Taking Innovation to the Skies

On April 27, the Innovation Bound meetup tackled a challenge posed by the military by way of Innocentive: come up with a better way to air drop humanitarian supplies in crisis zones. The current method is efficient and fast, but the cargo cannot be safely dropped over populated areas. Our challenge was to improve on or re-invent the system.

Our participants went to work, and in a few short minutes the ideas started rolling in.

“Giant inflatable balls full of aid could roll out of the back of the plane.”

“Maybe all of the materials used for the airdrop could be re-purposed for building materials and other things.”

“What if each of the individual packets were connected and then rolled into a barrel shaped mass at manufacturing?”

By the end of the workshop, participants had formed teams and detailed three very different and very novel ideas for a better way to airdrop humanitarian aid.  

At the end of the workshop one participant, a teacher, expressed, “I was hesitant about attending and participating because of the very technical nature of this challenge.  I thought, ‘what do I know about planes or aid?’ but over the last couple of hours I’ve changed my mind entirely.  We’ve all been able to lend our unique perspectives and add value.”

An Innovative Outcome is one which has a strong element of originality and which appropriately addresses the challenge at hand.  The unique perspectives of our participants enabled them to bring that strong element of originality to the table.  When combined with the experience of an expert, in a collaborative way, powerful innovations come to life.