Idea 48: Sound Emails

Problem:

Emails in the work place – enough said. They are always there, you can never truly catch up to them , and many people give you good advice, such as “The most successful people don’t check email first thing in the morning.”However, maybe the problem is not the emails themselves, but the act of having to respond to them in a written format and the time that this action takes based on trying to write a clear message that cannot be misinterpreted by the other side based on the missing “tone of voice” which is often forcefully added to one´s personal interpretation of what the sender of the message was “really” trying to say.

Solution:

Whatsapp and other messaging apps already are using it – voice messages. Simple, quick and to the point. Thus, developing a secure software that could be build into your email provider that allows you to respond via voice or via the written word might add value when trying to solve the problems of efficient “responding to emails.” Especially when talking about internal company communication between coworkers, a voice messaging service might save some time, as the nature of these messages usually involves a question about certain processes and a “standard” answer.

Idea 38: Smart Bikes

Problem:

Using your personal bicycle to go for a work out in a short period of time similar to what one would do in a gym is not given, as the functionality of bikes is often limited: yes possibilities to shift gears and to measure distances add to the overall spectrum of things you can do with a bike, but still you cannot choose between a workout program that would permit you to exercise equally intensive like in a gym.

Solution:

Smart bikes would combine the technologies between regular bicycles and gym bikes, through automatizing the shifting of the gears based on the incline or decline of the road guided by a fitness program adapted to outdoor bicycling on bike trails.

Idea 35: Navigation System for the Blind

Problem:

The problem is one of equality and the degree in which technology is used to create better living standards for anybody equally. When talking about the blind, it is sometimes shocking to see how many times they don’t receive the help they need when trying to get around in public. Thus, although we might not be able to change people to be more considerate in helping the blind,we might be able to use technology to help the blind help themselves.

Solution:

Navigation systems for cell phones are becoming more and more detailed, concise and standardized. Thus, the next step in their evolution could be used to increase the detail of information available even further. One way of doing so is to adapt new information from the perspective of the blind; including audio information on the location of traffic lights based on geo-location could be one example, as well as proposing routes that are considered the “safest” depending on the chosen location. Combined with the Siri technology found in iPhones, a navigation system could be developed that is easy to use and adds value to more people through expanding its funcitionality based on existing technologies.