Designing a $25 Baby Incubator - George Kembel

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/08/14/George_Kembel_Awakening_Creativity

George Kembel, co-founder and executive director of the d.school, demonstrates how a group of his students conceptualized an innovative incubator for premature babies by using empathy to gain inspiration and reframe the problem. The incubator costs around $25 dollars as opposed to the standard $20,000 dollar incubator.

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George Kembel, co-founder and executive director of the d.school, explores ways to tap the latent human capacity for creativity and innovation. - Chautauqua Institution

George Kembel is a co-founder and currently the executive director of the Stanford d. school, also known as the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. He has led the conceptualization, design, and development of new products and technologies for over ten years in both research and industry environments. He specializes in the design process, idea generation, concept development, and rapid prototyping. He has built and led successful interdisciplinary teams from 4-person projects to 120-person organizations and has co-founded and built two design-centered corporations: Engaje, a design consulting and product development company; and DoDots, a venture capital funded software technology startup. As a former entrepreneur, George also helped lead new investments for a $2.5B venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. He has taught on subjects ranging from human values and innovation in design to creativity and visual thinking. He has also won national and industry awards for entrepreneurship and excellence in design. Kembel's current design interests include biologically inspired design and design methodologies.

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[marsCubed]

Ways of competing more fiercely are the opposite of what we need freesk8. only fat cat corps benefit.

We need ways to bring different sectors into balance, so it tends to sustainable wealth production.

This requires nasty corps out of Govt, and more openness with figures.

Free markets are great in the right context, and bring efficiency, innovation, rewards etc.

However people have moved to green sustainable models already, great new markets arose from things like Kyoto;

Made by cooperating more

[marsCubed]

freesk8, you are right in a very limited way, the problem is that it crashes.

capitalism is a system in which a merchant employs workers to make a commodity to sell on the market.

the capitalist sells, pays workers and himself, then uses the rest (capital) for competitive advantage.

The problem is competitors do the same, markets becomes saturated investment soars while profits fall.

Eventually markets collapse in crisis.

Capitalism is bubbles, it tends to monopoly, cat cats, crashes and waste.

[freesk8]

I love space travel, but the cost of NASA or government research to give us these advances is many times the benefits to society. You can not just count one side of cost/benefit analysis.

Private industry does much more efficient and productive research, most of it unsung.

Plus, with private research, middle-class and poor people's taxes don't wind up lining some fat-cat's pockets, whether politician or CEO.

Govt corrupts research as well.

[marsCubed]

"Wonderful! Private people, solving problems"

Yes it is, however you may like to know that the project you commented on was enabled by Government also.

Many spin-offs also come from the US Navy research,many from NASA, assisted student places etc, all bring benefit to the whole economy.

We should obviously cost things,

But if we race cats and mice, cats will always win (they cheat).

We need both in balance, it'sn't about which is better, it's about how they can get along for wealth production.

[freesk8]

Wonderful!

Private people, solving problems, instead of expecting the government to do it for them.

[kid29a]

oh, right, agreed :) good point for anyone who invented this material, using it for this purpose is also great idea.

[funkalunatic]

Your mom is a $25 baby incubator.

[blackiron60]

Empathy is a powerful thing.

[thefutureanotherday]

In the rural areas of, in this case, Nepal they have to use dung to make a fire because there are not many trees. So you would try to avoid making fires if you can because there is probably not much dung either.