Sick Beats

When you see so much work throughout your career and as a Creative Director you see a lot - the good, the bad and the dam right ugly and then, a couple fall out of the bucket that come under the title; 'fuck me that is so bloody brilliant, oh my God what a fucking brilliant idea' title. 

Kids with cystic fibrosis have to go through a daily chore of airway-clearance therapy, it's not nice to say the least. 

So some smart people have created Sick Beats which is the world's first music-powered airway clearance vest. The prototype, a redesign of Woojer's consumer vest, syncs with a smartphone to pull therapeutic 40Hz frequencies from music and send them to the chest. Which helps clears the patients lungs of mucus. Bloody amazing.

Rightly it won awards but if I was the creative who came up with this idea, would I care it won? Not really but seeing the joy on the little girl's face after her treatment through Sick Beats, now that's worth its weight in gold. #hatTip team at Woojer and Area 23 FCB 

Interactive tech gaming

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A post shared by Roelof Knol (@roelofknol) on Mar 2, 2020 at 8:05am PST

How lovely is this? This interaction is so fluid and with this tech you can see the potential from a creative perspective for brands either in-store or at a PR event.

Draw a gasp of creative delight

Certain things pop in your feed ever so often that grab your attention and stir those creative juices, this is just one. This is a belter and I would love to demo this on my wall at home. Mind you; I'm not how the kids will react considering when they were very small I used to tell them not to draw on the walls but not with standing that this mesmerising gadget can draw any image on a vertical surface - instantly turning walls into art. The Scribit is a small 'writing robot' that is installed using just two nails and a suspending cable. Using a smartphone app, it can then be instructed to draw anything from an elaborate artwork to reproducing Twitter messages. This I would say would be the must have gadget for any artistic geek.

Unreal Virtual Reality

HYPER-REALITY from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

Fidget Phone.

Seen this, I really like it when you combine two things to create something completely new. Welcome to Fidget Phone - I love the fact it has a practical value too. From a marketing perspective I can also see branding and content creation with this. A new media channel. Very impressive and beautifully simple idea.

Tech Wearables In Sport That Can Make A Difference

I have blogged on here before about IoT especially on the subject of sport apparel for athletes. As a keen runner and swimmer I know what it is like, how can you improve on your PB or performance? I have in the past also been very critical of some IoT in sports and viewed many as a gimmick or developing for tech sake without really thinking about the athlete. One thing, that all of us are aware as athletes is cramping and if you have ever experienced it while competing it can be incredible painful and very frustrating. (I once cramped out in the open sea while 6 foot waves came rolling in, not a very nice experience I still get flash backs) Now here’s something that caught my eye and could be useful in detailing and monitoring cramping and they do this by analysing.... your sweat.

The team at Kenzen have created ECHO H2, a wearable that includes two components: a hardware-based continuous sports monitor, and the flexible H2 Smart Patch. ECHO is based on groundbreaking technology developed for aerospace and medical research in Switzerland. This rechargeable device combines a number of sensor technologies and algorithms that provide real-time feedback on sports performance and vitals.

ECHO captures previously inaccessible measurements like skin conductivity and 3D motion. H2 is a disposable adhesive patch that, when connected to the ECHO monitor, enables wearers to monitor hydration, lactic acid and calorie levels using sweat analysis. It can be worn on the calf or abdomen for up to one week. A corresponding app enables the user to monitor levels and export data to other fitness apps.

Now that’s something that could be very useful as in the past much of this data had to then go off to labs for tests, this IoT wearable saves a lot of running around ☺ and can tell you pretty straight away. Nice

Combining Innovation and Exercise Is Kids Play

What can I say about this piece I came across online? Truly genius, as you know I'm a sports nut, I'm a firm believer that a healthy body is a healthy mind, that is why physical exercise is so important to young kids, so when I saw this my heart skipped a beat. It's so simple and so easy to set up, with a bit of tech, a screen projector and you're ready to go. PE then becomes something beyond to when I was a kid; running cross country in your underpants!! (You did PE even if you forgot your kit in my day) Anyway this gets the kids moving in a fun and interactive way. Hat tip to the school. Please any PE teachers out there who see this, what's stopping you doing the same?

Human Drone Snowboarder

With the help of Samsung and YouTube star Jesse Wellens of the channel PrankvsPrank, Neistat takes flight over a small Finnish ski village wait for it...by a drone. Yes a drone that can actually pull and if needed lift a person off the ground. Good watchable content. While watching it got me thinking, this kit could one day be used in 'search and rescue'. I love tech when we start experimenting.

Great Use Of Creativity and Innovation

‘Through The Dark’ is a collaboration between Google Play Music and Hilltop Hoods. It’s a made-for-mobile interactive film that brings to life a song written by Dan Smith as his son underwent treatment for leukemia. It reveals a father and son’s journey through two worlds - the light and the dark. A lovely piece of story-telling and rather than just a static watch the viewer has to interact via their mobile to continue the story, uses smartphone's tilt, turn and view functionality - simple but I know technically the backend to make this move through fluidly is challenging, this could have gone easily wrong so hat tip

Creativity, innovation, and functionality as one

I love design even from an early age I was the kid that had the most colourful clothes, I’m a huge fan of Paul Smith for his creativity. I admired great typographers in the likes of Herb Lubalin, in his simple but fluid design to architecture in Frank Lloyd Wright, who broke the rules with lines and structure that look as modern as they did over 70 year's ago. So when I saw this by a designer called Scott Summit, I gasped, from here I saw something that told a story of each person that had obviously had a very traumatic experience in losing a limb but looking at these designs I couldn’t help admire the design and creation.

