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Unit 6 Lesson 1: Innovations in Computing

Last updated over 6 years ago
6 questions
Innovation Research
Choose one of the following topics, and research the latest innovations in computing hardware.

The goal here is to find the most recent innovative computing devices within your chosen topic.

Keep an eye out in particular for devices that don’t look like what you might expect a computer to be.

Topics
❏ Wearable Technology (eg. clothing, jewelry, or accessories with built-in computers)

❏ Health and Safety (eg. devices that treat disease, track your health, or protect users from danger)

❏ Agriculture (eg. technology to improve the effectiveness, sustainability, or efficiency of farming)

❏ Manufacturing (eg. advancements in rapid prototyping, industrial robotics, and the production of goods)

❏ Art and Design (eg. interactive art or public installations)

❏ Smart Home (eg. devices that allow you to interact with your thermostat, locks, or lights using computers)

Researching your Topic
With your chosen topic as guidance, go online to research recent innovative computing devices within that topic. Try to
find a product that you think is both innovative (in that it’s attempting to solve a new problem, or an old problem in a
new way) and personally interesting.

Visit Code Studio for some recommended sites to kick off your research, as well
as more detailed descriptions of each of the topics. As you do your research, consider checking out some of the
crowdfunding sites (such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo) to find products that haven’t even been released yet!

Use the space below to record notes about interesting products you find, patterns that you’re seeing, or problems
within your chosen topic that people are trying to address.

What innovation research did you select?

Research Notes

What Problem Does it Solve?
This is probably the main sales pitch of the product - why do the creators think this is useful?

What Is Innovative About It?
What makes this device different or better than other solutions out there?

How Do You Interact With It?
Focusing on the Input and Output elements of our model for a computer, how does this device take input from the user, and how does it display output? Try to be as specific as possible.

How Could You Improve It?
What are some changes that could make this device better? Are there common complaints, or clear issues that you might be able to address?

Research Considerations

As you research devices on your topic, keep the following considerations in mind:
  • Focus on hardware based solutions over software programs
  • Focus on recent innovations over old news
  • Follow what interests you
In addition to the recommended sites listed for each topic, consider looking towards the various crowd funding websites (such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo) to see the products that haven't quite made it off the ground yet.