Every year the Consumer’s Electronic Show (CES), the massive trade show produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), is held in Las Vegas to highlight the latest and greatest in consumer electronics. Since the CEA is the pre-eminent trade association promoting growth in the $195 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry, you would expect a monster blowout of a trade show.  And that’s just what this show delivered.

The show featured more than 3,250 exhibitors across 1.9 million net square feet of exhibit space, breaking both the space and exhibitor records set in 2012.  This year’s show unveiled about 20,000 new products, and there were several new products that simply blew the doors off of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Here is a sampling of a few of the electronic innovations that we felt were truly cutting edge.

• Samsung 45mm 2D/3D Camera Lens – Samsung unveiled the new NX 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens, the first one-lens 3D system capable of capturing both still images and full HD movies in perfect 3D quality.  Normally, if you want to shoot 3D images, you need two cameras, or at least two lenses. But the innovators at Samsung crafted a lens with two LCD shutters inside the lens that alternate exposures within microseconds to give 3-D depth to the image.  Of course, the feature can be turned off if you simply want a 2D image, but where’s the fun in that?
• NVIDIA Project Shield Portable Gaming Device — If you’re a gamer, you’re gonna love Project Shield.  It’s the first portable gaming device that really plays like a bigger home device.  It has a full-size game controller, a 5-inch touchscreen, a NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, breakthrough Wi-Fi technology, and stunning HD video and audio.  But not only is it a gaming device designed to add tactile controls to Android games, it also links up with email and web browsing to bring you a very cool, hand-held that can do it all.
• Sony’s Xperia Z Smartphone – It wouldn’t be a proper CES report without at least one smartphone shout-out.  The Sony Xperia Z is that phone.  Sleek, full HD display, super thin, water/dust resistant, powerful – what’s not to like. Wait; did you say water resistant?  Yes, so if you’re one of those people who must talk or text while showering, this is definitely the phone for you.
• LEGO Mindstorm EV3 – Probably the coolest thing to come out of CES 2013 was the EV3.  Yes, LEGO has had Mindstorm robotics since 1998, but the new EV3 is clearly a leap ahead (picture above).  The beauty of this set is that it can be as simple or as sophisticated as needed.  With the blend of basic computer science and simple building techniques, the EV3 gives kids a chance to make their own robots very easily. For the more experienced, EV3 begs to be tinkered with, and a Bluetooth link to the computing ‘brick’ allows the EV3 to be controlled via a remote control Android app. The kit has instructions for a few different robots, but it’s LEGO, so anyone can create their own.

So the 2013 CES lived up to its predecessors.  And while there were many other cool things – ultra HD and OLED televisions, new headphones, iPad accessories, wireless speakers and IP cameras – we just didn’t have the space to talk about everything. But all this cool new stuff and the record breaking size of this year’s show is enough to make us eagerly anticipate CES 2014 even more.  Besides, it’s Vegas, baby.

We’ll have a full CES wrap-up from the Davison Licensing Department next week.  Stay Tuned….

SOURCES

http://www.cesweb.org/About-CES.aspx

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2013-01/best-ces-2013-popular-sciences-products-future

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/us/pressroom/tobii_technology/pressrelease/view/tobii-rex-world-s-first-consumer-peripheral-for-gaze-interaction-to-be-unveiled-at-ces-825213?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=Subscription&utm_content=pressrelease

http://www.tobii.com/en/gaze-interaction/global/

http://shield.nvidia.com/

http://mashable.com/2013/01/10/mashable-ces-picks-2013/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+(Mashable)

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Will-the-Sony-Xperia-Z-cope-with-the-fierce-competition-of-2013-Heres-what-you-think-about-this_id38612?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+phonearena%2FySoL+(Phone+Arena+-+Latest+News)

http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2013/01/new-lego-ev3-minstorms-hands-on/

If the title of this article were Best Inventions of 1912, it would be full of names of inventors who were at the time, and still are today, household words. We used to have rock-star inventors and visionaries that people looked up to and admired; Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell and Guglielmo Marconi, just to name a few.

Today, it would be hard to name even a couple people that are inventing the world of the 21^st century.

So is innovation dead?  Absolutely not.  Actually we’ve seen more innovation in the past fifty years than in the entire previous thousands of years of human history combined. Huge achievements in medicine, communications, space travel, and computers have happened on our watch. So maybe we don’t have that iconic inventor to point to outside of high tech innovators such as Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak, but we can tell you that brilliant ideas and innovations in almost every field of human endeavor are very much alive and well.  In fact, just in the past year we have seen some amazing inventions.