Scott used 3D printing technology to create one of a kind artificial limbs for each of the patients. Even more, he allows each patient to bring their own ideas on how they can customize the shape or the design of the prosthetics. Artificial limbs are first and foremost made to function properly, with durability and realism the second and third most important features, but few amputees receive an artificial limb that looks like a work of art. Here I think you’ll all agree the designer has done an amazing job on all counts.

Music Re-imagined

Once in a while, a game-changer comes along, this piece is one of those - well it's not a piece but more a block. How it works; BLOCKS is a modular music studio that lets anyone shape music. Build your instrument as you go and customize a kit, brilliant game changing to creating original music. A mighty hat tip to the team at ROLI pushing innovation, interaction and creativity

Some problem solvers create even more problems

Sometimes as problem solvers we get wrapped up in our own little world. It could be; over indulgence with a design, we make it way too complicated for the customer to know where to look. Sometimes we're tired, maybe out the night before drinking, and thinking that maybe that last shot should have been the last shot, so you cut corners. Whatever the reason as problem solvers we aren't important, neither is our own little world, what is important is our customers and the challenge they face. Take this example they must have had all massive hangovers surely this can be the only reason. They didn't think about their customer whatsoever, do you really think that your customer is just going to sit their while their mouse charges? The end solution should always be seen through the eyes of the end customer. Problem solved, maybe they could have designed a re-chargeable mouse mat so they could carry on working.

When a problem becomes the solution

This is just amazing - now here are two inspiring young ladies, they are engineering graduates from the Islamic University of Gaza and they have defied all stereotypes with their design of an affordable new building block made from the rubble of war, and they're about to scale operations for mass production. Subverting a crippling Israeli blockade that makes importing construction materials a demeaning, expensive, and time-consuming process, Majd Mashharawi and Rawan Abddllaht overcame a litany of obstacles to develop their green bricks. Their goal is to help Gaza residents rebuild their homes after three wars in 10 years have left thousands of buildings in ruins. Brilliant beating men at their own game.

Fashion Tech Innovation

BOLT from Thomas Kool Creations on Vimeo.

Bolt is a jacket that lets people carry and charge their various electronics without the need for an outlet Thanks to Amsterdam-based designer Thomas Kool, the Bolt collection merges fashion and function by providing a stylish parka that lets users charge their devices inside the pockets. Apart from the skinny jeans I think this Parka is very Kool

This 360-treadmill is the future of virtual reality gaming

Love this - if it means getting the kids of the couch when it comes to gaming this has now gone to the next level.VUE VR Treadmill is a first-of-its-kind active virtual reality motion platform in which your actions in the virtual world are controlled by first-person navigation like walking ,running, creating an unprecedented sense of immersion that cannot be experienced with sitting down. VUE VR Treadmill lets you walk, run, sit and crouch with 360-degree freedom of movement allowing you to control your avatar without restraints.

Amazing use of 3D printing

How cool is this, somewhere you and kids could visit, making your own cakes but using 3D printing, idessert where you create and select your cake via a touchscreen, and then voila it is then made via 3D printing. Now you can enjoy not just eating cake but watching it been made. More Cake Off than Bake Off.

Arduino Is Now Kids Play

I love this, now we can all create working prototypes from scratch without all the geekiness

Marketing Ideas and spooky job titles

Funny thing I noticed recently, and it's this; our industry is now changing not by the year or week it's changing by the day,a quick search today this is what came up; Snapchat glasses, BMW built a power plant from old electric-car batteries, Microsoft puts AI to work in Office 365 I could go on and in that new roles are created and others evolve; for instant job titles; 'digital creative directors' are now becoming 'heads of digital transformation' others too like 'design directors' with a tap of a key command are now; 'product innovation directors'. So what's happening? I think as an industry we are in a state of flux. Don't panic, I've seen 4 major changes so far in my career, we're just in another transition. Many companies trying to find their niche on what to do? What do they stand for? Or as the old school would say; what's our USP? No different of old but now the lines are now blurred for instance we now have cross-over from PR, media into agency land and vice versa, marketing directors becoming an agency planner. It's now not unusual for even creatives going client side working for the likes of Uber and Facebook. I personally think it's great with all this cross over as it shows that companies are in search of the ideas but many muddy the water, they complicate things. As always it's the idea that counts not the title or where you work, that's super exciting for me, is an idea or ideas that truly transform a business which sets them apart either agency or client side. Enjoy the ride. Here's an image I love which made me laugh, when someone asked me when I was working in Australia 'what's the difference between a front end and and a back end developer? I shared this from my image bank. Thankfully these roles never changed.

Everything Can Have An Idea In It

I was on TNW and the usually cookie policy pop-up came up but what caught my eye here on this site was a cute playful neat little idea, WOW someone actually thought of a creative idea rather than the usual bland copy only cookie policy. It gives the site a bit of personality, it's very simple on a loop video, a man is trying to eat a 'cookie' without using his hands, much more fun than the usual. Tip for all young creatives, even with no budget, no time and a boring message you can still get an idea in there, you just need to sit down drink some coffee and perhaps a cookie to crack even the most mundane brief.

There's More Pop -Ups In-store From Amazon

The march continues in owning the shopping experience from Amazon, according to Business Insider, the tech giant has a master plan to open even more pop-up stores in the coming year, they are keen in particularly to showcase its Echo speakers and other devices and hardware like; Kindles and Fire TV. You could be looking at over 100 pop-up stores in the coming months, as the e-retailer is reportedly putting up one almost every week across the US. They are keen to stress though just because Amazon is expanding its physical presence it doesn't mean it's focusing more on bricks-and-mortar shops. Having said that, apparently, these pop-ups are there to give potential customers a chance to play and interact with the products to then drive up their sales online, so surely the increase will continue. We all know this is the best retail strategy for any brand worth their salt that they have a fully integrated experience. Let's see how this shakes up and maybe what partnerships could evolve for big brands on the high street.