5 Tips to Increase Your Creativity and Silence Your Inner Critic

We all have some creativity inside of us, even those who like to claim that they don’t. And when you’re trying to come up with a new, revolutionary idea, you need that creativity to come to the forefront. Unfortunately, many people get stopped in their tracks by their inner critic. That is, they end up being their own worst enemy—telling themselves that they can’t accomplish what they set out to do, either because it’s too difficult or they aren’t smart or creative enough. This is where many people’s dreams die, but it doesn’t have to be that way. At Pivot, we specialize in helping turn ideas into reality, so we thought we’d bring you some of the best ways to turn off your inner critic and let your creativity flow.

• The first thing you need to do is find that voice in your head that’s criticizing and holding you back. Many times we become so used to it that the voice is just a daily part of our lives. Identify it and become aware of what you’re thinking, so that next time you’ll realize when your negative thoughts start to drag you down.
• Stop thinking about past failures. This is important, because pretty much all of us are going to fail at some point or another, and hardly anyone becomes successful on their very first try. If you keep thinking about your past failures, and letting your inner critic tell you that you’ll never get it right, then you’re already digging yourself a hole. Focus on solving the problem in front of you now, and bringing your idea to life.
• Replace those overly critical thoughts with more accurate statements that give you some credit. Maybe your first shot at developing a product failed. Is it actually accurate to say, “I’m a failure and I can’t invent anything?” Of course not. Your thoughts should be focused on the next idea and the next attempt.
• Do some work. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t any good, and it really doesn’t matter whether or not you feel like doing it at that moment. Get something—anything—done, and you have something to be proud of. You’d be amazed at how good you feel even after getting just a little bit of work done on your project. That’s because once you do some of it, you begin to realize that the entire project is doable, one step at a time.
• Remember that you can always get better. Many times our inner critic stops us cold because we do some work or make a design, and we understand that it isn’t very good. Our inner critic says, “See? I told you so.” But each attempt is making you better, and you have to realize that self-improvement is the name of the game. Like we said earlier, almost no one scores big the first time they try something. It takes practice and steady improvement. Instead of “I knew I’d fail,” think, “That just means the next one will be better.”

It’s no easy task silencing your inner critic and trying to achieve your dream, but so many people let the voice in their head stop them from even trying. Give your idea a shot, and if you still need some help, then turn to Pivot. We specialize in providing the assistance you need to turn your creation into reality. Call us today at 1-877-206-5001.

Keeping the Consumer in Mind

When you’re creating a new invention, your product design and development process should depend heavily on what the consumer actually needs. You aren’t going to be able to sell your product if it doesn’t appeal to consumers. There are plenty of steps involved in designing with the consumer in mind, from identifying wants and needs to effectively tailoring the design to those specifications. So let’s take a look at how to effectively develop your idea with the consumer in mind.

Your product simply isn’t going to appeal to everyone all of the time. The key is to define your target audience and hone in on them by developing your product with that audience in mind. Let’s say you’re developing a luxury car accessory. You wouldn’t market it to just anyone with a car, because it’s a luxury item. You’re better off targeting a smaller percentage of higher-income consumers than trying to broadly market it to anyone with four wheels. Here’s what to keep in mind when you’re defining your target consumer:

1. Know your product. Understand what it does and who it appeals to.
2. Consider the geographic reach. Will you be selling it nationally? Internationally?
3. Use demographics. Segment the market by demographics like age, income, and gender to see who your product is most likely to resonate with.
4. Use psychographics. You also want to break down the market using psychographics such as values, interests, and lifestyle.

So now you need to assess your target customer’s wants and needs. You can do this in a number of ways, but keyword research, looking at competitors’ forums and product forums, and using surveys and reviews are some of the most useful avenues. You should also remember to design and develop with industry standards and regulations in mind. Make sure there isn’t a good reason no one else has developed a product like yours yet.

Any product design must also include a marketing strategy. This isn’t just what you say about your product, but how and where you say it. You need to know where your target customers go to look for information, and what channels will be useless to market on.