Here are a few of the best and brightest ideas of 2012.

• Flexible Solar Panels – Solar panels are great – if you can afford both the panels and the huge cost of installation – regular solar panels are rigid and need to be mounted on angled arrays. But if you had flexible thin-film solar panels which could be unrolled like wrapping paper, now that would be cool. Well, a company called Ascent Solar Technologies has invented a thin-film panel that can be integrated directly into a roof, a wall, even on a tent and deliver solar-based energy
• Life-logging Cameras – Capturing your entire life on camera is now possible, assuming you’re egotistical enough to think anyone else would want to watch every moment of your life.  Two prototype cameras came out in 2012; from Memoto and OMG Life. Both cameras attach to your clothes at chest level and automatically snap pictures for you; the Memoto takes a pic every 30 seconds and the other whenever it detects sudden changes that indicate significant actions
• 3D printers – Yes, the concept of 3D printers has been around for many years now and expensive 3D printers have been used by industry, but now, in 2012, Formlabs has developed an ultra-precise 3D laser-based printer at a friendlier consumer price point.  Now we can all print three-dimensional things for our home.  Out of forks or plates? Save yourself a trip to Target and just print them at home – you’ll be setting the table in no time
• The Built-in Breathalyzer – Imagine that your car could automatically breathalyse you every time you get in to drive. Well, QinetiQ North America is working on just such a device.  Working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the auto industry, QinetiQ is developing a sensor in your car that would instantly measure the blood-alcohol concentration in your exhaled breath. If the blood-alcohol level is above the legal limit, the car can’t be driven
• The Inkling pen – Ever think you might have a pen that would remember every stroke it ever took?  Welcome to the Inkling pen – it’s a digital sketch pen that captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper and stores it on a receiver you place on the paper. When you connect the receiver to a computer via a USB cable, it transfers those images and saves them as files
• Focused UltraSound – What if you combined the detection power of magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) with the power of ultrasound waves – you would get something pretty remarkable. Using MRI for guidance, the ultrasound applies high-intensity focused sonic energy to locally heat and destroy diseased or damaged tissue such as tumors or other growths like uterine fibroids

So, while there are many other examples we could highlight, we think it’s pretty clear that innovation is alive and well!

You may have noticed that we didn’t tell you who invented all of these incredible inventions of 2012. That’s because we seem to have traded the lone genius inventor working in his lab for more of a committee-based approach. But that’s not bad; it’s just different. This cooperative spirit of invention, born in the space age, is now part of the American spirit, and that will always be something to admire.

SOURCES:

http://www.ascentsolar.com/

If you are like most inventors, the ultimate goal for your idea is to create a product that will sell.

But one of the first problems you will face is this – an idea is not a product. In order to create a product from an idea, an inventor must be willing to devote time, energy and money to take all of the steps necessary for this to happen. In order to give your idea the best chance for success, you need to work with people who understand all the many steps to bring a product to market.

For over 20 years, Davison has helped inventors bring their ideas from the concept stage to products selling in stores. Their product development services are extremely thorough, and they work with the inventor every step along the way; from patent and product related research to designing, developing and building working prototypes and product samples. They design packaging for the product, identify manufacturers and present new products to corporations, manufacturers, and retailers for possible licensing agreements.

So, as an inventor with a great idea, you probably have a few questions regarding costs:

•      Who pays for the product development services? Clients pay for initial design research, product design, prototype development, integrated retail product packaging (illustrating what the product could appear as on the retail shelf) and product sample demonstration videos.
•      Who pays for licensing? Davison offers licensing representation for a fixed fee plus a 10% interest in any future royalties. However, this is not a purchase of patent or invention rights, and no purchase or partnerships are offered. To see the range of services and costs involved, visit www.davison.com/legal/aipa.html
•      Are there ever cases where Davison would work on an invention for only a percentage of profits? No. Developing inventions is a very uncertain undertaking, and it would be too risky for Davison to work on any invention without some form of up-front payment.

So if you’re looking to have your new product idea prepared and presented to a corporation for possible licensing, Davison has the experience, expertise and track record you should look for in new product development services.

At Davison, we celebrate the process of inventing. It’s really that simple.

This is precisely why we present all of our Davison products in our problem-better way format. Inventors see a way to do something better and they invest their time, money and patience into bringing their ideas to the world.

