Trade.Information

Technology hunters get their hands on the world's best technologies, something remarkable happens

When Griffin Technology was developing their iTrip nano, they needed a better way to attach the player to the transmitter. So they turned to a tape dispenser they'd recently been sent by Inventables––a Chicago-based innovation company. There was nothing particularly unusual about the dispenser except that its bottom was coated with microscopic suction cups that allowed it to stick to most surfaces an unlimited number of times without losing adhesiveness or leaving a residue. The material turned out to be a perfect solution, and today every iTrip nano has a thin line of micro-suction tape that adheres it to the iPod.
Griffin Technology is just one of Inventables' many clients, a group that includes companies like Procter & Gamble, Nike and Mattel. Every quarter these companies receive samples of new technology––a piece of paper that changes colors when exposed to odors, for instance––as well as applicable concept designs (one idea for the color-shifting paper was a milk carton that could visually display when the milk soured).

Discovering these technologies takes some legwork. At any given moment, Inventables' team of "technology hunters" is combing the Internet, parsing through tradeshows, and circling the globe in hopes of finding the next micro-suction tape. The team's head, Osman Ozcanli, whittles the thousand finds per quarter down to a workable number, and every week sits with a group of designers, students and Inventables employees to brainstorm applicable concepts. But in the end, what Inventables ends up selling is no more than a way to think outside of the box. "Each company already has its own advanced research team," explains Ozcanli. "We help them make sense of technologies they aren't able to consider." Unhemmed by specifics or even practicality, they create lavish innovations giving new life to some of the world's most creative, if underutilized, technologies.

In the May issue of Popular Science, we featured one such creation: a shoe that could change its pattern with the press of a button using an invisible power source. The idea was based off of a thumb drive Ozcanli had picked up; its display showed the available storage space remaining at all times, drawing power from the computer only to update the information but requiring none while the display remained static. Here are four more concepts––some, like the Transparent Toaster, similarly distant; others tantalizingly close––and the technologies that inspired them.

About the Dream Hunters:
History
In February of 2002, Inventables was founded to help companies innovate. We set out to share our excitement for what technology makes possible with the worlds innovators.

Inventables with interviewing 50 product developers with the intention of helping these people and their companies understand and then incorporate innovative materials and technologies into their creative process.

The goal of Inventables is to bring innovation and inspiring ideas to every designer and engineer. We are driven by a perpetual curiosity about human psychology and the design process, and by a desire to celebrate human achievement.

Our intention was; and remains to empower product developers with knowledge of what is new and now possible.Our Technology Hunters find this information by sharing knowledge with designers, scouring trade shows, reading trade journals and magazines, researching foreign markets, and talking with our network of "informants."

The items we select come from five categories: materials, mechanisms, electronics, processes, and "wow" products. Included items must demonstration something new, solve a problem in a non-conventional way, or be found only in a niche market while remaining largely unknown elsewhere.

Now, a couple years have passed since the beginning of Inventables. Thousands of designers in companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Motorola, and Black & Decker--in industries that include furniture, automotive, toys, sporting goods, and consumer electronics--are being inspired by Inventables. The first products directly influenced by Inventables are emerging on store shelves. The Innovation Center as a resource is quickly becoming an integral part of the creative process. One company is even using the Inventables samples in employee interviews to help evaluate candidates' creative abilities.

We continue to receive positive feedback and ideas for improvement from all of our customers. The suggestions have helped fine tune the value Inventables provides. Our education, like that of our customers, is an exciting and never-ending process.

Developing every issue of Inventables continues to be a lot of fun, a lot of hours, and a total adventure. We are excited for the future and hope that you can join us as we inspire and educate the world's innovators.
Team
The Inventables team has a diverse set of skill sets that include mechanical, industrial, and design engineering, industrial design, and computer science.

In addition to being very strong in our domains of expertise, we've hired people that are excited about innovation and that have infectious enthusiasm for their work.
Long term - Company Mission
To build a living showcase of what’s possible to deliver inspiration and innovation to the dreamers of the world.

Short term - Product Mission
To become the indispensable employee.

Mantra
Discover What's Possible

In Images:

Security Tape
Shape-Memory Polymer
Thermally Conductive Polymer
Transparent / Reflective IMD Finish
Luminescent Nanocrystals
Extruded Spring-Hinge
Hydrophobic Sand
Custom Kicks
Transparent Toaster
Origami DVD Player
Whistle Stop Watch
Rubber Umbrella
Pocket Pal Mp3 Player

Contact :
For sales questions or general communication:
Inventables
222 W. Ontario Suite 350
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (312) 274-9941
Fax: (413) 332-0054
Accounts Payable Fax (for Invoices): (740) 931-4876
Suggestions for an item to be included in the Innovation Center:
Osman Ozcanli

Release link: http://www.inventables.com/News/Articles.asp