Look Outside Your Box for Ideas

It has been written that Steve Jobs knew how to make connections…the magnetic ac adaptor for the macs were actually a connection he made between his products and the magnetic power chords that accompanied woks selling in Japan as a safety precaution. The magnetic ac power adaptor was an impressive innovation.

Picture a wok simmering away and a child running through, tripping on the chord, knocking the wok over, contents going everywhere, 3rd degree burns…Enter the magnetic ac adaptor – wok is simmering away, child runs through, trips on the chord, chord comes away…Jobs made a connection, adopted the idea – and adapted it for the Macs. If you tripped on the chord, the computer wouldn’t come crashing down…

Human beings are adaptable creatures. Maybe we should ask more often how we can adopt and adapt ideas from one industry into another industry. A great example of this being accomplished successfully is the use of sensors. Sensors are used in homes and in businesses as triggers for security systems. Sensors trigger the alarm if anyone breaks into your home or business – or in my case if a spider crawls over them. The auto industry adopted the use of senors for other security reasons – to prevent accidents. The technology of sensors has been adapted to assist people with sight impairments – same concept – adopted into different industries.

And look at how the mobile phone has evolved. From the early days when it was simply a way of making a mobile call, to its modern day morphises of call maker, txt sender, email receiver, music source, picture taker, film producer, game source – one idea – so many different applications – oh applications!

Which brings us to the collaboration of ideas and that opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Richard Branson’s space shuttle, when it takes off, will be an historic occasion bringing together space travel and tourism. Can you think of two more remotely connected industries coming together to create a new possibility…