Most current media talk on innovation focuses on Silicon Valley-type tech. And with good reason. New technology can have a huge impact on how we live our lives.
But breakthrough innovation is happening in other fields too. Here are 3 fields where interesting things are happening.
RUNNING
There is a growing movement towards going without heavily cushioned running shoes. Why?
Running barefoot makes it impossible to land heel first, as most people do when they wear cushioned running shoes. Instead, the side and front of the foot make first contact with the ground. Muscles in the foot work to absorb the shock, which reduces loading on the joints. Humans have been running like this for millions of years, without the joint injuries that many runners experience today. There is a fascinating TED talk on the subject here.
A number of products have arrived on the market that mimic the effect of running barefoot, without sacrificing the benefits of a rubber sole. One popular brand in this relatively new category is Vibram.
And if imitation is any measure of popularity, counterfeit versions of the brand’s shoes are prolific.
The U.S. athletic footwear market generates about $9.5 billion in annual sales.
MEDICINAL FOODS
‘Functional foods’ are foods that claim to have health-promoting or disease-preventing qualities beyond their basic function of supplying nutrients.
Although this idea isn’t new, the recent version of the field originated in Japan in the mid-80s, where product-driven scientific studies were undertaken.
The issue with creating a market of any scale for these products has always been regulatory: any claimed health benefits have to be backed up with scientific data, and for many manufacturers, any health benefits have been difficult to prove.
But if anyone has the experience to conduct research and gather the necessary data, it’s the pharmaceutical industry.
Nestle is looking to bring that pharmaceutical discipline to the category with The Nestle Health Sciences Institute. In partnership with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, a respected research university, it aims to create products that can help tackle obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, aging and neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s.
Nestle will be creating products to supply a market that is expected to be worth $128bn by 2013.
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Extreme sports have always been well filmed, but from a safe distance. The nature of the sports made a first person POV difficult and dangerous to capture without expensive, professional equipment.
But one company has changed that.
GoPro have created a range of 3 basic digital cameras, protective casings and clamps that can attach to helmets, boards, car exteriors, bike handlebars and any other piece of equipment designed to bring the user to within a safe distance of death.
An entire kit costs about the same as a basic consumer digital camera, and the high quality images have made them popular with professionals and amateurs alike.
Videos are being created from angles not previously possible for the general public, and each one that’s shared, it’s an ad for the product.
In 2009, sales of all pocket camcorders were just over $2 billion world-wide, on unit sales of 13.6 million.
PERSONAL TRANSPORT
Bicycle sharing systems have existed off and on in various European cities since the 60s. But without fail, the majority of bikes would end up stolen or at the bottom of a canal.
Bicycle sharing systems have existed off and on in various European cities since the 60s. But without fail, the majority of bikes would end up stolen or at the bottom of a canal.
Through a series of innovations, various systems have made the bikes harder and less attractive to steal. The bikes themselves are heavy to lift, and have their own system of parts (which can’t be used on other bikes) and they lock into electronic docking stations around a city. Users need an access key to release the bikes, which links to their credit card information. Failure to return it within a given time period results in extra charges.
There are a number of systems around the world, but the Bixi system from Montreal has expanded to various cities, including Toronto, London (UK), Melbourne and a number of US cities.
Bixi posted a $1.5m profit in the fiscal year ended January 2010. It is owned by the City of Montreal, and is in the process of being spun off as an autonomous company.
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