PDMA to debut new technology showcase.

Product Development and Management Association Sep 10, 2009

Press Release Summary:

During 33rd Annual International Conference, PDMA will be creating on-site marketplace of new ideas and pre-commercialized emerging technologies that are experiential. Showcase will be incorporated into conference program so attendees can learn from and interact with innovations. Some technologies featured will include Microsoft's Surface multi-touch device, CKbot modular robot, Eco-neighbuzz apartment buzzer/intercom, and MicroHound(TM) trace explosive detector.

Original Press Release:

The Product Development and Management Association to Debut New Technology Showcase during Annual International Conference

The PDMA Annual International Conference to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif.

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Leading the charge in product development and innovation, the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) will be debuting a technology showcase during its 33rd Annual International Conference, to be held Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2009 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. The Technology Showcase will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 3-4.

For the first time, the PDMA will be creating an on-site marketplace of new ideas and pre-commercialized emerging technologies that are experiential and have a huge "wow" factor. The Showcase will be incorporated into the conference program so attendees can learn from and interact with the innovations that will be helping to shape our future.

"Our goal is to engage in a way that both amazes and provides useful insights into innovative solutions and opportunities that might apply to business today," said PDMA President and Chair Rich Notargiacomo, NPDP.

"In order to stay competitive, American companies must innovate," said Roger Kilmer, Director of the U.S Department of Commerce NIST/MEP Network. "One of the biggest challenges for buyers and sellers of technologies to create connections is the lack of a marketplace. The U.S. Department of Commerce NIST/MEP Network recently created the new innovation online marketplace, PlanetEureka, where breakthrough technology can be found free by U.S. Corporations. This is how we found the innovations we submitted to the PDMA Showcase."

Some of the new technologies featured in the Showcase include:

Microsoft's Surface is a multi-touch device that allows multiple users to manipulate digital content by the use of natural gestures. It represents a radical shift from traditional computer interfaces, and promises to lead the way to a new paradigm in how we interact with many devices. The display is projected onto a 30-inch reflective surface, and cameras built into the device record reflections of infrared light from objects and human fingertips on the surface of the device. The surface is capable of object recognition, object/finger orientation recognition and tracking. Users interact with the display by touching or dragging their fingertips and objects such as mobile phones or paintbrushes across the screen. The device is capable of recognizing multiple simultaneous touches, and is optimized to respond to 52 touches at a time.

Siftables were conceived at MIT's Media Lab as a way to enable people to interact with electronic media and information in physical, natural ways that approach the type of interactions with physical objects that we are used to performing each day. They offer a new point in the interaction design space between tangible and graphical user interfaces, combining elements of both paradigms - physically embodied manipulatives that can be grasped and moved by hand, and screens that can show dynamic visual information. As an interaction platform, Siftables can be used to implement a wide range of multi-object gesture languages and interactive applications.

Eco-neighbuzz is an apartment buzzer and intercom system with additional features. Today's existing intercom systems work only between outside door and flat. However, we can improve this system to support the existing community inside the building. Even though today we are living in tall concrete blocks built in big metropolises, we are not communicating with our neighbors as we did years ago. Sometimes we don't even know who is living in the building and what they are doing. Essentially, Eco-neighbuzz is a voice message to neighbors. Interaction with the device happens through a touch screen and handset, using speech-to-text functionality.

CKbot is a Self-reassembly After Explosion (SAE) project that involves a system putting itself back together after being exploded. CKBot is a chain style modular robot. A modular robot is a versatile system consisting of many simple modules that can change their configuration to suit a given task. The creators have designed a one degree of freedom module actuated by a hobby servo. They currently have manufactured 100 of these modules which allow people to use these modules as building blocks to build bigger robots. CKBot is designed to be fast, allowing us to perform dynamic gaits.

Sandia National Laboratories' MicroHound(TM) is a fast, handheld system for the trace detection of explosives. This lightweight (about 12 lbs.) system can detect both explosives vapor and particulate, a unique feature of this system. The development of the MicroHound was a quest to combine, in a single platform, a miniaturized sampling and preconcentration system with multiple, highly sensitive chemical micro sensors that can detect nanogram amounts of explosives. In addition, the MicroHound's development reduced the size, weight, and cost of a portable trace explosives detection system with an incorporated high-volume sampling preconcentrator. Sandia has incorporated other patented advances in the MicroHound that improve capabilities for other chemical signatures. The sampling and preconcentration technology used in the MicroHound was originally developed and patented by Sandia for a personnel explosives detection portal. Ultimately, commercial versions of the MicroHound could be produced for a comparatively low cost.

Planet Eureka, a program from the U.S. Department of Commerce NIST/MEP network is featuring six innovations that are available in their open innovation marketplace:

TouchSound enables you to experience music and other sounds through not only your ears, but also through your sense of touch. TouchSound is the next generation of sound enjoyment from CDs and DVDs to an experience that actually allows you to feel the sound in a dramatic way. It's as if you were truly present in the moment and actually playing the instrument, riding the motorcycle or dueling with Star Wars Light Sabers. TouchSound works by placing your hands on specially designed pods that translate sounds into physical vibrations. The system uses very low frequency speakers with special adaptations to transmit the sound directly to your hands and body. These vibrations are generated by the exact sounds you are hearing through your ears.

Salt Check is the first and only test that determines your level of sodium in one easy and quick sample taken in your home or the doctor's office, and returns accurate results immediately. For patient's managing high blood pressure, this one of kind patented technology uses new test strips to quickly and easily analyze sodium levels in a single sample. Current tests require you to collect urine over a 24 hour period and send it to a lab for evaluation.

Remco 50% Energy Saving LED Street Light is the only LED street light that uses half as much electricity, lasts longer (50,000 hours), and eliminates maintenance cost for a total savings of $4,300 per LED street light. In addition to saving money, Remco's LED Street Light patented technology provides a superior quality of light with no mercury compared to conventional sodium street lights.

Radiant Halo 7 Fuel Saving and Emission Reduction Device is a fuel saving unit for truck owner and engine manufacturers. It is the only air intake device that will save $15,000 per year, every year for the average "over the road" tractor trailer. Furthermore, exhaust pollution is reduced up to 45%. The seven-pound unit can be used with any diesel, gasoline or natural gas internal combustion engine.

Omnibalm Daily Foot Therapy is a non-greasy, healing foot cream for general and diabetic foot care that softens and helps repair dry, cracked skin and keeps feet healthy and fresh. The product provides real efficacy from 100% natural ingredients.

The Annual International Conference is designed for professionals from corporate leaders to practitioners in the field of new product development, management and innovation, as well as academics and service providers. Registration is now open through the PDMA Web site, www.PDMA.org.

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is the foremost advocate and comprehensive resource for product development and innovation professionals in the United States and abroad. The association is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations in product development and management. More than 3,500 members worldwide take advantage of PDMA's well-integrated combination of resources encompassing professional development, education, experience, networking, collaboration, certification, and recognition. For more information, please visit www.PDMA.org.