Is robotics the key to STEM education?

Last weekend I was one of the fifteen judges for the FIRST Robotics Regional Championship in Myrtle Beach, SC. Have you ever been to an engineering event with these characteristics?

• Loud music and dancing everything from the YMCA song to the Harlem Shake. I don't mean one or two people, I mean the entire coliseum audience including the judges. 
• Young people fighting to get on the team by taking math and science courses to qualify.
• Kids writing marketing plans and going out to sell them to corporations to get funding not just selling magazines, popcorn, or candy bars. 
• Teams with almost as many adult sponsors and coaches as team members. 
• Pits that look like NASCAR body shops complete with banners and tools on the wall.
• Competitors helping each other with engineering challenges so both can compete in the heats against each other.

This is the future of America. I've been working with this group for four years now and couldn't be more pleased. The judges are so dedicated that 12 of the fifteen were repeat judges from last year without pay and with 12 hour days. 

We had 65 high school teams last week. 

This is one great organization.  Check it out. http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/ 

A time to spend and time to refrain from spending.

Several years ago my wife and I decided we would like to get out of debt. We took the Dave Ramsey course and one of the actions was to cut up our credit cards. We found out that if we had to pay cash for groceries at the big box stores, we spent about 50% less. In our nation's time of fiscal incompetency I've tried to come up with some innovation that would help us get back on track. I did previously write about a technology that would save 30% on fuel economy. I have a number of other technologies that would assist in that area and other areas that currently cost us an arm and a leg.

One of the books that I read as part of Ramsey's course was The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott. It's about Solomon. We have great abundance in the U.S. so why are we so BROKE? This quote from Proverbs 26:16 might be the answer.  "The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.."

When you get to the bottom of the soup dish quit eating. We should try to spend CASH for a change. We throw around   numbers like TRILLION like it was chump change. If we had to actually count it out, the spending would drop precipitously. We might also want to start teaching math again in grammar school. Many of our politicians can't count to a Trillion. Our children deserve better.

What would a device to save you 30% on fuel costs be worth?

With diesel fuel running about $4 per gallon that would be a savings of over $1 per gallon. Are we talking theoretical here or is this a realistic possibility?  Believe it or not it's real. Some smart engineers that have experience in the refining industry have designed a unit that does exactly that. It saves roughly 28% in fuel costs on the average. There have been tons of claims in recent years about fantastic technologies that would "Save American Industry" and make us competitive in areas that we have lost to overseas low cost manufacturers. One thing that has not changed is the innovativeness of Americans. If you look at a number of the members of the Dolphin & Eagle ATTIC you will find a bunch of these companies that make some pretty fantastic claims. One has a vehicle that runs on almost any terrain. Another has a container lock that can be operated remotely. Another has a miniature UAV. American innovativeness is alive and well. We just need more courage and strength to push these developments over the threshold of profitability. Stay tuned for the technologies of the future. The company with the diesel device is HYDROPHI.

What has a mountain got to do with Freedom?

Several years ago we went to Grandfather's Mountain in NC and climbed the Daniel Boone Trail. We didn't know exactly what we were getting into until it was too late to turn back and a little bit dangerous for our party. The trail was steep and rocky but we ended up making it OK with no lasting issues. I do admit that at one point I heard the 73 old lady with us yell. Steve, and I reached out and grabbed her by the leg before she tried to fly from a very high rock cropping. America seems to be in one of those difficult trails now with it's economy and the business climate that I see. After paying my "fair share" of taxes this year, I'm looking at a large percentage of my earnings and savings going to pay for government programs that aren't run efficiently or are simply not needed. After working in the government for 10 years as a civilian and 25 years in uniform as a Naval Officer, I can make these statements with absolute first hand knowledge. I was just sent this quote from Abraham Lincoln. Please take note and consider this:

         SOMETHING TO CONSIDER...   

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.  

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.

You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.  

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.  

-- Abraham Lincoln

A new journey

We have embarked on a new phase of our journey with a 25 foot Airstream trailer. Being a submarine officer with 17 years of sea duty, I see allot of the same issues that we had at sea. If you don't have it with you, you need to make do with what you have.
Being limited in space makes you more cautious about what you take with you. You may be sleeping with it if you don't have a place to store it. We don't waste anything: electrical power, water, etc. Some of the best technology that I've seen in the past few months is in the alternative energy area. Currently I have a 600w wind turbine in my office. I'm waiting to get it on the roof. In our hurricane prone area of the coast, that might just allow us to have electricity when every other house is dark. Our turbulent times call not for violence but for thoughtful, hardworking Americans to reach back to the past and pull the values that our fathers and grand fathers taught us and drag them into the future with new technology and new answers. No whining here. I still remember when my family didn't have running water or indoor bathrooms.

