It is the way we look at

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The Q Drum In the last few years, having worked closely with inventors, I gained some insights into their approach and discovered many lessons we can learn from them as business executives. They observe what happens just the way artists do. All of us spend at least a few minutes looking at our faces every day. Yet only a very few can draw our own faces. Why? Because there

is a difference in the way we observe and the way artistes observe. In the past there had been travel documents describing the features of the face in a manner that can help the border security to recognise a person by following these observations. Even now face recognition technology uses certain algorithms to determine the topography of a face to get a machine to recognise a face. Inventors are those who observe what happens around them with an eye to ask the questions constantly ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’ This observation process guides them to defining what the problem is and invariably the question definition guides as well as limits the solution. Let me illustrate this. If we see a group of women carrying pots on their heads and walking to fetch water, this can be defined in two ways: 1. Their problem is access to water 2. Their problem is carrying heavy pots. If our definition of the current situation is option “1” then our solution will be bringing water to them either by a browser or a community tap, or even a tube well. But if we define the problem as carrying then the solution can be very different. What is easier than carrying is pulling, so we will be guided to come up with a solution that can help them pull water. In fact this is how the solution known as Q Drum has come about. It is a cylinder that can be pulled along with water in it. Once they define the problem, they move to experiment to solve the problem using known technologies they have. It is very interesting how the same problem has been approached in different periods using different technologies available at that time. To provide a limited service such as appointments or tickets to a show:

first it was first come first serve but one has to come physically to prove;
then came a token to secure a position; then came the electronic indicator, taking a token from a machine and waiting for the indicator to announce the turn;
now with ICT we can book tickets via mobile phones or online.

In coming up with innovation they network with others who have complementary technical and other skills and most innovations are association of things that are not normally associated. About 10 years ago cameras and phones were two completely different pieces of equipment and today it is so integral. When we look around we can see many novel solutions by association of seemingly not-so-natural associations. Let us try to think like inventors and look at some of issues. Accidents at railway crossings We never hear a train hitting a parked vehicle but it is always the vehicle crossing the path of the moving train that causes the accident. We see rail gates at locations where the railway track crosses an established road. I presume the need to have gates would have come from the days of bullock carts and horse carts to make sure the animals do not run through the road when the train moves. It is possible we continue to do so because it is how it had been. Look at the steering wheel of even most modern cars, the symbol is still the air horn! For many years the engine driver used to sit outside the compartment after inventing the locomotive engine! But now let us look at the problem, even the rail gates haven’t completely solved the problem. We had one of the worst accidents when a driver drove a bus through a closed rail gate. Then obviously the problem is impatience of the motorists. Then our solution will have to be make it difficult to them to go through the crossing very fast.

Can we promote the habit of stop, pull the shutter down, look for the train, before moving?
Setting up zigzag road barriers like during the war time so the driver is compelled to slow down?
Employ persons who will charge a fee to open the gate from moving traffic?
Now these are some different possibilities less expensive than establishing rail gates at all crossings.

Ban full-face helmets After many had fatal accidents when motorcycles started to become popular in the late ’70s, helmets were made compulsory. Full-face helmets give vital protection to cyclists. In the recent expert articles published in newspapers, it was revealed that the jaw area gives the highest protection to the riders. But because there are a few crimes and robberies, the full-face helmet was banned. This is like assuming that all full-face helmet wearers are potential criminals. But if we define this problem differently, all financial institutions can now have automatic doors that restrict entrance to those who cover vital parts of the face. This technology is now available. For instance at most airports visitors have to remove caps and specs to pass the immigration counters. Compulsory life certificate for all pensioners Although there had been many instances of families continuing to draw pensions even after the death of the pensioner, it is not fair to assume that all pensioners’ families will do so. If we assume that all pensioners’ families are law-abiding honourable people, then the system will be developed to check exception. But the current system compels all the pensioners to provide an annual life certificate. This becomes challenging when persons becomes older and weaker and sick. It is the time they need the pension most. This is even more difficult for those who live overseas in geographically-vast countries. If the Government changes the problem definition, it can use a more user-friendly method. Rather than requesting annual confirmation from all, at least for those who live beyond the average life expectancy of Sri Lankans, which is 80/76 years for women and men respectively, there can be random sampling covering them once in two three years. Rather than harassing the very old pensioners who live beyond 85 or so, the GS in the respective area can provide the confirmation about the pensioner. However, if we think technology, since every death needs to be recorded by issuing a death certificate, the registrars of deaths must be requested to report deaths of every pensioner identified by the NIC, thus creating a loop that looks after the control aspect while making the process user-friendly to elderly pensioners. Perhaps there is an opportunity to use the network created by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission to challenge the inventors to use their thinking to come up with novel solutions to our problems who will think differently. In fact there is a possibility already created in the www.slic.gov.lk web site for this.

It is the way we look at

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