Below are 4 simple, but amazingly practical solutions for everyday problems:

The bathroom with all its running water, personal hygiene accessories and hair collecting pipes can get pretty disgusting. Add to that filth, the clutter created by all the tools you use to rectify these problems, and you have quite a mess on your hands. Not anymore. GW International created this bathtub storage panel made by and launched in 2010 at KBB Birmingham. Now you can store all your cleansers, plunger and sprays completely out of sight.

Painting walls is enough of a painstaking process without having to find the perfect spot for your paint-soaked paintbrush. You can lean it against the bucket, set it on a dirty tarp or you could try this magnetic paintbrush holder that keeps your dripping brush perfectly positioned over your paint bucket. According to the Lee Valley website, the brush is, “Designed to clip to the rim of any size of can, it has integral magnets to securely hold the brush ferrule, allowing paint, etc., to flow from the bristles back into the can, making brush clean-up much easier. One magnet keeps the brush above the liquid in a full can, and the other grips it vertically for when the liquid level is lower.”

You want a fruit salad, but the process of cutting all that delicious fruit is time consuming. Not anymore. “Extract more fruit with less effort. This Rosle stainless-steel pineapple corer operates like a corkscrew with a circular serrated-edge shaft to pierce through fruit, cutting closely to the rind to separate flesh from the core. The outer serrated-blade edge slices perfect, ready-to-serve rings at the same time. With the wide base and ergonomic handle, the pineapple cutter provides the leverage for effortless operation and quick, precise performance.”

“This kitchen needs more storage!” You won’t be saying that anymore with Blum’s Space Corner. Space Corner takes advantage of the poorly used corners of a kitchen by transforming small, cluttered kitchen drawers into gigantic space-saving corner cabinets. Watch the hypnotic video below.

Stay tuned for more simple, life-changing inventions on the Davison blog. As always, thank you for reading.

Davison is a product development company with designs that have sold in over a 1,000 retail and online stores. Working with Davison gives inventors professional quality services, because of Davison’s more than twenty years of experience designing, engineering, building and testing new inventions. However, even with a great track record of success in transforming ideas into products, there is no guarantee that any particular invention will ever be licensed, sold in stores, or result in financial gain.

New product development is an uncertain endeavor and the typical invention is not licensed, sold on any market, or profitable. In fact, no company can guarantee success; and, if they say they can, you can be certain that their promises are too good to be true.

What Davison does guarantee is a confidential exchange of ideas and information, so that an inventor can rest easy knowing their idea is safe. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome when pursuing your idea is being willing to trust someone with your invention. However, if you want to create a successful product, you will need to share your concept with the skilled and knowledgeable people who can help you navigate the many complex aspects of the invention process. Product idea security and confidentiality are Davison’s top priorities.

Inventors can submit their ideas to the Davison team through a confidentiality agreement, which is a binding contract between you and Davison that states that they will not disclose anything about your invention without your permission. When you submit your idea to Davison, they will guarantee that they will not use, disclose, license or sell your idea without your consent.

Another thing that Davison guarantees is that the Davison design team will work with inventors in every aspect of product development; including product research, design, engineering, prototype construction, and packaging. Davison also identifies appropriate corporations for potential licensing deals, prepares materials and product samples for presentation, negotiates licensing agreements, and manages royalties. Davison has over 250 employees working together in an amazing 110,000 square foot office campus, which includes its inventing factory called Inventionland.

Davison has the skilled professionals and the state-of-the-art equipment that can help you develop your invention into a real product sample, and, they will use all of their experience to give you a truly professional sample and presentation materials.

“You watch too much TV!”

We all grew up hearing authority figures and parents scold us for inactivity. Well, Nigeria is doing something about their entertainment-obsessed youths.

According to a recent article posted on The Guardian online, “Over 75 percent of Nigerian children now spend most of their time watching movies …”

So Lagos – the most populated city in Nigeria at nearly 8 million – partnered with Kids Invent! — the world’s leading provider of innovation-based kids science activities that stimulate the creative interests and abilities of children ages 7 to 15. According to the article, around 300 kids participated in the invention programs, which consisted of a 5-day camp where children were encouraged to invent toys and even price their inventions for the market.

“There is a huge gap in the kids in our country today, but with this trademark program, we can tap into the lives of every innovative and creative children,” Emma Okoro – managing director of the group – told The Guardian.

