Frugal Innovation

Inspiring stuff.

Most of global market is ready for frugal innovation. Take the case of a car or a cell phone. Most of features are actually not very essential to most of owners.

Of course, without compromising on environment, safety.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/frugal_innovation_lessons_from.html

PS : Jugaad somehow has a negative connotation. Like, 'vasta' in middle east. Every market has its own 'lobby' !

Twitter on Ford Cars

Ford Motor Co. announced technology to let computers read their Twitter feeds to them while behind the wheel.

There is enough distraction already from within the car or outside. Mobile phone is definitely one big cause. Every improvement in the cell phone technology (=higher distraction ) results in higher the risk  while driving.

If car manufacturers are going to play a catalytic role by supporting these distractions, are they not diluting one of their fundamental responsibility ( towards safety) ?

Food for thought !

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/07/ford.twitter/index.html

Obama's car

Nissan's new technology

Nissan previewed a new safety technology that goes beyond a warning beep if drivers veer into the path of danger, and actively tries to pull the car in the direction of safety.

A car installed with the brake-resistance device would try to deter the driver from changing lanes, for example, if it detected a car zooming up from behind in the motorist's blind spot, Nissan said.

Motorists can still 'override' the deterrence in an emergency but a test drive in a car fitted with the feature prompted the brakes to vibrate when danger was detected -- leaving little doubt about what the car thought was safe.

Tata's Air Car

First it was an indegenously developed car, Indica. Then, announcement of Nano. Thereafter, takeover of the iconic brands, Landrover and JaG ! But, this is mind-blowing stuff...

• India's largest automaker Tata Motors is set to start producing the world's first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine's pistons.


• Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by Augustof 2009. The Air Car, called the MiniCAT could cost around Rs. 3,50,000 ($ 8177) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels. The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($ 2).


• The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc. There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 105 kmph. Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.

VOLVO TO MAKE INJURY-PROOF CAR BY 2020

Seat belt is supposed to be one of the most important development in car safety. But, how many actually use it ?

Now Volvo plan to take their USP, one of the safest cars, to a new level.

Great initiative, when over one million people die in road accidents world wide every year and over 50 million suffer injuries. The cost is just beyond calculation, as human lives are most precious.

Great initiative !

PS : let us be more careful while driving !