Unit Four Discussion Board Two

Jack Lilly

Colorado Technical University

CS875: Futuring and Innovation

Dr. Calongne

February 1, 2022

Unit Four Discussion Board Two

    Innovative discoveries are constantly being realized through various means in the world. Some findings are small and may not garner much attention, while others become extremely popular and spread globally. These discoveries are typically researched and are finally realized through much effort. Other discoveries are simply stumbled upon by complete accident or chance. 

Velcro

    Velcro is one innovation that changed the world but came about through serendipitous means. George de Mestral was an electrical engineer who noticed hundreds of microscopic hooks outside of burdock burrs that would catch his dog’s fur while hiking (Velcro, 2020). He would spend the next ten years attempting to create a new clothing fastener using the same hook and loop system. He eventually succeeded in his endeavor, and it’s all because of these seeds sticking the fur of his dog. 

Vulcanization

    Rubber has been in use since the eighteen hundreds but has seen its fair share of issues. Though rubber was quite popular and used extensively globally, it melted into blobs in extreme heat and cracked in the winter (Connecticut History, 2020). Charles Goodyear saw this fatal flaw and vowed to fix it by experimenting with rubber and other additives. Some were more successful than others, but it wasn’t until he accidentally combined rubber and sulfur on a hot stove that he saw authentic results. When he increased the heat of this combination, the rubber hardened and became vulcanized because the sulfur forms bridges between individual polymer molecules and significantly strengthens them (Polymerdatabase, 2022). 

GroundProbe

    Some innovations are realized with a particular use in mind. Sometimes, the intended use falls short or simply is not in demand, as projected. That innovation can then be exapted for a different service with the same success rate. This was the case with the radar technology provided by GroundProbe. Their radar equipment is extremely precise over a relatively short range and was intended to locate pipes and underground power cables (Kastelle, 2015). The demand for this technology was absent, so the technology was then exapted into the mining industry to detect potential mine wall collapses and save lives (GroundProbe, 2021). 

    The three terms, serendipity, error, and exaptation, mean something different to each person based on their experiences. For me, serendipity represents much of the older world and inventions discovered when events happened to align just right, and an answer is presented. Error is illustrated by the creation of penicillin and other fantastical designs that occurred by accident. Exaptation makes me think of the current world and how we repurpose known technologies and adapt them to new problems. 

References

Connecticut History. (2020). Charles goodyear and the vulcanization of rubber: connecticut history: A cthumanities project. Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://connecticuthistory.org/charles-goodyear-and-the-vulcanization-of-rubber/ 

GroundProbe. (2021). What we do: groundprobe - global technology leaders. GroundProbe. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.groundprobe.com/what-we-do/ 

Kastelle, T. (2015). Innovation through exaptation. Tim Kastelle. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://timkastelle.org/blog/2010/05/innovation-through-exaptation/

Polymerdatabase. (2022). Sulfur vulcanization of rubbers. Sulfur vulcanization. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from http://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20chemistry/Vulcanization.html 

Velcro. (2020). How velcro brand fasteners were invented: velcro brand uk. United Kingdom. Retrieved February 1, 2022, from https://www.velcro.co.uk/blog/2018/06/how-velcro-brand-fasteners-were-invented/