1. Figure out who your consumers trust. Do primary research, use surveys or interviews, and employ a social monitoring tool to determine where your brand is being mentioned online.
2. Pay attention to social media demographics. Social media is undoubtedly an important tool for marketing, but not every demographic uses the same social media platforms. Find out what social media your target consumers use, and craft your campaign around those sites.
3. Personalize, personalize, personalize. Consumers are more likely to trust and engage with personalized content. Again, it’s about targeting the consumers that will actually be interested in buying your product.

Do you have an idea, but need help turning it into a product that will appeal to a specific consumer segment? Pivot international can help turn any idea into a polished, finished product. We can lend a hand at any point in product development and design. We have extensive experience in turning ideas into reality, so call us today at 1-877-206-5001 or contact us online to request a free consultation.

5 of the Best-Selling Consumer Products of All Time

When you’re in the business of coming up with new consumer products, you’re bound to hit a dry spell now and then. Whether you’ve run out of creative ideas, or you can’t seem to make the ideas you have work, it’s important to take some time away from the drawing board to refresh your mind and get inspired again.

To help you get back on the inspiration train, take a look at this list of 5 of the best-selling consumer products of all time, according to a list created by 24/7 Wall St. And while you probably won’t come up with another Mario Bros. video game franchise, you never know what might spark your next great idea.

1. Sony’s PlayStation. As of January 2016, this video game console had sold more than 380 million units worldwide, with 35 million of those being the latest version, the PlayStation 4. When the first PlayStation was released in 1995, it was the most powerful video game console on the market thanks to its 32-bit processor. The PlayStation faithful still extoll the console’s massive selection of games, amazing graphics, and well-designed controllers.
2. The Mario Bros. video game franchise. While we’re on the topic of video games, the Mario Bros. franchise remains among the best-selling products of all time – even though they’re created for the Nintendo system, which isn’t as popular as the PlayStation.

Part of this may be due to nostalgia. The first Mario Bros game debuted in 1981 and was a happy-go-lucky part of childhood for hundreds of thousands of gamers who later graduated to darker games like Assassin’s Creed or Resident Evil. But that’s hardly the only reason Mario is still so beloved. The Mario games are just pure fun, from Super Mario Bros. 2 to MarioKart and Super Mario Galaxy.

3. The Rubik’s Cube. This mind-bending puzzle has remained insanely popular since it debuted back in 1980 – according to Insider Monkey, about a fifth of the entire world’s population has played one. The cube has also inspired designers to create tons of different versions, including a Braille Rubik’s Cube for the visually impaired and a digital touchscreen version complete with accelerometer.
4. The iPad. Although there were plenty of haters who deemed the iPad unworthy of Apple back when it debuted in 2010, the original tablet has proved that those people were pretty much dead wrong.

As of early 2016, the tablet had sold around 300 million units, and inspired plenty of other tech companies – from Amazon to Google to Samsung – to to get on the tablet train.

5. Coca-Cola. This one won’t be a surprise to anyone. This ubiquitous soda can be found in every single country in the world with a single exception: North Korea. And we’d bet you can probably find it there too, if you know where to look.

How the brand has become a global phenomenon is a testament to the power of marketing – the product’s great, sure, but there are hundreds of thousands of great products out there that never sell more than a few hundred units. If you ever consider skimping on the marketing campaign for your new product, take a lesson from Coke and don’t do it.

Still feeling stuck? Whether you’ve hit a wall with your product’s design or have a product idea that you just can’t make work, Pivot can help. Contact us for a free consultation.

4 of the Biggest New Patents of 2015

You step outside and notice something flying above. What is that? It slowly hovers onto your neighbor’s porch, drops off a package, and then quickly returns back up into the sky.

You’re still looking up as you step over the curb. Suddenly, you hear a squeal as a car screeches to a stop. You look for the driver so you can thank him for his lightening quick reflexes — yet you notice that the front seat is empty, with no driver in sight.