 

Biomaterials Science Chapter on product development

I was asked by a friend, Dr. Yitzhak Rosen, to contribute a chapter to his book on the topic of Innovative Product Development and Technology Adoption for Medical Applications. I'm proud to say we actually made it through the process and you can purchase the book on Amazon. The book title is Biomaterials Science: an integrated Clinical and Engineering Approach by Yitzhak  Rosen and Noel Elman. I guess success breeds success so as a result, I've been asked to expand that chapter into a book of its own. It will probably be available next spring. I'm working on the draft now. It's a test  of self-discipline.  It will have a number of references to the submarine environment and to innovation in general so maybe it will be interesting to both salty sea dogs and to innovators.

A while back I was asked to contribute to a book being written by a very good friend. I'm proud to say that we actually finished it and it is available for purchase on Amazon. The book is a text book on Biomaterials Science, An integrated clinical and engineering approach by Yitzhak Rosen and Noel Elman. There are some very high level people contributing and I'm happy to say that the final chapter of the book was my contribution, Innovative Product Development and Technology Adoption for Medical Applications.

A new time and a new strategy

As a Science and Technology manager Level III for the Department of Defense, I've experienced the frustration that others have with the slowness of the process and the hesitancy of managers to attempt transition of new technologies. So with enough time to move to a higher level, I've chosen to go full time as a consultant and advanced technology developer to help my many contacts move their technology to the marketplace. This may seem to be a risky move to some from a well paying government job with a certain paycheck to the life of an entrepreneur with risks at every turn and success never guaranteed. But as we get older and hopefully wiser we see life differently. I'd like to look back and see what we've accomplished as a team, rather than what we've guarded as an achievement of times past. As a submarine captain I always found it much easier to maintain depth control in rough seas with headway on the ship. In the rough seas of this economy, let's get the ship moving in the right direction and use that steerage way to change the course to a more favorable heading.

The Sparrow or the June Bug

Many leaders in industry view innovation like a sparrow. They are enamoured with the flight of the sparrow and bring it into their organization. When they get it there, they wrap it in layers of control and required reports and program managers. These are just like squeezing the sparrow in your hands. After a short while they look again at the sparrow and it's lifeless and won't fly again. They should treat it like I used to treat june bugs as a boy. I'd catch a June bug and tie some of my mom's fine thread around one leg. Then I'd fly him around the yard like a kite. He had enough freedom to fly but not enough to escape. If you hold your innovative people too tightly, you only succeed in squeezing the life out of them.

Open Innovation and Innoventure

This week I attended the Innoventure conference in Greenville, SC. It was a very impressive collection of venture capitalist and a number of leading edge entrepreneurs. I was impressed by the entire conference. The Swamp Fox group that put it own should be commended.

Two of the speakers were especially good. The Proctor and Gamble speaker mentioned the open innovation site connect direct.

https://www.pgconnectdevelop.com/pg-connection-portal/ctx/noauth/PortalHome.do

This site has some interesting possibilities.

The other impressive speaker was from General Electric. The part of his presentation that was interesting was the information that 25% of the wind turbines come from Greenville, SC. They are now making the 1.5MW generator and will be making the 2.5MW unit there as well.

Aggressive Technology Engagement

I've been researching lately the ability of industry partners and of DoD to insert new technology in the new business environment and I've concluded that nothing short of outright aggressive insertion will keep many businesses afloat. DoD will fall far behind our adversaries in the next ten years unless we ally closely with industry leaders in a number or new technology areas.

DoD especially is moving technically toward commercial network architectures and most of the research funding is coming from the commercial sector not from DARPA and DoD sources. That could mean a talent drain on DoD engineering resources in personnel as the rift between industry and DoD pay scales diverges.

The answer to both business and DoD technology insertion is smart, pro-active technology search and rapid technology insertion and development. It's not a case of maybe, it's a case of survival for both.

Is innovation dead in this economic down market?

A number of leading consultants have disagreed on the proper course of action in this economy. Do we cancel our innovative programs and get back to our "core businesses" or do we stretch and try to take market share in this down time at a reduced price?

This week I got a very good article from Robert Tucker, the president of Innovation Resources. You can reach them at http://www.innovationresources.com. After looking at innovation over the last 15 years my opinion would have to fall with the aggressive approach to always be ready to take opportunities when they pass by. Even though resources may be much tighter, we're still in business to serve our customers. If we have products that do that and keep our finances in order, we can still make progress in this market.

Use your good ideas and think of what your customer needs more now than in the booming markets of the last 10 years. Provide it and you will succeed.
Steve

Factors affecting the Adoption of Innovation

Everett Rogers defined five attributes of innovations: (1) relative advantage, (2) compatibility, (3) complexity, (4) trialability, and (5) observability (Rogers, 1995). The five criteria that influence the adoption of innovations were further defined by Moore and Benbasat as: (1) Relative Advantage-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being better than its precursor; (2) Compatibility-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, needs and past experiences of potential adopters; (3) Complexity-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being difficult to use; (4) Observability-the degree to which the results of an innovation are observable to others and; (5) Trialability-the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with before adoption (Moore and Benbasat, 1989).

