Some of us probably had the experience of walking during a heavy downpour and struggling to stay dry in our raincoats while trying to look out for oncoming vehicles through our rain-drenched vision.
What if we had a raincoat that is able to sense how heavy the downpour is and glow in different shades of color and varying intensity.
This would surely be a good device to catch the attention of passing cars and greatly enhance pedestrian safety.
Many single ladies living alone probably find it hard to do their hair at times, because of the constraints of their bathroom mirror.
What if we had a bathroom mirror that allowed us to see the back of our torso or even magnified parts of our faces, making it easier for ladies to apply their make-up.
These ideas, impractical though they may sound, are totally encouraged at the Creativity Lab (創意中心), a division under the quasi-official Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院).
And Lin Ying-tzu (林盈孜) is one of these researchers granted the privilege to "daydream" during working hours.
"These thoughts came from my daily observations about life. We are all curious about what will happen in the future and want to know if there are any limitations. But without dreams, there will be no chance to make them a reality at all," Lin said as she shared her ideas for glowing raincoats and reflective mirrors.
Established in March last year in Hsinchu, the Creativity Lab offers a "playful" working environment for researchers, who come from diverse professional backgrounds.
The researchers span different disciplines, ranging from mechanical engineering, chemistry and architecture to psychology, anthropology, as well as arts and humanity.
A look at their business cards is intriguing enough with such innovative titles as future naturalizer, dream maker, inspirational catalyst, pixel magician, wild kid or relationship wizard.
The Creativity Lab was set up to emulate the success of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab, an institution established in 1985 which pioneered collaboration between academia and industry.
innovation
Sharing the same mission as the Media Lab, which is to serve as an international beacon for creativity, the local lab aims to promote innovation for Taiwanese enterprises, sparking industrial innovation and encouraging cross-sector cooperation.
"Taiwanese enterprises have forged a name in manufacturing capability on the world stage. They are a bunch of fast adapters and excel at meeting clients' requirements. But innovation is a critical element if they want to bring their success to the next level," said the lab's general director Hsueh Wen-jean (薛文珍), whose secondary title is "future producer."
Organizations that are interested in creating added value, especially those that are involved in the brandname business, should cultivate a corporate culture that encourages creativity and empowers staff to think out of the box, Hsueh said.
This is where Creativity Lab comes in. The lab offers a platform to unite experts across various disciplines.
Its primary mission is to enable companies to get rid of stereotypes and dare to be different.
Citing technology firms, Hsueh said that although most of these firms are equipped with both manufacturing and design capabilities, they put too much emphasis on technology and their engineers are always burdened with an 18 month time-to-market constraint.
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