Innovation : All Tech Considered An exploration of interesting ideas that solve problems, introduce new experiences or even change our world.

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Innovation

Saturday December 20, 2014

Tech Week: Sony's Cyber Woes, And A Coating To Ease Ketchup's Flow

Sony Pictures was forced to cancel the release of its film The Interview this week after the hacking group, Guardians of Peace, threatened theaters that planned to screen the movie. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Innovation

Tech Week: Sony's Cyber Woes, And A Coating To Ease Ketchup's Flow

December 20, 2014 • In our weekly roundup of tech headlines, we get you up-to-date on Sony's troubles after North Korea targeted its film The Interview, and tell you a community organizer's advice for tech companies.

Wednesday December 17, 2014

Weekly Innovation: Nonstick Coating Helps Ketchup Slide Out

With LiquiGlide, ketchup easily slides outside of the bottle with no shaking necessary. LiquiGlide hide caption

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LiquiGlide

Innovation

Weekly Innovation: Nonstick Coating Helps Ketchup Slide Out

December 17, 2014 • LiquiGlide is a coating that helps that last bit of ketchup or mustard slide out easily without shaking or squeezing the bottle. Now, the company is expanding to other kinds of uses and industries.

Friday December 12, 2014

Please Touch! Cooper Hewitt Creates A Museum For The Internet Age

Interactive touch screens at the newly redesigned Cooper Hewitt museum let visitors sort through the catalog and create their own designs. Cooper Hewitt hide caption

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Cooper Hewitt

Innovation

Please Touch! Cooper Hewitt Creates A Museum For The Internet Age

December 12, 2014 • The design museum is housed in a historic building, but it has been remade into one of the country's most technologically advanced museums. Officials hope it attracts younger visitors — and donors.

Please Touch! Cooper Hewitt Creates A Museum For The Internet Age

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Thursday December 11, 2014

Weekly Innovation: A Smart Power Outlet That Can't Shock You

Normal outlets are always live at 120 volts, but the Brio Safe uses embedded sensors to accurately identify a plug before delivering a current. Brio hide caption

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Brio

Innovation

Weekly Innovation: A Smart Power Outlet That Can't Shock You

December 11, 2014 • Kids often hurt themselves when they put their fingers into electrical outlets, but the Brio Smart outlet prevents injury by using sensors to differentiate between human touch and an electric plug.

Monday December 8, 2014

Inventor Ralph Baer, The 'Father Of Video Games,' Dies At 92

German-American game developer Ralph Baer shows the prototype of the first games console which was invented by him during a press conference on the Games Convention Online in Leipzig, Germany in 2009. Baer died on Saturday. He was 92. Jens Wolf/DPA /Landov hide caption

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Jens Wolf/DPA /Landov

Innovation

Inventor Ralph Baer, The 'Father Of Video Games,' Dies At 92

December 8, 2014 • Video games have become a ubiquitous, billion-dollar industry, but all of the Playstations, Xboxes and Wiis can be traced back to the work of Robert Baer and his "Brown Box." He died Saturday.

Saturday December 6, 2014

Is That $1 or $5? Ask This Money Reader For The Blind

After scanning a $1 bill with iBill, a speaker announces, "one dollar." Claire Eggers/NPR hide caption

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Claire Eggers/NPR

Innovation

Is That $1 or $5? Ask This Money Reader For The Blind

December 6, 2014 • The iBill, a new currency reader being offered by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, aims to change how the blind identify different kinds of bills.

Wednesday December 3, 2014

Weekly Innovation: A Smart Pan That Helps You Cook Like A Chef

The Pantelligent frying pan uses a smartphone app to control cooking temperature. Pantelligent hide caption

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Pantelligent

Innovation

Weekly Innovation: A Smart Pan That Helps You Cook Like A Chef

December 3, 2014 • The Pantelligent frying pan uses temperature control to help you cook food perfectly. The pan is connected to a smartphone app, which contains over 50 recipes.

