23/03/10
From feeders for diabetic dogs to software to catalogue music, a Consumer Innovation Survey from NESTA today reveals that 3 million people in the UK create and modify products for their own use - a term commonly known as user-led innovation.
The research maps the extent of product innovation by consumers and shows that the UK's reputation for invention is very much alive. Innovators across the country are customizing cars, sporting equipment, tools and a host of other products to improve them, as well as creating completely new products.
The research, the first of its type to be carried out, reveals that:
The research coincides with the launch of 'Fab Lab Manchester' the UK's first rapid prototyping centre - a mini community factory - which allows any inventor (children included) to make their idea a reality. The facility is free to non-commercial users and it will reverse the top down approach to technological advancement by empowering everyone to invent.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, NESTA's Chief Executive says: 'The UK has a rich legacy of inventors who have changed the world - from Isaac Newton to Michael Faraday, Frank Whittle to Tim Berners-Lee. It's good to see that our spirit of invention is alive and well'.
The study was led by Eric Von Hippel, Professor of Technological Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management. An example cited includes the case of a consumer who developed software enabling him to catalogue the 4000 CD's in his collection in far more detail than is possible with commercially-available systems. Another respondent built an automatic feeder for his diabetic dog, using parts from a washing machine and a household timer, in order to provide medically prescribed regular and precise feedings.
For further information contact Jan Singleton on 020 7438 2606 / Jan.singleton@nesta.org.uk.
For more information on Fab Lab contact Janet Kilpatrick on 0161 487 3830, mobile: 07794 192677 or janetk@manufacturinginstitute.co.uk
This data forms part of a larger piece of research which will be published later in 2010.
Methodology: research comprised two separate consumer surveys which took place between May and August 2009. A closed questionnaire survey of a representative population of 2019 UK consumers over the age of 15. This formed part of a British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) Omnibus survey.
An in-depth face-to-face survey of 344 UK consumers who fit with the user-innovator profile identified in the initial survey. Survey was conducted by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB).
Specific innovations: User innovation amongst consumers tends to involve everyday household items, although there are also some notable examples of software-related innovations.
There are several examples of individual consumers modifying their cars in order to make them faster or to customize them in other ways by, for example, adding self-designed suspensions for racing or other specialized uses. There were also a number of instances of consumers innovating in sport-related products by, for example, modifying their golf clubs or fishing rods, or redesigning the rigging of their sailing boat.
Consumers also modify and create tools such as screwdrivers and spanners regularly. They create devices to hold work and guide tools, and even develop new tools from scratch- for example one consumer developed a right-angle screwdriver. Innovative activity around gardening equipment was also present- Modifications to lawnmowers, garden trimmers, pressure washers and tree loppers were mentioned by respondents.
Some specific instances of innovation by consumers that have been identified in the detailed survey include an automobile with a modified electrical system enabling the connection of video games consoles in the back-seats, or a MP3 player customised so it can be controlled with a specialised programming language. Another respondent had developed a software programme enabling him to catalogue his CD collection in far more detail than commercially-available systems would allow. Individuals also built complex items, such as computers, bicycles, toys and go-karts from scratch. One consumer built an automatic feeder for their dog, whose diabetes meant that it required regular and precise feeding during the day. Another interviewee reported creating their own lightweight gas camping cooker.
NESTA is the largest independent endowment in the UK. Its mission is to support innovation to drive economic recovery and solve some of the UK's major social challenges. NESTA is a world leader in its field and promotes innovation through a blend of practical programmes, policy and research and investment in early-stage companies.
The UK's first Fab Lab (www.fablabmanchester.org) will open in Manchester on Tuesday 23 March - bringing innovation to the people - in a hi-tech community mini-factory.
Fab Labs give everyone, from young children through to entrepreneurs and businesses, the capability to bring their ideas and inventions to life.
Born from an outreach project by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in inner-city Boston, Fab Labs have exploded around the world. From urban areas, to the villages of Africa, they are connected by a global video link network, enabling ideas, designs and knowledge to be shared across cultures and borders.
The Manufacturing Institute intends its Manchester FabLab in the East Manchester regeneration area to be the first of many for the UK. The Project is being supported by the Manchester Innovation Investment Fund, comprising: The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), Manchester City Council, Manchester: Knowledge Capital, and the Commission for the New Economy.
Shepherds in Norway have used their Fab Lab to create mobile phones to track sheep. In Afghanistan 'Fab Labbers' are creating a local telecoms infrastructure and prosthetic limbs, while in South Africa a government and business backed project is creating simple internet connected computers that hook up to televisions and cost just ten dollars each.
The Manchester Fab Lab is free to non-commercial users. Businesses and inventors can opt to protect their product development ideas by paying to use the service. It will reverse the top down approach to technological advancement by empowering everyone to invent.
[1] This number excludes the innovation activities of people under the age of 15. It would be even higher if they were included.
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Nesta Operating Company, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity in Scotland number SC042833.