Flying machines that deliver packages? Self-driving cars that avoid collisions? These are only two of the exciting technologies that we know to expect thanks to recent patent filings from tech giants Google and Amazon.

This might sound like science fiction, but it’s quickly becoming science fact.

Amazon: The Future Delivered with “Bring it to Me”

Amazon’s recent patent application (20150120094) describes a feature called "Bring It To Me," which uses your mobile phone’s GPS data to determine your current location and send your delivery, via drone, to wherever you might be located. It adapts to your current location — even if you moved away from the location when you placed your order.

Google: “Safe to Cross” Vehicle-Mounted Screens

Google’s self-driving cars have been in the news for several years, but many have often wondered how they would avoid hitting unpredictable pedestrians. Those concerns might be alleviated as Google was recently granted a patent (09196164) to address these issues. In their patent Google describes vehicle-mounted screens to tell pedestrians when it’s safe to cross. In addition to visual cues, Google’s patent describes calling out alerts, such as “coming through” or “safe to cross.” With sight and sound covered, Google tackles touch with a system that uses a robotic hand and eyes to gesture at pedestrians and make them aware that the car “sees” them.

IBM: Emotionally Intelligent Banking

Increased automation doesn’t mean there’s no room left for emotion. IBM is looking to use emotions to make banking more secure. IBM’s new patent, Application No. 20150066764, entitled “Multi Factor Authentication Rule-Based Intelligent Bank Cards” will verify your identity by comparing it against an image on file, it will also compare your emotion with the emotion on file, and lastly, it will look for signs of fear or anxiety that could be the result of a fraudulent purchase with a stolen card.

Amazon: 3-D Augmented Reality Environments

Amazon is coming to a living room near you. The Seattle-based retail giant recently filed a patent (09204121) to create a 3D “enhanced augmented reality environment that includes a projection, reflection, and camera system.” Amazon’s indoor enhanced reality might be the best way to ensure we don’t get in the way of their delivery drones or test the efficacy of Google’s collision avoidance systems.

The future is on its way. And thanks to patents, we know what to expect.

Whether it’s disrupting reality or creating a new one, Pivot International helps inventors and creators every step of the way. We’ve been the single-source global product development, engineering, and manufacturing partner for over 40 years.

Patents aren’t just for Google and Amazon. From small ideas to the next big thing, Pivot can help. Come share your ideas with us today.

What Should You Record in Your Inventor’s Notebook?

You took our post on why you should have an inventor’s notebook to heart and decided to treat your invention process more seriously. But now you are left wondering what you should record in your inventor’s notebook!

Tech gadgets might be your BFF, but, for your inventor’s notebook, paper and pen are your best bet. An inventor’s notebook is not only a storehouse for your next big idea, it’s also an important line of defense in case of any legal issues.

Get ready to treat this notebook like a member of the family. Carry it with you everywhere, because you never know when a good idea will strike, so don’t be caught unprepared.

Inside Your Inventor’s Notebook

What do you put inside of an inventor’s notebook? The short answer: everything!

Answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Clarify your idea or write down where the idea originated. Be sure to date and sign every page—in order, with witnesses. There’s no skipping pages in this notebook.

Document your progress and your failures. Inventors are famous for scribbling important phone numbers or addresses on scraps of paper…and then promptly losing them. Don’t let it happen to you!

Include your experiments in detail. Jot down the results, what you learned, what you will change, and the name of the participants (if any). Leave nothing to memory.

A Date Storehouse

Are you developing consumer products? Don’t forget to include your market research. If you have opted to go with focus groups, be sure to save their responses. It will come in handy later!

Charts, maps, or other data must have a home here, too. If it’s a large-scale item that is far too big to physically fit inside your inventor’s notebook, then file it away in a safe place for this specific invention, and mark the location of the file inside your notebook.

You’ve already read how to increase your creative thinking. Now, you need to start writing down every little thought, as small ideas can lead to greater concepts. Don’t wait until significant inspiration strikes. Remember that the road to invention can be a lengthy process and thoughts often build upon each other. So don’t discount those passing thoughts that intrigue you, because you never know how they might add up, and those elusive “eureka!” moments don’t often come right away.