We frequently don't assess these factors when we put out an innovation and pay the consequences in push back from the users.

Is the number of proposals important

In much of my research we have seen that innovative companies tend to let the juices flow and generate many more proposals. It would be my recommendation to any company attempting to be more innovative to open up the faucet. Set open submission areas for important technology areas. This is consistent with the "Innovate Like Edison" book by Gelbe. The innovative organization presents "all" potential solutions to challenges before they start throwing out selections. The traditional organization picks a few potential solutions early in the process and only looks for ones that fit their preconceived notions of what the solution ought to be.

An innovative consultant can help you find all of the potential technical options for a challenge in your business. We look at small businesses, other industry partners and university R&D sources for potential options. We can help you invigorate your organization with new ideas.

Please Vote, our country needs YOUR leadership.

Steve

The Innovation Gap

The Sept 8th issue of Network World had an interesting article by Johna Till Johnson on whether the Innovation Gap is real. This is a very good question. I've been in both government and industry and have looked at both sides of this equation. Small companies that are hungry and on the edge of finance and technology are more innovative than large companies in general.

The small companies I've worked with to put proposals together for SBIR submissions have been high on enthusiasm and maybe a little short on technical know how. Many of these small companies don't have the staff to help the engineer or inventor to put the papers together. Some of their writing is a bit rough. However, in over 15 proposals with large companies last year many of them were very good technically but didn't have the enthusiasm and innovative spirit that small businesses exhibited.

In reviewing 82 SBIRs last year for military customers, the enthusiastic proposer scores higher.

"Convince me you want to get the job done.

Steve

The Secrets of a Change Agent

This is an interesting article in the CIO magazine of 1 Sept 2008.

The Secrets of a Change Agent by Thomas Wailgum.

This is an exclusive and unclassified report on how Web 2.0 and strong IT governance are enabling the CIA to collaborate more effectively with the US intelligence community.

http://www.cio.com/article/441116/Inside_the_CIA_s_Extreme_Technology_Makeover_Part_

Good Article

This is a great article on innovation.

Innovation's biggest hurdle

• By Sean Gallagher
• February 4, 2008

Innovation is the hallmark of U.S. military success. The ability of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to adapt, innovate and overcome is central to the culture of the military service — despite all efforts to quash it.

So it’s no wonder that the pace with which innovation gets incorporated into the way the U.S. military wages war drives warfighters nuts. Although the research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) agencies of the Defense Department are responding more quickly to the impetus for change, the procurement cycle often drags out that change and dilutes its value by the time it gets integrated into operations.

http://defensesystems.com/Articles/2008/02/Innovations-biggest-hurdle.aspx

The theory of reasoned action

Ajzen and Fishbein (1975) developed the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Based on their empirical data in a number of industries they proposed that actions by an individual were based on the interaction of two factors. One of these factors is personal and the other is social. The personal factor was termed “attitude toward the behavior” and was based on the individual’s positive or negative evaluation of performing the behavior. (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1975) The second factor was based on the individual’s perception of the social pressure being placed on him to conform to a certain accepted norm. This factor was termed, “subjective norm”. (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1975)
They separated beliefs into two different kinds, those “behavioral beliefs” toward a behavior and those “normative beliefs” about what others thought about whether or not the individual should or should not perform the behavior. This emphasis on attitudes toward behavior instead of toward objects was a major deviation from the fundamental assumptions of much social research of the time. (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1975)

Everett Rogers adopter categories

Rogers specified five “adopter categories” based on their innovativeness: (1) innovators, (2) early adopters, (3) early majority, (4) late majority, and (5) laggards. Rogers distinguished three main types of innovative-decisions: (1) optional innovation-decisions, choices made by an individual independent of the decisions of other members of the system to adopt or reject an innovation; (2) collective innovation-decisions, choices made by consensus among the members of a system; and (3) authority innovation-decisions, choices made by relatively few individuals in a system who possess power, status, or technical expertise. A fourth category consists of a sequential combination of two or more of these types of innovation-decisions: Contingent innovation-decisions are choices to adopt or reject that are made only after a prior innovation-decision. Everett Rogers also defined five attributes of innovations: (1) relative advantage, (2) compatibility, (3) complexity, (4) trialability, and (5) observability. (Rogers, 1995) The five criteria that influence the adoption of innovations were further defined by Moore and Benbasat as: (1) Relative Advantage-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being better than its precursor; (2) Compatibility-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, needs and past experiences of potential adopters; (3) Complexity-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being difficult to use; (4) Observability-the degree to which the results of an innovation are observable to others and; (5) Trialability-the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with before adoption. (Moore and Benbasat, 1989)

Technology innovation

Many companies fail to consider the adoption criteria for innovations in their technology insertion plans.