The Winners of the Future Ideas European Innovation Master Thesis Competition
Future Ideas gathered 234 theses from 25 European countries, which were evaluated by over 40 jury members from companies and the academic world all over Europe. The Future Ideas' mission is to accelerate the
craftsmanship of innovation. Future Ideas brings together
innovation professionals during entertaining and innovative events, organizing
competitions in the field of innovation and creating innovation valorization
tools like research reports, start-up databases and connecting you to innovation
peers.
The Future Ideas 2013 Grand Finale was closed with an award ceremony, during which the top three finalists were announced and received their awards ' Golden, Silver and Bronze Winner of the Future Ideas European Innovation Master Thesis Competition:
First Prize 3500 EUR:
Design Driven Innovation: Vincent Olislagers
Phantom Physicalizations: Reinterpreting dreams through physical representation
It is hard to imagine a world without technological progress, though innovation is pragmatic and utalitarian by nature. Most consumer electronics and household appliances are merely used to perform functional or recreative domestic activities. These devices intent to make our lives easier or more pleasant. But what if these objects could go beyond their functional affordances and become extensions of our identities?
In a way the subjectivity of dreams can be seen as a reflection of our personality. While most people dream, nobody dreams the same thing. Furthermore dreams mean a variety of things to different people. This thesis work examines what dreams mean historically, psychologically and creatively, and how they may be reinterpreted through technological means. An indepth literature study and user studies is used to develop and test a prototype that allows the user to taste their dreams and reflect on them in a novel way. From a phenomenological perspective this opens up new modes of experience as over time new subjective patterns and trends can be noticed in the fragrance and flavour of the resulting coffee.
The prototype records various vital signs during sleep and blends unique blends of coffee based on how the users body reacts during sleep.
Second Prize 1000 EUR:
Innovation Techniques: Martin Atassi and Karun Haschemi
Innomization - a new innovation approach
This master thesis addresses the product innovation process of companies. Based on an intelligent combination of innovative core methods, a new approach for an innovation process arises. The described and evaluated Innomization model consolidates different methods to a new innovation procedure. The included elements are focusing on customer behavior, customer needs and customization of products. The evaluated research question of the master thesis focuses on the improvement of a classical product development process to a dynamical one by integrating customers and their customer data.
Studying the relevant literature in combination with a quantitative and qualitative research approach about the core elements of innovation in general shows, that a need for a different innovation approach is extensive. The master thesis further reveals that an integration of such an approach occurs a shift in the mindset of the employees and a change of the company culture as well. Based on the findings and consecutive integration in the model, the Innomization approach is extended, furthermore a prospect for an in-house integration as well as an entrepreneurial venture concludes this master thesis.
Third Prize 500 EUR:
Public Domain Innovation: Jorick Beijer
Los Angeles: The Metropolis and Five Stages of Modernity
The study exploits modernity's history in the formation of the city Los Angeles. It renders a possible future of modernity, positioned in the realm of optimistic utopia. The thesis argues that meaningful places in the city build on older urban ecologies. And that although our time-space configuration might evolve radically, there remains a human need to be rooted in authentic urban space.
In the urban region where the 'armature' has been the celebration of expansion for decades, this is also the momentum for inverting the way we treat infrastructure. The thesis renders the concept of a concentrated, inwards oriented armature. An urban armature that reveals an ecology of various ecologies. Forecasting a different future, radically provoking reality. Intopia: intense, interpersonal, interconnected. The designed monorail takes up a possible stroke of intensification in Downtown LA, a better connection and greater microenvironments.
It introduces two new paces, that of the Skytrain where the user takes a rapid monorail and that of the skywalk - a place for walking, biking or rollerblading. Ten stations are the heart of intensification areas, chosen at strategic locations around vacancy, cultural hotspots and existing infrastructure. The intensification areas introduce a radically new concept in Downtown LA, namely that of the pedestrian area within the block.
Future Ideas will continue to strive to bring together creative and inspiring people who want to collaborate to develop ideas for the future. Amongst others, an entrepreneurship track for graduates will be set up and preparations will be made to start the next thesis competition soon. With the help of all enthusiasts, Future Ideas wants to become bigger and better in the future. Visit Futureideas.eu to learn more.