As your invention evolves, attach updated photos, drawings, and schematics. Track your project visually. Hint: cross-hatched pages make sketching easier. If you’re applying your own special shorthand, there’s a good chance you might forget what you meant as the months go by. Share your definitions and any special terms you’ve created, or keep a glossary you can refer to.

A Place for Everything

Don’t let your dream fall by the wayside. An inventor’s notebook can keep you organized and efficient like you never thought possible.

The mere act of flipping through your notebook can act as a source of inspiration when confidence wanes—and serves as a visual reminder of how hard you have worked and how far you have come. Keep your momentum going.

When you are ready to make that dream into reality, contact us at Pivot International. We’re here for you.

From design to manufacturing, and everything in between, let our experience guide you along the inventor’s way. Browse our free eBook library for a kick-start.

6 Useful Tips for First-Time Inventors

Many people feel like they have an idea for an invention, but they don’t know quite how to go about making that idea a reality. There are some concrete first steps that all first-time inventors should follow as they develop their idea. It’s all about understanding the process, and knowing what to do, and what not to do, when you’re a first-time inventor. Take a look at a few of the tips that all first-time inventors should know about before they start trying to get a patent.

1. You don’t have to immediately go get a patent. This is important, because patents are not cheap, and only 2-3% of them ever make it to production. That means that there are vast amounts of patents that are paid for, with no real benefit to the person who applied for it. There are much more important steps you can take before getting a patent, and they won’t cost you nearly as much.
2. Do your research. This is what we mean when we say there are steps before getting a patent. Research the market that you’re hoping to sell your invention in. Is your invention actually a viable product for that market? Find out as much as you can about the industry, and actually talk to the people that you envision as customers. Have a market study done by a marketing expert, and really take the time to decide whether this invention will actually be worth it.
3. Document everything. Keep a journal or inventor’s notebook and write down everything you do. Date all your entries and keep them frequent and neat. It’s also a good idea to have your journal witnessed by one or two other people during this time.
4. Be realistic. Your invention probably won’t make you millions, but that doesn’t mean it can’t turn a profit for you if everything goes well. There are going to be highs and lows during the process. Learn to take constructive criticism from family members or anyone else you consult as you continue to develop your ideas. Remember that most inventions never make it past the patent office.
5. Make a prototype before you file for a patent. A prototype will help you straighten out all the details in your invention, and you may discover patentable features that you missed when the design was on paper. Plus, if you license, you’re going to need a prototype anyway, so you may as well have one built.
6. Stay positive. Yes, the percentage of inventions that make it to production is low, but don’t get discouraged and forget about your invention altogether. If you’ve come this far, you shouldn’t throw it all away because you hit a roadblock. You may just need some help.

At Pivot, we specialize in helping inventors make turn their designs into products. Check out our testimonials and contact us today if you’ve got an idea that you want to see become a reality.

A Tribute to Crazy Genius Inventors: Leonardo da Vinci

If the term “Renaissance man” could be aptly applied to anyone, it would have to be the actual Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci.

Painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist, futurist – da Vinci, as you no doubt know, was all these things and much more. Scholars believe he was the greatest painter of all time, and his scientific contributions were way, way ahead of his time.

For instance, according to Discover magazine, da Vinci found evidence debunking creationism long before Charles Darwin set sail on the Beagle. He studied river erosion and came away certain that the Earth was much older than the Bible said it was, as well as that it was changing sea levels, rather than the Biblical flood, that were responsible for marine fossils that scientists uncovered on mountaintops.

While we admire da Vinci’s artistic genius just as much as anybody else, we have to admit we’re even more enamored of his inventing prowess (we are, after all, a product design and development firm!).

Here are a just a few of his most amazing ideas, most of which he came up with before the technology to create them had even been considered.

