'Technology push' is when the technology has been developed but the need must be created. Developing a new market.
Sometimes this is by a creative individual who has the knowledge and
imagination to realise its significance and the practical skills to transform
the idea or discovery into an invention.
'Market pull' is when a business has a need for a product and technology develops to fill that need, defining a market. The stimulus for innovation comes from the needs of society or a particular
section of the market.
Both 'push' and 'pull' scenarios contribute toward the innovative use of technology
Sometimes a designer will design a new or improved product just because they believe that the very existence of the product will create market pull. Designs like this may either succeed or fail, depending on consumer demand, how innovative the product is, and the state of the market at the time.
An example of 'Technology push' include the first Sony walkman which was created because the chairman of Sony got tired of travelling with the companies existing portable stereo because of its weight. Sony embarked on an aggressive marketing plan by targeting teenagers hoping that the walkman would become associated with youth and leisure activities. Their marketing plan was successful.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Friday, 5 April 2013
Solar Power
The Sun powers
our planet. Every day it bathes us in 10,000 times more energy that we consume.
Just an hour's worth of sun power could electrify our world for a year.
As power is
becoming more expensive for the average household and the new hydro power
systems needed to keep up with New Zealand’s demands. I think more and more
people will be turning to alternative means of powering and heating their
homes. I predict that a lot of buildings will be required to have solar panels.
One key thing
with finding alternative sources of power is to look at the technologies we
use. For instance we already have solar powered gadgets such as garden lights,
torches and calculators. However we need to be looking at our every day gadgets
and how to make them solar powered.
In 2011,
Southland was given the green light to launch the Southland Solar Pilot
project. The goal is to install monitored solar hot water systems on 20 homes
and 5 businesses across the region to show how solar can help reduce
electricity costs and help offset climate change. The business is working to
help create a cleaner world and a sustainable future and has a goal - Transform
New Zealand’s electricity base to be 100 percent renewable by 2020. http://www.solarcity.co.nz/node/295
Holographic TV
Even
in the last decade the humble TV has come a long way. TV sets keep changing. We
now have better images, flatter screens and new features. TVs are still rapidly
evolving and it is only fair to think that we will be getting holographic TV’s.
"Japanese
tech-heads revealed proposals to FIFA this week to host the 2022 World Cup,
offering with it holographic broadcast to the globe. The Japanese have proposed to capture all 360 degrees of
World Cup matches using up to 200 HD cameras, the footage from which then be
used to project life like full 3D images onto genuine football fields over the
world". http://www.techhive.com/article/196844/Japan_Proposes_Global_Holographic_World_Cup_Broadcast.html
The matches
would be shown on giant screens or, if technological advances in coming years
allow, projected like a real match onto the pitch itself, giving viewers the
illusion of watching the real thing. While the idea seems something out of a
science fiction film, the hope is to have the technology in place by 2016. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNVZsxBSbgXx268O16flQfqXOs_w
This is quite
mouth watering really, I could watch a game at Waikato Stadium as if it was
happening right in front of my eyes, where actually the game is taking place in
Japan. We will have holographic players moving around the field.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Future of Trains
After reading
Andrews blog about ‘travelling like a speeding bullet’ and having spent a good
three years travelling around the world I was quite excited what could be yet
to come. Currently quick long distance travel is undertaken by air. However
with oil prices increasing, air travel is expensive and with more congestion at
airports, trains could be our future.
We have seen steam,
oil and electric trains, but how will it be powered in the future?
New technologies
such as magnetic levitation or maglev trains increase train speed
even more. These trains don’t have wheels but rather travel on superconducting
magnetic rails. The train is pretty much floating over a guide way using the
basic principles of magnets.
Evacuated
Tube Transport is a futuristic high-speed airless vacuum travel system that
will have us travelling in a tube around the world in just 6 hours.
Imagine combining the two technologies. In the
future we may see magnetic levitating trains travelling in vacuum tunnels at
speeds that are mind blowing?
Space Tourism
Space tourism could be the next big thing. The
prospect of safe and affordable travel into space is one that excites many
people. People have always desired to visit exotic locations, and what could be
more exotic than a whole other planet or looking back down onto the Earth.
Space Tourism is the
term that's come to be used to mean ordinary members of the public buying
tickets to travel to space and back. Many people find this idea futuristic. But
over the past few years a growing volume of professional work has been done on
the subject, and it's now clear that setting up commercial space tourism
services is a realistic target for business today.