Co-creator and Group Managing Director of Kids Invent!, Prof. Ed Sobey argues that kids learn best when they are creatively engaged. He noted that Kids Invent! activities are appropriate for schools, after school programs, home schools, summer camps, museums, and wherever kids are eager to experience hands-on, innovative learning.

Kids Invent! was created by Professors Ed Sobey and Timothy M. Stearns, who developed the first Kids Invent! summer camp as an outreach program for California State University in Fresno.

Davison applauds all activities that promote education and get children off the couch and creating! Here’s to hoping that more countries, including the United States, realize the importance of early education in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

(Recently, a group of students visited Inventionland as a project aimed to garner interest in STEM. Read about it here.)

Whether you’re starting your first year in the dorms or transitioning into off-campus housing, Davison has products that make college life more efficient, more comfortable and more organized, so you can worry more about burning through those books and less about burning out.

Fast, Fresh Food

Ordering pizza has never been so fresh. The Pizza Keeper keeps your leftover pizza fresh and ready to reheat, so you have much more time to concentrate on the things you need to do. Pizza Keeper is a neat, convenient way to store leftover pizza compactly in the refrigerator. The air-tight container has a second tier and a separator, so one unit can hold four large slices of pizza neatly and easily. The product also can be used to microwave all the slices at once, making reheating as easy as three, two, one, beep.

Study Storage

Despite the pervasiveness of electronic media, highlighters, pencils and pens will be part of college life as long as you’re paying $200 a pop for that Intro to Philosophy text book. Save time by keeping your study accessories organized with Davison’s Magna Jars. Davison’s team of designers created a small jar that has a magnetic lid and can hold up to a pound of pens, highlighters and various other study materials. The powerful one-way magnet embedded in the jar lid makes it easy to attach the set of four jars to metal cabinetry and other metal objects.

Rooting Rack

You don’t need to mess around when it’s time to suit up and root for the alma mater, and with college teams spanning sports from chess team to NCAA football, you are going to need a variety of hats. Davison will help you keep those hats organized. Cap Racks mount to most doors and walls and are perfect for organizing, storing and protecting hats, as well as belts and bags.

Pamper Products

At school, you’re on your feet a lot. Between hustling to class and squeezing in that lunch-hour Zumba class, your feet and knees take a beating. Pamper yourself during your downtime with the TheraPED, a wearable product that offers moist heat as well as cooling therapy to soothe sore feet and toes. Or, soothe your knee pain with the Hot/Cold Therapy Brace.

Transitioning from summer vacations to midterm cram sessions can be a difficult task. Let these Davison products make the transition a little smoother.

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Every great invention is thought to have a beginning and an end. But the creative process doesn’t always stop at the “finished” product. The showerhead begot the jet-massage setting; the car begot the rest stop; and the door begot the mp3 doorbell. If necessity is the mother of invention, these Davison products are its sons and daughters.

Mary Anderson’s Windshield Wiper

Anderson observed that NYC streetcar drivers often had to open their windows in order to see during inclement weather, sometimes even stopping the streetcar to go outside to clear the window. Her idea consisted of a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a spring-loaded arm with a rubber blade. The lever, with a counterweight to keep the wiper in contact with the window, could move the blade across the windshield, removing rain or snow. With her 1903 patent, Anderson’s invention proved to be the first windshield-clearing device to be effective.

WHAT ABOUT THE INSIDE OF OUR WINDSHIELD?

Davison’s Inshield Wiper

As we briefly discussed yesterday, Davison developed the Inshield Wiper for a client who wanted an easy way to thoroughly clean the interior of a vehicle’s windows. The kit includes a cleaning pad and a buffing pad that attaches to an applicator via Velcro. The unit fits on the back of the hand and is held in place with elastic straps, giving the user easier access to sloping windshields. With the wrist and hand in a more natural position, the user can do a better job of cleaning the inside windshield and back window.

(A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.)

__________

Arnot and Brain’s Electric Drill

The invention of the first electric drill is credited to Arthur James Arnot and William Blanch Brain in 1889, at Melbourne, Australia. Wilhelm Fein invented the portable electric drill in 1895, at Stuttgart, Germany. In 1917, Black & Decker patented a trigger-like switch mounted on a pistol-grip handle.

WHERE SHOULD WE PUT OUR DRILLS?

Davison’s Pegboard Power Drill Holder

Davison’s team of designers created an all-in-one station to securely hold a portable drill, charger and drill bits. This product can be placed on a pegboard or mounted onto a wall, providing a convenient device for organizing tools.

