CREAX Directed Variation newsletter

Dear CREAX newsreader,

We would like to thank all of you who have read our newsletter, visited our website, attended our events and activities, contributed and supported us in 2006. CREAX wishes you a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2007.

Even though December is a short month, we have been able to select some great examples for the end of the year.
The highlights of this issue are:

Pasta pot - holes in the lid allow easier draining	Self-erasing paper - paper turns to white after 24 hours
SpokePOV - turns bicycle wheels into a display	Acoustic sensors - make any surface interactive
Hipporoller - a rollable water barrel	Company news

Innovation Highlights

	Pasta pot - holes in the lid allow easier draining
	This makes sense. You can pour the water out of this pasta pot without taking off the lid. It has a patented click-on lid and specially designed handles to guarantee safety. Plus I love the blue color. http://www.amazon.com/ filed under: food & beverage, household Property spectrum: Porosity Solid bodies and shapes trend towards increased porosity. Porosity is achieved through the incorporation of hollow spaces or pores. Porosity allows for reduced weight, improved surface area, and the inclusion of active elements. Here, the holes allow for easier draining of the pot.
	Self-erasing paper - paper turns to white after 24 hours
	The brainiacs at Xerox have invented a new self-erasable paper that fades to white after 24 hours. The invention "came from developing compounds that change color when they absorb a certain wavelength of light but then will gradually disappear." The paper is reusable though it appears you'll need a special printer to get images on to it. I can see this working in the newspaper industry and such, but I can also see a ton of scam artists making people sign contracts that "change" over night. http://gizmodo.com/ filed under: office, paper Property spectrum: Activity Materials increasingly evolve from passive to full adaptive materials. E.g. shape memory alloys and thermochromic materials. This paper has the ability to absorb certain wavelengths to display text, and then slowly disappear.
	SpokePOV - turns bicycle wheels into a display
	Spoke POV is an easy-to-make electronic kit toy that turns your bicycle wheel into a customized display! The project includes a free schematic design, open software for uploading and editing stored bitmap images, and a high-quality kit with all the parts necessary to build your own. Specification & Features Can be used with road, mountain or BMX wheels! 30 LEDs on each side (22 for BMX) x 256 radial pixels Runs on 2-3 AA batteries for 10 hours or more, assuming 3000mAh alkalines and 50% image coverage. Can run on rechargable NiMH AA's Comes with high-brightness red LEDs, but can be upgraded with green, blue, amber, etc. Automatically shuts off after 3 minutes wxPython based software runs on any Linux or Windows PC with a parallel port Design is all through-hole parts, perfect for a first time kit builder. With one spoke, total persistence at 15mph. Two spokes, 10mph. Three spokes, 7mph. (Assuming a mountain bike wheel). Great for safe riding at night, provides excellent side visibility. http://www.ladyada.net/ filed under: electronics, sports, safety Property spectrum: Number of functions This property describes integrating different functions in your product to increase the user convenience. Some of the benefits of adding additional functions are: reducing number of systems required, improved operability and in this wheel, an added display.
	Acoustic sensors - make any surface interactive
	Researchers in Europe have come up with Tai-Chi, or (Tangible Acoustic Interfaces for Computer-Human Interaction), that are a series of acoustic sensors that turn any surface into a touch-sensitive computer interface. The system uses sonar tracking that senses surface vibrations and can track up to two things at once. http://www.newscientisttech.com/ filed under: electronics, leisure, technologies, household Property spectrum: Information Systems and subsystems tend to evolve from requiring external input to becoming self-controlling through the use of feedback mechanisms. These sensors track surface virbrations and respond to the movements in the area.
	Hipporoller - a rollable water barrel
	This month we selected the submission of Saskia Debruyne from Belgacom. The Hipporoller is another one of those ideas that is incredibly simple yet can make untold difference to millions of lives. Imagine waking up long before sunrise and then walking for more than two hours to the nearest river or borehole and then carrying a bucket full of water on your head all the way home - every day for the rest of your life. This hell-on-earth scenario is faced by millions every day, causing extensive personal injury and suffering with no respite. The Hipporoller carries 20 gallons of water, four times the water that one person can carry via a 20 litre bucket (5 gallons weighs nearly 42 pounds or 18.9 kilograms) and it does so without placing undue stress on the neck, arms or spine. http://www.gizmag.com/ filed under: food & beverage, healthcare Property spectrum: Decreasing human involvement This property describes a system’s decreasing reliance and burden on humans as it evolves. Systems tend to become increasingly automated.This Hipporoller is a barrel for water with the added functionality of being able to roll. This decreases human involvement and greatly improves operability.

Please do not hesitate to send us a great innovation you have spotted. We might include it in our next month issue.

CREAX company news

CREAX seminar
If you enjoy CREAX newsletters, you will enjoy our hands-on Systematic Innovation seminar. Our next 2day seminar is scheduled for the 21st & 22nd of February 2007.

CREAX also offers exclusive company specific corporate seminars. Participants learn how to apply the Systematic Innovation Methodology in their day-to-day job in an interactive way. (more info)



Over the last years, over 500 people subscribed and participated with enthusiasm to the Systematic Innovation Methodology seminars. CREAX trains people both during company-specific in-house seminars, and open training seminars:


Vacancies at CREAX

Next year, CREAX has quite a line up of new projects. This has caused us to start looking for new colleagues. If you are interested in joining the CREAX team, we are looking for the following profiles:

• Innovation engineer (5 researchers)
• Business Development Manager

Dates for Systematic Innovation seminar
If you are interested in following our 2 day Systematic Innovation seminar, the course dates for next year are as follows:

• 21 - 22 February
• 25 - 26 April
• 20 - 21 June
• 26 - 27 September
• 24 - 25 October
• 28 - 29 November

For more information, please send us a mail.

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