Blindness and impaired sight are older than the human species. But it was not until recently that scientists at MIT came up with the “Seeing Eye Ring,” an audio reading device that people wear on their index fingers. The 3D printed ring has a small camera that scans text and reads words aloud to the user. The device has software that tracks the user’s finger movements and alerts readers to the position of the text so they don’t stray from it.
The result is a huge breakthrough that allows the visually impaired and blind to read books and printed materials at home, work, and in daily activities such as doctor appointments and eating at restaurants.
When researchers or scientists come upon “breakthrough” technological innovations such as the “Seeing Eye Ring,” they are based on a new understanding of how to use the powers found in nature and subtle but significant improvements in technology. Research activities lead to the transformation of experimental results and provide new vistas to be explored.
Breakthroughs in Business
There are three different levels of innovation in science, technology, and business: incremental, breakthrough, and transformative. Businesses move through these same levels of innovation but do so to accommodate and satisfy customer needs.
Engineers and innovators constantly deal with pieces of puzzles and when they fit the pieces together, breakthrough innovations occur. This often leads to the development of new technologies, products, and markets. Businesses that foster value creation, often using a customer input, achieve great things.