__________

George Stephen’s Kettle Grill

The kettle grill is considered the classic American grill design. The original and oft-copied Weber kettle grill was invented in 1951 by George Stephen. It has remained one of the most commercially successful charcoal grill designs to date.

HOW DO WE BETTER OUR BURGERS?

Davison’s Fill N’ Grill

We created the Fill N’ Grill to make filling burger patties with flavorful ingredients a quick and mess-free task. Simply put a meat patty in the bottom tray, insert and place the second patty on top. Then press the “burger button” and take your creation to the grill. The product is dishwasher safe, so cleanup is a breeze!

As these Davison products prove, building upon an existing idea doesn’t make your creation any less of a great product! 

Source: National Inventors Hall of Fame (http://www.invent.org/)

Disclaimer:  A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Power locks, windows and keyless entry were once the sweetest amenities offered in new cars. Now, these are features most car buyers could not live without. Though we may not have realized our “Back to the Future II” flying car dreams yet, the future of car technology has changed the landscape of tomorrow’s “standard features.”

AHEAD IN THE CLOUD

Cloud computing is frequently touted as a technology game changer, but its application for automobiles really demonstrates its exciting capabilities. Mercedes-Benz announced its mbrace2 system, which offers a bevy of cloud amenities, at the 2012 CES.

“The connected system will include ‘remote access capabilities’ such as Travel Zones/geo-fences, remote vehicle health diagnostics, Curfew Minder, Driving Journal, Speed Alerts, Valet Protect and Remote Horns and Lights,” according to VentureBeat.

THE ‘HARD’ SELL

Entertainment is pervasive and today’s consumers have come to expect video, music and photo capabilities with their technology purchases. Now that hard drive systems are being introduced to cars, the days of untangling birds’ nests of auxiliary cables to connect your personal music collection to your auto might be over. Built-in hard drives can now sync with your current music library.

SAFETY FIRST

Car technology is about more than turning your road trip into a home-theater experience. It’s also about safety. Active Collision Avoidance, Lane Alerts and Google’s patent on self-driving car technology all look to enhance the future of road safety.

A CLASSIC CLEAN

True gear heads know that the ability to stream a live Justin Bieber show through your car stereo is no substitute for a clean, well-tuned auto. That’s why Davison has designed some of the best products for maintaining your ride, no matter what’s underneath your hood:

The Inshield Wiper is an easy way to thoroughly clean the interior of a vehicle’s windows. We licensed the product to Faucet Queen, who added it to their Helping Hand line and packaged the product with a cleaner and defogger.

Clean your car in comfort with the Bucket Bench, which incorporates four swiveling wheels and a comfortable place to sit while keeping you at wheels and bumper-level.

Last, but not least, get your car “wheely” clean with the Wheel Tuner and the Bristle Brush.

Cars will continue to change and evolve in the future, but above all, they will still simply get you from point A to point B.

Have a new automotive invention? – Get started with a no-cont consultation from Davison

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Photo Source:  Yaro / Shutterstock.com

Wendy Diamond — entrepreneur and animal rescue advocate, author of two cookbooks and founder/editor of Animal Fair magazine – recently appeared on New York City’s FOX morning show “Good Day New York” to discuss important summer safety tips for everybody’s four-legged friends. During her spot, Diamond showcased Davison’s & Hugs Pet Products’ Hydro Bone as a way for our dogs to beat the heat.

Diamond spoke with the “Good Day New York” hosts to emphasize that the big issue for our animal companions this and every summer is the heat. Stressing that our dogs don’t sweat but pant, Diamond showcases some of her favorite products to keep our animals cool and healthy this season.

Appearing alongside Dyson’s Air Multiplier Blue Bladeless Fan and other must-have’s for the dog days of summer, Dog Fancy’s Editor’s Choice Award Winner Hydro Bone is recommended by Diamond to keep your pet hydrated and safe in the heat.

Dogs can quickly get too warm and dehydrated, particularly if they are active out of doors, so Davison created the Hydro Bone, a hydrating chew toy, to keep canines cool and content, even in hot weather. The chew toy comes in 3 sizes, for dogs and puppies 6 weeks and older. The water holding toy combines fun with refreshment, so it quenches your dog’s thirst while playing. When soaked, the molded rubber bone’s foam core absorbs water, which is then released through specially designed holes as the toy is squeezed.

It’s great to see the Hydro Bone garner such positive national attention!

Here’s hoping even more of our pet-savvy products create a buzz at the Union Square dog park.