ITRI Creativity Laboratory Dares to Dream
Origins
As the mass production model that created Taiwan's economic miracle faces shrinking profit margins, everyone agrees that the island must move from being a follower to become an innovator. What is less obvious is how in practice to bring about such a change. How exactly is a culture of innovation created? The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has long taken pride in its ability to spur economic growth by leading industries to new opportunities, and ITRI is meeting this latest challenge with its characteristic vision and leadership. On March 22, 2004, with strong advocacy from both former president Dr. Chintay Shih and current president Dr. Johnsee Lee, ITRI formally established the Creativity Laboratory, marking a milestone in Taiwan's evolution from a manufacturing hub to a creativity island. This "dream lab" acts as a common platform to bring together diversified perspectives of culture and science, to promote creativity and exchange of new ideas, and ultimately to upgrade the overall value and competitiveness of Taiwan industry.
The Navigator -- Dr. Wen-Jean Hsueh
Dr. Wen-Jean Hsueh, General Director of the Creativity Lab, received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from California Institute of Technology. After returning to Taiwan, she joined the R&D force of ITRI's Opto-Electronics and Systems Laboratories (OES) and served as director of the Digital Imaging Technology Division. During a 1997 visit to the renowned MIT Media Lab through a joint project, Dr. Hsueh was deeply impressed by the laboratory's open environment, the diverse backgrounds of the researchers, and the orientation of the research towards meeting human concerns. She came to realize that as a scientist she had been compelled to put aside her "right-brain" passions for the arts and humanities – in effect to divide herself in two – and she vowed to find a way to bring her full range of interests and talents, her full self, to her work.
Over the years ITRI has continued to work with the Media Lab on several projects, and when the decision to establish the Creativity Lab was reached, Dr. Hsueh's outstanding track record in research combined with her passion for bringing imaginative perspectives to high-tech R&D made her an ideal choice to take the helm. While to some the notion of a Creativity Lab may seem wild, even revolutionary, Dr. Hsueh is modest about her role, saying "It is simply a case of being in the right place at the right moment. The bigger environment is calling for this."
A New Work Ethic -- Be Bold and Playful
On the theory that a mix of talents and backgrounds cultivates the best climate for innovation, most Creativity Lab researchers possess at least two professional specialties related to arts, science, and technology. Some combine an engineering background with strong passion or expertise in the arts; others hold advanced degrees in architecture, design, ethnology, psychology, international trade – the list is as varied as it is long.
Dr. Hsueh emphasizes a human-centered approach, believing that personal fulfillment and project success are closely connected. "Team members are most fulfilled when linking their personal passions to their research," she says. "When everyone involved is interested in and committed to a project, and not just carrying out their marching orders, the project is bound to succeed."
One way in which the Creativity Lab promotes a culture of innovation is to lead by example – that is, by generating some out-of-the-box ideas and then showing how these fantastic visions can be turned into real products and services. Each researcher is challenged to initiate cross-disciplinary research projects based on their own original ideas. Currently, "Being Playful" is the Lab's main research philosophy, and employees are encouraged to explore various aspects of life with openness, boldness, and humor.
Many eye-catching innovations were on display at Creativity Lab's 2005 Year-end Achievement Exhibition. The "Greeting Wall-Painting" is an integrated application of image processing and digital animation technologies that welcomes visitors by displaying moving kaleidoscopic images based on the colors they are wearing. "Cyclic Sprouting" emphasizes the concept of coexistence of humans and nature in harmony to develop sustainable materials, conserve ecosystems, and utilize environmentally friendly resources such as solar energy. The "Technology Imagination Pool Studio; TIPS" promotes science-fiction culture for its value in stimulating thinking about future applications of technology, and raises societal awareness of the importance of rational needs for entertainment and pleasure.
Bringing Ideas to Life -- the Magic Mirror
Other ideas flying around the Creativity Lab include a raincoat that would glow in different shades of color and varying intensity according to how heavy the rainfall; or the embedding of man-machine interactive devices into traditional glass artifacts to provide local cultural orientation with an added dimension. But this is not just innovation for innovation's sake. The Lab must channel its creativity in line with ITRI's broader mission, so the goal is ultimately to create innovative products and businesses that serve human needs. A basic framework has been defined for choosing and refining the best ideas. The first questions considered are: How exciting is this idea? How possible is it? Are there similar products already in the market? After these issues are explored a basic ‘storyboard’ is created, usually a computer animation which attempts to flesh out the idea, to show how it might look when it is realized.
One project currently in development is researcher Ying-Tzu Lin's concept of a responsive mirror, one that could zoom in to greatly magnify a small area for close inspection or zoom out to give a full body view. In essence the ‘mirror’ would be an LCD display with the viewer allowed to manipulate the image, by touchscreen controls or simply by the act of leaning in or stepping away. Her storyboard demo for this ‘Magic Mirror’ was well-received at last December's Exhibition. Recalls Ms. Lin, the audience of researchers and corporate sponsors responded that far from being a dream, her idea was within reach – why didn’t she just do it? So she set out to make a prototype.