The helicopter, or “flying screw”

Possibly inspired by Archimedes’ Screw, a screw-shaped water pump invented by the ancient Greek polymath, da Vinci’s flying screw is the first known drawing of any helicopter-like machine.

The machine features a screw-shaped blade and a supporting structure and circular platform that would support two people. The machine was designed to be powered by those two people, who would each hold onto one end of a wooden shaft and walk in a circle, turning the blade.

The flying screw couldn’t work because the materials da Vinci had to work with – wood, canvas, rope – were too heavy for a human-powered machine. However, he had much of the concept of for what would later become the helicopter correct – 400 years before the first helicopter ever flew, in 1493.

The miter lock

Da Vinci’s miter lock, a new type of canal lock, remains one of his most enduring achievements. Still in use today, the miter lock consists of two doors which are mitered – at a 45 degree angle to each other – and therefore work with the force of the water instead of against it.

The miter lock, which da Vinci first sketched in the 1490s, replaced the heavy and unreliable portcullis locks that had been in use up until this point. These locks were simply heavy gates that were raised up and down to allow the water to flow through. Not only were they extremely heavy to maneuver, but they also leaked.

The miter lock, on the other hand, used the force of the flowing water to its benefit: as the water pushed harder on the lock doors, it would force them to close even tighter. Opening this type of lock was also much easier, requiring a single person rather than two people.

Diving apparatus

Da Vinci was fascinated by water, so it stands to reason that he’d be interested in discovering a way to explore it from below its surface.

While working in Venice in the late 15th century, he designed an apparatus that could be used to allow people to breathe underwater – a very early version of scuba gear. Consisting of a leather helmet with cane breathing tubes, this diving helmet was designed to let soldiers swim underneath enemy ships and sabotage them by cutting holes in their hulls.

The breathing tubes also had rings of steel in them, which would prevent their collapsing due to water pressure. While one end of the tube was connected to the helmet, the other was connected to a float that would keep the ends above water.

Da Vinci never built this apparatus, but a modern diver did – in 2003, diver Jacquie Cozens created a prototype of the design and found that it worked well in shallow water.

There will most likely never be another person with as much genius as Leonardo da Vinci, but if you’re an inventor who needs some help designing your product, manufacturing your product, or setting up a business to sell your product, Pivot can help. Read more about our services here.

4 Movies You Can Stream on Netflix (and One on Amazon) to Inspire Inventors

Feeling a little low on inspiration? It happens to the best of us. While there are plenty of ways we all replenish that store of creative energy – walking in the woods, heading to a conference, reading great books – there’s one thing you can do that requires nothing of you except to sit and stare at a screen for an hour and a half or so.

Sure, doing so may not be the healthiest thing for your body, but there’s no denying that films – good films that make you think, at least – can have a decidedly positive impact on your mind.

Whether it’s helping you see things from a different perspective, giving you a glimpse of a new technique, or just flooding your brain with creative images, a film can definitely help bring you out of the inspiration desert. Just make sure you follow it up with a walk or something.

Indie Game: the Movie

This acclaimed documentary follows two tiny teams of indie game designers as they work like crazy to create their games while meeting deadlines and staying financially afloat. The teams profiled are the people behind indie games Super Meat Boy and Fez, two highly successful video games released in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Of course, when this movie was filmed, that success was totally uncertain and far in the future. If you’re feeling particularly underdoggish, this is the movie for you.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Documenting the activism and art of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, this film is inspiring on all kinds of levels. For one thing, Ai Weiwei practices his art and social activism in defiance of the Chinese government – despite having been imprisoned for his work.

For another, Ai’s art is truly striking. He uses materials like sunflower seed husks and bicycles to create epic installations that are both aesthetically and politically daring. Ai’s boldness in the face of persecution will make you want to get up off your couch and create something.

Rocket Men

What’s more inspiring than learning about the pioneers of space travel? In Rocket Men, you can watch archival clips documenting major moments in the history of space exploration, from the Mercury missions to Gemini and Apollo.

