We all know that innovation is important. It is key for the growth of any company and is capable of decreasing costs and environmental impact or increasing safety. Innovation can come internally, but more frequently is it coming from collaborations with domain-knowledge specialists or in partnership with firms having complementary technology. It doesn’t make sense for a hotel to develop its own robots from scratch, for example, no matter how innovative that hotel is. Happy reading.
Co-create or Die? The Future Landscape of Innovation
“An absolute pre-requisite for innovation in the digital age is… the ability to transform data into insight.” Linking with partners forestalls innovating within a silo. Co-creating with technology specialists has been shown to accelerate the process and yield a richer result.
The Manufacturer, November 2017
Monitoring System Aims to Reduce Train Door Failures
Seventy percent of passenger injuries occur at doorways. Remotely monitoring door vibrations can increase safety by enabling earlier intervention for predicted problems. The key is to infer performance by astutely interpreting the data.
Railway Technology, January 2018
Project is Designed to Transform the Maintenance of Rail Vehicles
Global Railway Review, February 2018
Smoothing Pipeline Flow Could Slash Energy Costs
A project to better understand the fundamental physics behind something as routine as fluid in pipe flow has resulted in the potential for a huge decrease in worldwide energy consumption. Additional engineering is still needed to convert the research into a practical product.
IMechE News, January 2018
Henn-Na Hotel: What It’s Like To Stay in A Japanese Hotel Staffed By Robots
In this case the term robots isn’t metaphoric, but literal. It’s ironic that the check-in desk is monitored by a dinosaur. Perhaps there is a metaphor here. Do you tip the giant claw that handles your luggage?
The Independent, December 2017