Some of the fields involved are LCD display, image capture and processing, motion sensing, and interaction design. ITRI's Display Technology Center is helping with technical issues such as color calibration and image distortion, and LCD manufacturers have shown interest in sponsoring the project. Patents have already been applied for, and currently Ms. Lin is working with engineers on refining the code to control the mechanical components. She is finding that as some problems are solved, others emerge. "That is one of the challenges of Creativity Lab," she says. "We don’t know exactly where the project is going. The goal is constantly reevaluated and revised. It's not just the idea that is new – the process can be new and exciting too."
NEXT Consortium -- Working Hand-in-hand with Industry
Currently, the most significant goal of the Creativity Lab is to establish the NEXT Consortium platform in Taiwan. Through strategic partnership and joint investment, ITRI and the MIT Media Lab set up this interactive creativity platform to discover and nurture talent, to develop methodologies for team creativity, to create an environment and culture for creative thinking and realization, and to strengthen multidisciplinary and cross-industrial collaborations. Members of the NEXT Consortium are able to enjoy services and resources including intellectual properties developed by MIT Media Lab, to attend NEXT Consortium Member Meetings held in Taiwan and in the United States, to participate in forums, seminars, and facilitator training courses, and to collaborate with companies from different industries. Through carefully designed programs and activities, the Creativity Lab works hand-in-hand with local companies on brainstorming and planning of research projects, so as to reshape the culture and create promising business opportunities. In mid-2006, the "Creativity Working Groups" consisting of elite research staff from each of ITRI's core laboratories joined the NEXT Consortium to expedite the commercialization of innovative ideas.
Teaching Others to Create -- Creativity Facilitation and Training
Besides generating its own ideas for innovative research projects, another way in which the Creativity Lab carries out its mission is by providing training in the art of creativity facilitation. A four-day course in Approaches to Value-focused Creativity is offered to train project leaders in methods of improving their team's innovative capacity. Those who complete a ten-day course can be accredited as Creativity Facilitators and are then capable of leading such workshops on their own. So far, the Creativity Lab has trained and accredited 35 creativity facilitators from the members of NEXT Consortium and Creativity Working Groups. They are the very first group of this kind in Taiwan. It is expected these facilitators will become a strong force in advocating and promoting continuous fostering of creativity programs and activities.
According to project leader Ms. Yu-Mei Lien, who studied at SUNY-Buffalo's Creative Problem Solving Institute, a Creativity Facilitator is trained to apply logical thinking and process control to clarify issues during brainstorming. An open and free discussion atmosphere must be established so that group participants can produce a large number of potentially valuable ideas. Once a consensus is reached after discussion, ideas are adopted and transformed into concrete and executable goal-oriented projects. Dr. Hsueh emphasizes that in addition to the stimulation of combining cross-industrial and multidisciplinary perspectives, a brilliant research team requires a Creativity Facilitator's guidance to extract the very best essence of their ideas.
Inspiring the Next Generation -- the Taiwan U19 Award
The Creativity Lab is holding the first "Contest U19," a competition targeting young people under age 19 and encouraging them to give free reign to their imagination. ITRI President Dr. Johnsee Lee believes, "Taiwan's young generation has unlimited potential for creativity. Once a nourishing environment and proper stage is provided, the results will definitely amaze us." Dr. Hsueh adds, "We believe the fire ignited by our next generation will bring Taiwan new hope. Children have unlimited imagination and enthusiasm for the future, which maybe can shake adults from their cocoons of habit." This event is graciously supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and member companies of the NEXT Consortium.
U19 is modeled on the "Ars Electronica" digital competition for teenagers held by Ars Electronica Center of Austria in its annual international festival. The theme of the competition, "Strawberry Turns to Watermelon," refers to Taiwan's youth, who like a strawberry are sweet but easily bruised. The contest hopes to develop more 'watermelons' - just as sweet on the inside, but with a hard shell to better withstand the pressures of their environment. Entrants are competing in five categories: (1) Inventions for future living; (2) Virtual Characters; (3) Digital Music; (4) Digital Animation; and (5) Short Science fiction. In addition to openly exhibiting winners’ creative works, ITRI also sponsors a tour for the top 5 and 2 special winners to visit international renowned creativity centers and organizations to strengthen their global vision and insight. The first prize winner will also receive a scholarship of NT$100,000 (US$3,125). As of this writing, over 1,300 contestants have entered. Deadline for entry is July 20, 2006, and results will be announced in August. (For further details, please visit http://www.u19award.com/)
We Dream and We Create
Over the past two years ITRI Creativity Lab has not only dared to dream, but continuously worked to put these dreams into practice by interacting closely with industry through the NEXT Consortium and a variety of research programs. While always attempting to meet the needs of industry, the Lab calls for companies to spare more room and resources for creative ideas, even better, to make creativity part of the corporate culture. Creativity Lab sincerely hopes dreams can be turned into realities and Taiwan will become an "Island of Creativity" in the foreseeable future.
[From ITRI TODAY No.45: ITRI Creativity Laboratory Dares to Dream]