When Artists meet Scientists: The Imaginerium of Technology | Barmak Heshmat | TEDxLA

Summary

The speaker introduces 'The Imaginarium of Technology,' an innovative platform merging art and science to bring engineering ideas to life. They discuss the struggle of getting ideas from concept to reality, emphasizing the low success rate of turning ideas into impactful inventions. The platform allows inventors to collaborate with artists to visually represent their concepts, making them accessible and engaging. The speaker showcases two such ideas: an 'infinity ladder' for climbing walls and a 'centimeter-sized robotic pill' for filtering toxins from the body, illustrating the platform's potential to inspire and save lives.

Takeaways

• 🔋 Electric jumper jet is a sport gear designed to allow high jumps (5-6 meters) and safe landings using a yet-to-be-invented surge battery for short bursts of high-intensity current.
• ❓ Many innovative ideas face numerous challenges and often take years to come to fruition or even to be realized.
• 📉 Only about 0.1% of ideas actually become businesses and make a significant impact, which highlights the low yield of successful innovations.
• 🗣️ Many good ideas are never realized because inventors do not communicate or pursue them due to lack of confidence, interest, or resources.
• 🔒 Inventors often abandon or lock up their ideas, believing them to be too precious or lacking the means to develop them further.
• 🎨 The idea of combining the artistic skills of concept artists with the scientific and engineering knowledge of MIT to create comprehensive sketches that convey complex ideas.
• 🌐 The Imaginarium of Technology platform allows inventors to upload and share their ideas in the form of illustrations, enabling better communication and collaboration.
• 📚 The platform also organizes ideas into a gallery of sketches and provides a way for interested parties to connect with the creators for further development.
• 🎉 The platform has successfully hosted several idea exhibitions, showcasing topics like autonomous cars and virtual reality, and received positive feedback.
• 💡 The importance of visual representation in conveying ideas and breaking language barriers, emphasizing that art and science can work together to create impactful innovations.

Q & A

What is the 'electric jumper jet' mentioned in the script?

The electric jumper jet is a conceptual sport gear that allows a person to jump high, approximately 5 to 6 meters, and land safely. It is powered by a surge battery, which provides short bursts of high-intensity current to drive high-speed propellers.

What is the significance of the 'surge battery' in the electric jumper jet?

The surge battery, which is yet to be invented, is crucial as it provides the necessary short bursts of high-intensity current to enable the high-speed propellers to function, thus allowing the electric jumper jet to operate.

What does the speaker suggest about the process of idea generation and implementation in the academic and innovation fields?

The speaker suggests that the process is challenging, with only a small percentage of ideas making it from concept to publication, patent, or business. They highlight the low yield of ideas that actually impact the world and the subjective nature of what is considered a 'good' idea.

Why does the speaker believe that many good ideas never see the light of day?

The speaker believes that many good ideas are not pursued due to a lack of confidence, immediate interest, or because they are considered too precious. Additionally, the barriers of academic publishing and patenting costs can deter inventors from sharing their ideas.

What is the speaker's solution to the problem of not being able to effectively communicate and share ideas?

The speaker's solution is to use visual communication through sketches and illustrations. They propose an online platform called 'The Imaginarium of Technology' where ideas can be matched with artists to create comprehensive visual representations.

How does the speaker describe the process of idea sharing on 'The Imaginarium of Technology'?

On 'The Imaginarium of Technology', ideas can be uploaded as illustrations or described to an artist for illustration. These ideas are then tagged, organized, and displayed in a gallery. Interested individuals can learn more about the ideas or start a conversation with the creator.

What is the purpose of the 'Idea Exhibitions' mentioned in the script?

The Idea Exhibitions serve as events where selected ideas from 'The Imaginarium of Technology' are showcased. This provides an opportunity for these ideas to reach the right people, including companies and other interested parties, potentially leading to further development or implementation.

What are the two ideas presented by the speaker at the end of the script?

The two ideas presented are the 'infinity ladder', a rollable ladder stretched out by drones for climbing walls, and a 'centimeter-sized robotic pill' that stays in the stomach to filter out toxins and unhealthy substances from the diet.

How does the speaker encourage fellow scientists and artists to engage with 'The Imaginarium of Technology'?

The speaker encourages scientists and artists to use 'The Imaginarium of Technology' as a platform to bring their ideas to life and to communicate intellectual value through beautiful and functional creations, rather than just focusing on drawing monsters and aliens.

What is the main message the speaker wants to convey to the audience?

The main message is a call to action for creative individuals not to let their ideas die and to use visual communication platforms like 'The Imaginarium of Technology' to share and potentially bring their ideas to fruition.