomers share Facetime with grandchildren across the country. A large portion of our society expects to be connected, and they are willing to pay the costs necessary to do so quickly and conveniently. Demand is such that innovators and entrepreneurs have moved into developing ways to connect without the inconvenience of having to hold a Smartphone in your hand. Welcome to the new and ever-expanding world of wearable technology.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

New Tech Innovations at the 2014 World Cup

World Cup Tech Innovations - InventHelp Blog
Outside of the Olympics, the World Cup is the biggest sporting event held globally. The final of the Brazil World Cup 2014 will be watched by at least 1 billion people, and the US has really been paying attention to the action this year with the match between the USA and Ghana being watched by up to 11 million ESPN viewers, a record for the channel. With so much viewership, this is the perfect spot to promote innovation and new product designs. Here are a few you should keep a look out for this year.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Tesla & the Innovation of Alternative Fuel Automobiles

My Kindergarten-age child is learning at school about energy use and the environment. She is quite concerned about our use of the car that drives her to and from school, and trips to the gas pump are met with troubled stares. “I wish there was a better way to drive,” she told me last week. “I think we are going to ruin the earth.”

My daughter is not alone in her concern. Overuse of fossil fuels and its resulting pollution scare a lot of people, no matter on what side of the political fence you stand. One solution proposed to allow us to maintain our car-dependent lifestyles while stabilizing the climate is the use of vehicles not completely dependent on gasoline. After years of false starts that forced consumers to fit their needs to the alternative-fuel car, Tesla Motors has developed vehicles that finally allow the dog to wag the tail. Tesla wants to change the world, and they just may be able to do it.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

The Future Is Now: 5 Apps That Prove The Booming Business Behind Web App Development

Business Innovation in Web Mobile App Development
If any doubt remained about the power of web application-based industry, they were wiped away by the recent news of Apple’s purported $3.2M takeover of the Dr. Dre-driven Beats Music, which is poised to provide the iTunes Radio service provider extra ammunition in its web-based rivalry against Pandora and Spotify for listener’s ears—and subscription and advertising dollars. How did virtual come to replace brick-and-mortar startups, with companies such as Netflix wiping Blockbuster Video out of existence, and what other innovative companies and clever entrepreneurs should be on our radar?

Monday, May 12, 2014

The Innovation of Bitcoin: How Does It Really Work?

Bitcoins and the exchange of oranges for currency
Exchange of goods and services happens every day around the world. Here are two scenarios in which it may occur.

1. The Middleman
I have an orange, and you want my orange. We agree that you can have my orange if you wash my car. You wash my car, and I give my orange to a stranger along with a dollar bill. That stranger hands the orange to you and keeps the dollar. You have been paid your one orange and the stranger has been paid a dollar for being the middleman in our transaction. This is how most of our monetary transactions currently happen.

2. Peer Exchange
I have an orange, and you want my orange. We agree that you can have my orange if you wash my car. You wash my car, and I give you the orange. No one has witnessed the transaction but the two of us, but we know I had an orange and gave it to you. No third party was involved, and we both got what we wanted: a sweet juicy orange and a clean car.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Game Changers: How Innovation Changed The Way We Play Golf

Golf Ball Innovation
The eyes of golf lovers worldwide are currently on the Augusta National Golf Club as Augusta, GA, hosts the 2014 Masters Golf Tournament. This ancient game, first thought to have been played by the Scots in the Fourteenth Century, is today much different than it was even a hundred years ago. Even novice golfers are playing better than ever before—the average handicap of golfers has decreased consistently over the past 15 years. What can account for this? Golf innovations have made playing easier, and recent equipment innovations have taken playing to a whole new level. Let’s look at the history of the basic rules and equipment used at the Masters Tournament today.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Innovation Defined

by Bill McHenry, President and CEO of Widgeteer, Inc.


Blue Light Bulb
in.no.va.tion (ine’vaSHen) noun: the action or process of innovating.
Synonyms: change, alteration, revolution, upheaval, transformation, metamorphosis, breakthrough. 

Everything that exists came from an idea. A seed that blossomed. A vision in the mind brought to life by will and determination in the heart to make that dream come true. From the simplest Widget to the Taj Mahal, it takes INNOVATION to create it…to see ways of improving upon that which already exists.