One main problem about Space Tourism is that it is
too expensive to get there. Mainly due to launch vehicles being expendable. Currently,
the only vehicles that can take you into space are the space shuttle and the
Russian Soyuz, both of which are terribly inefficient. Each spacecraft requires
millions of pounds of propellant to take off into space, which makes them
expensive to launch. One pound of payload costs about $10,000 to put into Earth
orbit.
A number of companies are now working diligently on
their aircraft so that they can send space tourists into low earth orbit within
the next year or two. Richard Branson has confirmed that his company will
commence with space tourism. You can see a clip of Richard Branson talking about
his new launch with Virgin Galactic.
Therefore once it does become a commercial service
the next question is how to afford a ticket. The price for a seat with Virgin
Galatic are seen below:
Pioneer Astronaut
– The Earliest Available Seat
Deposit - US$200k full payment up front
Our most popular reservation and nearly sold out
Join the community of over 500 future astronauts
Secure one of the last remaining seats among the
first 500 to fly
Expect to be among the first 1000 humans to have
travelled to space
Priority access to Galactic events, milestones and
trips
Pioneer welcome and confirmation package
Guarantee the price of $200k for your spaceflight
Voyager Astronaut
– Join the Waiting List for a Later Seat
Deposit - $20k
Join the community of over 500
future astronauts
Secure a spot on the waiting list after the first
500 to fly
Take part in the Galactic milestones, events and
trips
Voyager welcome and confirmation package
Guarantee the price of $200k for your spaceflight
Spaceship Charter
$1 million
An exclusive spaceflight for you and up
to 5 friends
Pioneer status for all 6 seats
6 seats for the price of 5
Where will people stay once in space? The Hilton
Hotels has shown interest in the space tourism industry and the possibility of
building or co-funding a space hotel. However, the company did say that it
believes such a space hotel is 15 to 20 years away.
Therefore within the next 20 years, space planes
could be taking off for another planet or the Moon, at the same frequency as airplanes
flying on Earth.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Battery Powered Vehicles
Continuing on
from one of my previous blogs about Driverless cars, there was an interesting
article about the electric C5. This is a battery electric vehicle invented by
Sir Clive Sinclair launched in 1985.
Not only are companies trying to invent cars that can drive themselves
but also cars that can operate on alternative methods to gas.
Petrol is
getting more expensive and you can’t help think that the world is going to run
out. How will we travel from A to B when it does?
Back in 1985
when Sinclair launched the C5, I think he was well ahead of his time. I think the reason the C5 was not successful
was battery technology was not as good as it is today and also because the
price of fuel was significantly lower nearly 30 years ago. Also today, motors
are smaller, cheaper, and more powerful than those used by Sinclair.
These days
battery and electric motor technology is catching up, and with the higher fuel
prices, we may see a major trend towards electric vehicles. These can be
seen already with the development of Hybrid cars. The public today are probably more
accepting of battery powered vehicles.
Batteries for
electric and hybrid cars will drop over the next 10 years to a more affordable
level.
Some other alternative
that are currently being developed:
-
Compressed air
-
Hydrogen fuel cells
-
Ethanol
-
Vegetable oil
-
Water
-
Wood pellets
Inventions such
as the Segway are more successful because it is appealing to everybody, it
looks practical, fun to use, is compact, and is making use of more powerful
compact batteries and electric motors.
Nanotechnology - Never Wet
Never Wet - not only keeps items DRY, but CLEAN
too.
Ross Nanotechnology have developed a 100%
waterproof spray called Never Wet. You can virtually spray it on anything, such
as shoes seen in the image opposite, that you wish to keep clean and dry.
It repels all liquids, heavy oils, ice,
dirt, even bacteria, pretty much anything. For example when liquids are spilt
onto a surface coated with Never Wet, the liquid literally rolls completely off
the surface without leaving a trace.
Ross Nanotechnology uploaded a
demonstration video of an iPhone coated in Never Wet, which was submerged
inside a bowl of water for 30 minutes remaining completely functional
afterwards.
Whats for the future, will this product be
for consumer use? or will it be a product that only companies, and the
manufacturing industry will be allowed to use. Rubbermaid has already announced their new plunger that has a Never Wet
coating.
Also see link below for other demonsatratons,
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