For Some, Pursuing Innovation Is Simply a Matter of the Heart

Historically, innovation has driven society to new heights it may not have otherwise reached. When these events occur, they’re usually ground breaking and so amazing that they literally change the world in which we live. They open new doors where none were believed to have existed, to new industries, technologies and trends. They mold how we interact with each other and how we live our lives.

There have been some truly epic events in history that we now take for granted because they’ve just become a part of who we are. The invention of writing, the establishment of higher education, the widespread use of the internet, the invention of the modern smartphone. All of these events have one thing in common; they all influenced  the way our society adapts, grows and changes. From the desire to better ourselves as a species came innovation.

What’s Left?

With the obvious speed at which technology advances, most people may argue that the days of true and rampant innovation are behind us. That there is nothing significant left to discover. Sure, there may still be discovories, but all of the big ones are gone. We only feel this way because we’re used to what we deal with, use or experience in our daily lives. But take into consideration these interesting facts:

• We’ve only discovered 5% of the ocean floor.
• We know more about the surface of Mars than we do these ocean floors.
• Most of the mountain ranges on earth, although known to exist, have yet to be traversed and explored.
• The Amazon, Antarctica and Siberia have not been completely ‘discovered’.
• Technologies that have only just started to really excel such as virtual and augmented reality, Biometrics, reusable rockets.

Innovators are people who are willing to do things that others are not willing to do. They take risks and generally do things differently than how they’re told things should be done. Whether a project is a safe bet or a total risk, innovators don’t care. They simply feel the need to be different and to attempt the unexpected.

Innovators May Be All Around You

It turns out that there are likely more people innovating and developing new technologies around us all the time in industries that don’t always come to mind. Take for example Foteini Agrafioti a graduate of the University of Toronto that was told that her chosen research would likely fail. These discouraging words didn’t stop Agrafioti from determining whether heartbeats are as unique as fingerprints. After six years of research in biometrics, her results were finally accepted and she found that she was now receiving interest from corporations. She co-founded a company, Nymi in 2011 which produced a wearable device based on her heartbeat research that could identify the wearer. After ensuring such important steps as safety and electromagnetic compatibility, the Nymi Band was born and could pioneer the world of biometric authentication for many things we do today using things like passwords, pin numbers or credit cards. Now that is innovation.

Her time spent conducting her research followed by her experience with Nymi lead to her current role of Chief Innovation Officer with Architect Labs where cutting edge research into human computer interaction is being conducted. One of the technologies that they’re working on now is referred to as Deep Learning which is synonymous with artificial intelligence.

The world of Artificial Intelligence is poised to redefine our society and the way we interact with technologies and machines. Much like Steve Jobs could envision what many people wanted before those people knew they even wanted it, Agrafioti, as if possessing a sixth sense, knew that what her research could do for society if proved true. She would not be stopped regardless of what her peers or academics told her. She needed to see for herself whether what she hypothesized was true. While she may not have originally started with the idea to start Nymi, it was her innovator spirit that lead her to where she ended up.

It’s important to remember to keep that spirit within you and let it help lead you to wonderful things. To have heart and the courage to persevere and attempt the unknown is what will drive us to innovate, change and better ourselves.