Leadership & Business: Innovating American Inventor

Interesting Innovations

Street Heat:
Ever burn your foot walking on hot asphalt in the summer? That’s because black absorbs heat—while white reflects it. Well, in case you haven’t noticed, modern cities are covered in the black stuff. Dutch construction firm Ooms is now heading its headquarters by running water pipes under the street. Some of them collect heat in the summer and run deep into the ground where they heat water via a heat exchanger. That heated water is stored for winter—a sort of battery, if you will. In fact to take it a step further, the water is returned to the ground after heating the building, by passing under the street again. The residual heat in the water, now only a few degrees above freezing, melts any snow or ice on the road surface. The water is then stored—used cold to cool the building—before being run under the asphalt again to prepare for winter. Brilliant!

Innovating American Inventor

Last night I caught Simon Cowell on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno discussing his new show American Inventor. Cowell told Leno that he created the show with the idea that he would be choosing from among hundreds of really innovative new inventions to find the most spectacular “next big thing.”

Overall, Cowell said, the “eureka moments” of the contestants did not translate into true innovation. Some inventors solved problems that didn’t need solving.

As he sat there telling Jay how he had hoped to find the “next big thing” and be forced to choose between some remarkable inventions, I sat there thinking how they lost out on a fantastic opportunity.

They didn’t have to scour the country for the rare person who can capitalize on a “eureka moment.” Imagine what would have happened if the producers had given a group full of new ideas a little training on the process of innovation to create a highly competitive show.

I’m sure American Inventor will be as stupid, zany, scripted, ridiculous, hilarious and charming as American Idol, but it’s still a shame. Had they gathered some inventors and given them some training, the show could have produced some amazing inventions.

It’s just another example of how misunderstood the real process of innovation is – in corporate America and in the mainstream.

Ps. Check out all the cool Crib Sheet statistics on the American Inventor website.