The film is weighted more toward the beauty and awe behind the space program rather than the cold hard facts – and while that might leave scientists disappointed, it means that the film is perfect for getting your creative juices flowing.

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

This 2011 PBS documentary profiles Apple founder and iconic inventor and visionary Steve Jobs. Though mostly featuring interviews with people who knew and worked with Jobs, the film does include an exclusive interview with the man himself. The interview was recorded a year after he found out he had cancer, and sees Jobs opening up about his philosophy of life and work.

In addition, Steve Jobs: One Last Thing explores the way Jobs changed how we live and work with his groundbreaking products. It goes without saying that this is a film tech designers will love, although it will also appeal to anyone who’s ever used and appreciated an Apple product.

The Social Network

If you still haven’t seen The Social Network, you’re due for a viewing – if you have seen it, well, you’re still probably due for another viewing.

This dramatic look at Mark Zuckerberg and the invention of Facebook offers not just a compelling glimpse into the origins of one of the most important innovations of the 21st century, but some good old-fashioned mudslinging entertainment too. The film goes into the lawsuits that followed Facebook’s invention, as rivals the Winklevoss twins and Zuckerberg’s former business partner Eduardo Saverin both sued Zuckerberg and the company for different reasons.

Radical innovation, behind-the-scenes business development, sensational legal issues – the film has everything a stumped inventor could need to jump-start her own creative fantasies of fame and fortune.

Still feeling inspirationally challenged? Read our posts How to Beat the Post-Holiday Blues and Get Back into Creative Mode, 5 Enjoyable Ways to Increase Your Creative Thinking, and 6 TED Talks to Inspire Inventors and Product Designers.

A Tribute to Crazy Genius Inventors, Part One: Nikola Tesla

At Pivot, we probably spend as much of our time helping clients with things like product manufacturing contracts, prototyping, and project data management as we do with product design.

However, if you ask any of us, we’ll probably tell you that product design – invention, in other words – is the reason we got into this business. We love working with inventors. They’ve got amazing vision, unstoppable drive, and incredible creativity.

That’s why we’re launching a new blog series that pays tribute to some of history’s most brilliant minds, many of whom were seen as simply crazy at the time they were working. And maybe they were a bit crazy – but then again, most geniuses are.

And when it comes to crazy geniuses, who better to start with than Nikola Tesla?

Tesla, the 20th century’s iconic mad scientist

You may have heard the name Tesla in reference to the Tesla coil, or maybe just Tesla Motors’ famously futuristic concept cars. Maybe you remember Tesla as he was depicted in the Hugh Jackman movie The Prestige, working on a teleporting machine in a secretive laboratory in the mountains of the American West.

But who was Tesla, really? In addition to being the man who contributed the most to developing the alternating current (A/C), electrical system – the one that we still primarily use today – he also studied things like time travel, X-rays, and weather control.

Early life

Tesla was born in 1856 in what is now Croatia. As a first-year college student, he was a true superstar – he attained the highest marks possible, passed double the amount of exams as required, and practically worked himself into an early grave.

That all changed later in his academic career, when he became addicted to gambling and dropped out of school. After spending some years drifting from job to job, he started working at a telegraph company in Budapest. It was here that he learned about Thomas Edison, and in 1884 he emigrated to the United States to redesign Edison’s direct current generators.

Tesla’s work with electricity

As you can imagine, working with electricity in the early days of the technology was not for the faint of heart. The way the force worked wasn’t entirely known, meaning that electrocution was a real possibility – especially when experimenting with it the way Tesla did.

This makes his contributions to the A/C current system even more impressive. While working at his Tesla Electric Company, which he set up with the help of two businessmen, Tesla invented an induction motor that ran on A/C current that he patented in 1888. Because it used alternating current instead of direct current, it didn’t need a commutator. This reduced the possibility of sparking, making the motor safer and more reliable.

A bold futurist

Tesla’s love affair with unseen forces, like electricity, was a lifelong one. In fact, one thing Tesla became known for was creating huge artificial lightning bolts. These were part of his experiments in controlling the weather, which he believed he could achieve at some point.

