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Are you an innovative engineer, designer or practitioner?
bi22le - 13/4/13 at 12:54 AM

Simple question. . . More details to follow but for now, did you watch the latest Horizon on BBC. Very inspirational

Ninehigh - 13/4/13 at 04:35 AM

Nope, got any more detail on it?

scootz - 13/4/13 at 06:23 AM

Salesman!

Daddylonglegs - 13/4/13 at 07:21 AM

Bumbler!

Peteff - 13/4/13 at 07:57 AM

More of a bodger myself

loggyboy - 13/4/13 at 07:59 AM

Chancer!

scudderfish - 13/4/13 at 08:21 AM

Lover!

theduck - 13/4/13 at 08:26 AM

Another bodger here, though trying to get better...

tegwin - 13/4/13 at 08:45 AM

In my eyes an innovative Engineer must be both a practitioner and a designer... Having ability in all areas and a good understanding of everything is the only way true innovation and thus true Engineering can occur.

[Edited on 13/4/13 by tegwin]

v8kid - 13/4/13 at 09:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
In my eyes and innovative engineer must be both a practitioner and a designer... Having ability in all areas and a good understanding of everything is the only way true innovation can occur.


Not sure I agree with you there - take Dyson for example. Excellent practitioner but the dependence on experimentation to the exclusion of theory makes the engineer bit questionable.

IMHO all 3 can exist independently and have a place as such in innovation.

A further example would be Phillips (Alesso I think their design practice is called) who follow this prescriptive design process and, perhaps predictably, turn out stuff that looks lacklustre to me.

Cheers!

bi22le - 13/4/13 at 11:30 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Talon Motorsport
Unless you have a drawing then I am not interested in your 'new best thing since sliced bread' project as it is a half baked idea and you want me to fill in the blanks through trail and error, as I work on £30 an hour it well may work out 3 times the price you thought it would......next pennyless dreamer please.


a little harsh and presumptuous. you know nothing about me. If you watched horizon you may of gathered that many things are invented due to need and not money. intellectual property is shared for the great of good. i was going to try it on here for people that are more game for free thinking and a little fun.

Confused but excited. - 13/4/13 at 12:08 PM

Every advance that human kind has achieved has been the result of a dreamer.
No-one ever put up a statue to a pessimist.

So far the 'experts' have told us;
The Earth is flat.
If man should travel at more than 40MPH, he will suffocate.
Iron ships will sink.
Man will never fly.
Man will never reach the moon. OK, so they got that one right.

[Edited on 13/4/13 by Confused but excited.]

scootz - 13/4/13 at 01:01 PM

Thread has taken a rather odd turn... have I missed something???

coyoteboy - 13/4/13 at 01:13 PM

quote:

Every advance that human kind has achieved has been the result of a dreamer. No-one ever put up a statue to a pessimist.


Not sure that's strictly true. If you consider academia one of the prime sources of many engineering developments (in conjunction with industry) most advances have been the result of step change from a known condition by careful analysis, planning and investigation, rather than a dreamer pinging up a random idea. Just because someone thought it up doesn't make them a "dreamer" and just because someone analyses something and judges it not worth the effort doesn't make them a pessimist. Engineers are, on the whole, pragmatists, erring on the side of pessimism (as you see, because there's a lot of non-engineers who think the engineering world has missed something obvious then get shot down).

Alan B - 13/4/13 at 01:48 PM

I agree with Scootz......there seems to be bits of the thread missing....

Confused but excited. - 13/4/13 at 02:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
quote:

Every advance that human kind has achieved has been the result of a dreamer. No-one ever put up a statue to a pessimist.


Not sure that's strictly true. If you consider academia one of the prime sources of many engineering developments (in conjunction with industry) most advances have been the result of step change from a known condition by careful analysis, planning and investigation, rather than a dreamer pinging up a random idea. Just because someone thought it up doesn't make them a "dreamer" and just because someone analyses something and judges it not worth the effort doesn't make them a pessimist. Engineers are, on the whole, pragmatists, erring on the side of pessimism (as you see, because there's a lot of non-engineers who think the engineering world has missed something obvious then get shot down).


I didn't say they were unqualified dreamers, but
What about Montgolfier Bros., Wright Bros., The first really accurate (within 1 sec.month) mechanical clock was made of wood by an amateur clock builder. We are all following in the footsteps of Colin Chapman, who would chop it off and see if it was really neccessary after all.
Anyway I think this is dragging the original point of the thread a bit off topic, so I shall say no more.

v8kid - 13/4/13 at 03:46 PM

I think I've lost the plot

Peteff - 13/4/13 at 03:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
[We are all following in the footsteps of Colin Chapman, who would chop it off and see if it was really neccessary after all.


Did he never have children ?

bi22le - 23/4/13 at 08:04 AM

Let me steer the thread back to my original intentions and let the cat out of the bag and see what happens. First of all, Im doing this on my phone 10mins before I get into work so please excuse grammar and spelling, although you shod be use to this by now!

So, the OP mentions an episode of horizon I watched and recommend that if the thread title interested you then get it watched. It suggests the idea that the days of a single inventor in his shed or secret development are dying. A few years back a method of containing and watching large sea oil spills was development by pulling together and communicating with designers and such like all over the world. Also business backing and development funds can now be raised on line. This is not something I am looking to do, just see if anyone can develop an idea further.

While driving to work months ago I was thinking of our guys at war and the problem with IEDs. I was trying to think how I would solve it and came up with the idea that you could use a IR or UV liquid spray that is sprayed on the floor and surround doorways, walls, surfaces and such like. when dry the powder, dust or reflective ink left behind will be invisible to the naked eye. As soldiers go out on the same routes they can use glasses with filters to see if the ink, dust or what ever has Been disturbed. if so then they know someone may of dug a hole and planted something. This will work great for walls that do not have any erosion and areas that are not visited often. As they walk over or past routes they can re apply the tracer for next time. These layers will build up making it more obvious if the ground has been dug up. this does not stop trip wires but how will they know where the path is and if they have to put it 6ft away due to spray path width then they may just save a leg. I expect application to almost be like. Weed killer spray canister strapped to a soldiers back and wand waved close and directional to the surface.

Things like a particular particle that reflects a small range frequency means that it can only be seen by particular glasses not just any UV ones.

This can be quick easy and once paths and areas are laid down will help build proven safe routes that just a set of glasses will tell you its ok.

Any thoughts?

[Edited on 23/4/13 by bi22le]

bi22le - 23/4/13 at 09:30 PM

Huh, kind of expected at least one response. Maybe ill pop this in a new post. . .

Hey bizz, are yoy typing a response to your self.

Yeah, and what?!