Monday December 1, 2014

Amazon Unleashes Robot Army To Send Your Holiday Packages Faster

Kiva robots maneuver around one of Amazon's newest distribution centers on Sunday in Tracy, Calif. Brandon Bailey/AP hide caption

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Brandon Bailey/AP

Innovation

Amazon Unleashes Robot Army To Send Your Holiday Packages Faster

KQED

December 1, 2014 • In its endless quest to get goods to customers fast, Amazon has hired squads of speedy robots. In warehouses where human "pickers" walked miles a day, machines now zip shelves of goods back and forth.

Amazon Unleashes Robot Army To Send Your Holiday Packages Faster

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Sunday November 30, 2014

To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space

International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with 3-D printing on Nov. 25. NASA hide caption

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NASA

Innovation

To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space

November 30, 2014 • NASA 3-D printed an object on the International Space Station for the first time this week. It's an important step toward long missions — like to Mars — where all necessary items won't fit on board.

To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space

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Friday November 28, 2014

A Data Analyst's Blog Is Transforming How New Yorkers See Their City

New York data blogger Ben Wellington sits next to a fire hydrant Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y. His investigation into the city's parking ticket data found that two Lower Manhattan hydrants on consecutive blocks in Manhattan generated $55,000 a year for the city — off of cars that appeared to be parked legally. RIchard Villa/OZY hide caption

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RIchard Villa/OZY

Innovation

A Data Analyst's Blog Is Transforming How New Yorkers See Their City

Ozy.com

November 28, 2014 • Ben Wellington tracked down two of the city's costliest parking spots and its leafiest neighborhoods, while pointing out questionable health grades for restaurants and odd charges for subway riders.

Wednesday November 26, 2014

Weekly Innovation: A Seat That Fits In Your Pocket

Creator Jonas Lind-Bendixen says he thought of the idea for Sitpack when he was waiting at a concert. Sitpack hide caption

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Sitpack

Innovation

Weekly Innovation: A Seat That Fits In Your Pocket

November 26, 2014 • The Sitpack is a compact seat shaped like a monopod that fits in your pocket when folded up. Creator Jonas Lind-Bendixen says the product could be used during travel or while waiting at a concert.

Sunday November 16, 2014

Google

Innovation

Google's Lollipop Wants To Change The Way We Use Our Phones

November 16, 2014 • The latest update to Google's Android operating system is more than just a facelift. It's an introduction to the future of Google's Web.

For Wearable Tech, One Size Does Not Fit All

Isabelle Olsson, the lead designer of Google Glass, says she is encouraging more women to enter the tech industry — not just as designers, but in all capacities. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Innovation

For Wearable Tech, One Size Does Not Fit All

November 16, 2014 • One big criticism of wearable technology: the teams behind these devices are not diverse enough. Some industry watchers say that can result in products designed only with men in mind.

For Wearable Tech, One Size Does Not Fit All

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Wednesday November 12, 2014

Innovation: Smart Yoga Mat Could Help You Find Your Zen

The SmartMat is a responsive yoga mat that seeks to improve one's yoga practice. Microsensors embedded in the mat record and provide adjustments to the user in real time. Courtesy of SmartMat hide caption

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Courtesy of SmartMat

Innovation

Innovation: Smart Yoga Mat Could Help You Find Your Zen

November 12, 2014 • The SmartMat is an intelligent yoga mat that records the user's movements and makes adjustments to improve yoga practice. The creators have a prototype and plan to ship the final product in July.

Thursday November 6, 2014

Weekly Innovation: Harness Could Allow Dogs, Humans To Communicate

David Roberts says the Cyber-Enhanced Working Dog harness will allow humans to monitor dogs' physical and emotional states remotely, such as in search and rescue operations. Becky Kirkland/North Carolina State University hide caption

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Becky Kirkland/North Carolina State University

Innovation

Weekly Innovation: Harness Could Allow Dogs, Humans To Communicate

November 6, 2014 • Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a dog harness, equipped with speakers and vibrating motors, that could be used in search and rescue or to improve dog training.