Some of his other bolder – some might say crazy – experiments and inventions:

• He created an X-ray gun that he could (and did) shoot at willing participants, creating images of their anatomy on undeveloped film hanging behind them.
• He supposedly invented a Death Ray, or particle beam weapon, that he claimed could “bring down a fleet of 10,000 enemy war planes at a distance of 200 miles.” The weapon was never constructed, but it did become the basis for the “Star Wars” defense system that the U.S. began developing in the 1980s.
• He studied, but never achieved, teleportation, time travel, and the creation of anti-gravity airships.
• He studied memory, which he believed was recorded on the brain and could be accessed like a film.
• He developed the world’s first radar system.

Without Tesla, the history of invention would be a lot duller. And who knows? Without his incredibly forward-thinking, futurist mind it may have taken us decades or centuries longer to develop X-rays, radar, and other seemingly incredible things.

If you’re a crazy genius inventor like Tesla – or, like most of us, just a regular inventor with a great idea – Pivot would love to help you bring your product to life. Whether you need help with an electrical engineering project or achieving regulatory compliance, you can contact Pivot for the expert guidance you need.

How DIY Technology is Changing What’s Possible for New Products

Bento Lab’s DIY DNA analysis kit, via TechCrunch

Among the countless things the Internet has done for society and the world at large is give regular people the ability to do things that we used to need experienced professionals for.

Need to do some patent research? You can access the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s database online (although help from a professional patent attorney is never a bad idea). Want to change out your car battery? Search for a how-to video on YouTube.

This DIY ethos is taking hold throughout all kinds of industries, including some of the more high-tech ones. Take a look at some of these amazing DIY gadgets that have come out over the past couple of years.

Bento Lab’s DIY DNA Analysis Kit

DNA analysis kits have been around for years, but they previously consisted of a vial you’d place some hair or saliva into, then send away to a lab for analysis.

Bento Lab has created a small, portable DIY DNA analysis machine that allows you to test a huge variety of products that could cost thousands to send away to a lab. The machine costs $723 – roughly as much as a mid-market PC.

The usage possibilities for this DNA analysis kit are huge. Bento Labs lists some ideas on their Kickstarter page that range from the kind of random, fun experiments you can do on yourself – test out your variation of the “athlete gene,” test your taste buds to see if they have the gene to detect bitter flavors – to more strictly scientific uses like field research or college biology projects.

The Little Devices Lab at MIT

This isn’t a single product, but a whole program devoted to helping medical professionals in developing countries who’ve come up with ingenious, inexpensive hacks to create or modify medical equipment.

The MIT scientists working with the Little Devices Lab have helped come up with all kinds of small, inexpensive, DIY medical technologies that change the way doctors and nurses are able to deliver care.

For example, take the MEDIKit. These kits are designed as a platform technology, meaning that the medical professionals who use them can modify them to fit their unique needs. The kits cover six different uses: drug delivery, diagnostics, microfluidics, prosthetics, vital signs and surgical devices. They come with coded medical device parts, technologic elements that can be adapted, and materials that allow for the building and modifying of the device.

OLO: The World’s First Smartphone 3D Printer

We’ve written quite a bit about how 3D printing is changing the world of prototyping and manufacturing, but up until now – with a few exceptions – most 3D printers are cost-prohibitive for the average user. Part of that is because most of us just don’t have enough need for 3D printing on a regular basis to justify spending $800 or more on the machine.

This smartphone printer, which is currently on Kickstarter where it’s raised $1.7 million of its $80,000 goal, is small, weighs less than a pound, and uses the light from your phone screen to print. And it only costs $99.

In the world of 3D printing, this could be a real gamechanger. According to TechCrunch, there will be 6.1 billion smartphone users around the globe – and with OLO, they could each be 3D printing simple products with the touch of a few buttons. This is what industry disruption looks like for manufacturing these days.

We’d love to help you create your next game-changing product. For a free consultation about our product design services, manufacturing services, prototyping, or business development services, contact us!