Ever heard of the Ford Nucleon or the Chrysler Turbine? The Nucleon was a Ford concept back in 1958, designed to be powered by a small on-board nuclear reactor. It was supposed to be good for 8 000km before having to replace the core. It never went into production because of fears relating to risks of radiation and nuclear waste.
The Chrysler Turbine, a product of the Chrysler Corporation in 1963, was propelled by a turbine engine. The development of the Chrysler Turbine continued for seven generations all the way up to the early 70s. It was claimed to produce 97kW and 576Nm of torque, and could run on diesel, kerosene, jet-fuel or even vegetable oil.
Both were true icons of their respective car companies and the automotive industry as a whole, but as is obvious, neither ever went mainstream (Chrysler did, however, make it to consumer testing). These attempts at alternative fuel sources were true innovations in the motor industry.
They weren't successful innovations, but they were innovative enough to make it onto my list of innovations that could've changed the world.
Quick quiz
What do microwave ovens, the Concorde and video phones have in common?
All three were great innovations and I still regard them as great strides in technology evolution; however, none of them completely revolutionised the way people cook, commute or communicate, despite claims by their manufacturers that they would. Sure, they've influenced users greatly in their respective genres, but none has managed to claim the revered 'disruptive innovation' status (a story for another time)... well, not yet anyway. The microwave was the closest, but even after all these years, it is still a secondary appliance, which is primarily used to reheat food rather than cook it.
The first public video telephone service was opened by the German Reichpost in, wait for it, 1936.
Viren Maharaj is founder and principal consultant at King StraTech Consulting.
These three were introduced a lot earlier than most think. The Concorde was introduced in 1969, and by today's standards, is still the fastest commercial plane in aviation history. The microwave was patented in 1945 and the first popular home model was sold in 1967. Video phones are my personal favourite, with the first public video telephone service being opened by the German Reichpost in, wait for it, 1936. It was subsequently closed in 1940 due to WWII.
At the time that each was launched to the consumer, they were touted to replace the existing respective predecessor. It was claimed that, within a few years of introduction, everyone would be cooking their meals in record time with the microwave oven, commuting at supersonic speeds, and in constant face-to-face communication with their colleagues and loved ones. Sadly, none of them ever lived up to their expectations.
Microwave ovens are still limited because everybody knows what happens when cutlery is left on a plate and they heat the containers more than the food they hold. The microwave capability has evolved little, despite the reduction in manufacturing costs since introduction.
Concorde had a cruising speed of 2 170 kilometres per hour, which is still more than twice as fast as current airliners. The problem, however, lay in the fact that due to high manufacturing and maintenance costs, the ticket price was exclusive (£6 200 - London to New York (return) when flights were suspended in August 2000, after the fatal Air France Flight 4590).
Over and out
Video phones (in my opinion) were an awesome innovation, further developed on existing telephone capability. High costs to develop, coupled with poor quality of analogue signal protocol, the large amount of bandwidth needed and possibly even the lack user experience (the user often looked at the screen and not at the camera), never gave the innovation the momentum it needed to properly penetrate the market.
Many books, articles or columns (including this one) could be read, offering opinions on why innovation succeeds or fails; however, the fact is that innovation is difficult and without properly understanding and defining the properties, behaviour characteristics and environment of innovation, innovators are more often than not treading that fine line between success and failure. A popular misconception is that innovation requires vast amounts of capital; however, even those with lots of scratch are disadvantaged without the right skills, strategy, and direction.
Even innovation needs to be managed properly in order to increase the likelihood of success. Factors like the correct diffusion of innovation through a company's client base, market development and differentiation are all factors that affect either a successful or unsuccessful innovation. History has proved, time and time again, that the best ideas aren't necessarily the best ideas at the time.
Seek out innovation specialists, plan for strategic development, take stock of the company's technology asset capability and make decisions regarding innovation in the industry with all the information.
“If I had asked the public what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” - Henry Ford
References:
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Nucleon
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_%28business%29
* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/4985234/Top-10-innovations-that-should-have-changed-the-world-but-didnt-manage-it.html
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