Innovation seems to be the buzz word of our generation…and there’s a good reason why. Read the definition. If we are not changing, altering, revolutionizing, up heaving, transforming, creating metamorphoses, and making breakthroughs, then we are stagnant and growth becomes stifled. We need to be innovating in order to be evolving.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

10 Quotes from Shark Tank’s Sharks Every Entrepreneur Should Know

10 Shark Tank Quotes Every Entrepreneur Should Know
by Mary Faller

The hit reality television show “Shark Tank”, which premiered in 2009, has been bringing entertainment to America by showcasing entrepreneurs hoping for the chance to bring their dreams to fruition. These hopefuls present their “big ideas” to the sharks – successful business people that took their own dreams and turned them into highly rewarding empires. Entrepreneurs present their ideas to these sharks in the hopes that one will invest in their idea or product, thus making their dreams a reality. 

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Innovation and the Winter Olympic Games

by Mary Faller

Winter Olympic Games - InventHelp Innovation Blog
The Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 7 through February 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. The Olympic Games have been around since the late 1800s in Athens, Greece. Each year the summer and winter Olympics showcase the talents of thousands of athletes from all over the world. It is a joining of cultures and athletic competition that never fails to excite viewers from all walks of life. The Olympics have come a long way since their introduction centuries ago. So how has innovation changed the way athletes perform and viewers watch the sports within these exciting games?

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Best and The Worst: Super Bowl 2014 Product Commercials

by Mary Faller

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched broadcasts in television and one of the main reasons, aside from the big game, is for the commercials. Businesses spend about $4 million on a 30-second spot. If they succeed in their marketing strategy, that particular commercial could be the buzz of the Internet and indeed the world. If they do not, their brand name could suffer negative buzz. We are always on the lookout for the best in innovative product marketing and advertising, so we made a list of what we thought were the best and worst of Super Bowl XLVIII.

First, let’s take a look at the best commercials:

  1. Budweiser “Puppy Love” Budweiser has been a major contributor to the commercials of past Super Bowls and with each passing year, the commercials evolve and improve. This commercial was memorable because it struck a heart chord with the adorable puppy that didn’t want to leave his best friend (the Clydesdale horse). The Clydesdale horses are a signature icon and this commercial brought heart to the major company.



Friday, January 31, 2014

Must See Tradeshows for New Product Innovation in 2014

by Mary Faller

The 2014 tradeshow schedule has been released for the world of innovative invention ideas, business owners, investors, and inventors. Specialized tradeshows for sporting goods, construction equipment, automotive, hospitality, pets, and many more categories will be held all over the United States this year. These tradeshows allow inventors and businesspeople alike to collaborate at one location, drawing attention to innovative ideas as well as exposure to potential partnerships. 

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

CES 2014: An Overview of Innovative New Products Introduced at This Year's International Tradeshow

by Mary Faller
           
Consumer Electronics Association's annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), took place January 7-10 in Las Vegas, NV with over 3,200 exhibitors that introduced about 20,000 innovative technological breakthroughs. According to an article in the Business Wire, Karen Chupka, Senior VP of CES said, “Technology of the future was widespread at the 2014 CES where executives from every major industry came to see, touch, interact and do business at the world’s intersection for innovation. Amazing new products emerged in the areas of wireless, apps, automotive, digital health and fitness, 3D printing, startup tech and so much more. It was an incredible event that brought the global tech community together and successfully celebrated and showcased the amazing innovation that is a hallmark of our industry.” This year’s tradeshow offered a buffet of delectable technological innovations that are sure to spark interest in a wide variety of consumers.

Wearable Tech
Intel Edison Smart Baby Onesie at CES 2014Some of the most innovative technological advances introduced at CES were wearable technologies. Intel showcased their new Intel Edison technology through a device that helps monitor the health of an infant. The "smart onesie" works to transmit the baby’s breathing and other vital information to a connected coffee cup. The coffee cup then reflects the child’s condition on a small digital display. Intel Edison is a newly announced computing system inside a Scan Disc (SD) card that also has Wi-Fi connectivity.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

10 of the Most Innovative Inventions in 2013

by Mary Faller

Individuals all over the world will ring in 2014 with traditions, customs, and new beginnings. Inventions of years past will aid in preparing delightful food items, illuminate the sky in celebration, and transport individuals safely to their destinations (among other things). Invention ideas generate growth in the economy and help its members in a number of positive ways. Inventions such as the car, modern medicine, the microwave, even “as seen on TV” inventions that seem silly have changed the way people live their daily lives. Inventions improve the way we think, perform, and complete daily tasks.