Tech Talk Season 02 Episode 02: AI Sport Coaches, Smoothie Robots, Inventors and Their Ideas

Have we gone too far with AI that can analyze every step you take? Or with Robots that can feed you? This is the latest version of LA NPDT Tech Talk where we bring you the latest in science and technology and keep you tuned in the newest gadgets and product innovations across the globe.

AI Sport Coaches.

PIQ, a tech wearable startup from France, has introduced two new wearable products – GAIA and PIQ ROBOTTM. These products are designed to help athletes zero in on their key strengths, highlighting the factors that the athlete should focus on in order to succeed.

Robots now making your smoothies. . . . .

Blendid has rolled out another autonomous smoothie robot, this time at Sonoma State University. The robotic kiosk can make custom smoothies in about 2 minutes, and have the capabilities to blend 9 drinks at one time. By ordering your drink through Blendid’s app, or on the nearby tablet provided at the location, your drink will be ready in just a few moments. For only $6 per smoothie, you can customize your drink in any way you choose – more of one flavor and less of another. Blendid is calling the robot Chef B, and is getting set to roll out some more of these machines in new locations.

And with such strange, yet cutting edge technology hitting us every day, what will people think of next? And how do inventors even think through the idea once they have thought?

People are never short of ideas – from edible spoons, so we can get rid of the cheap plastic ones, to Lego slippers (finally), to the Smart Coffee Mug, people have new and great ideas every day. While some of these ideas come from large think tanks, sitting around brainstorming ideas, many don’t. Many of today’s great inventions come from random people who have a fantastic idea.

But once a person has an idea, how do they get it manufactured? 

Some inventors use an inventor’s notebook to work through the idea process, focusing on truly understanding and fine-tuning their ideas, until the original thought turned into a viable product. Inventors since the beginning of time have followed a similar process, turning simple ideas, like the light bulb into reality.

Critical thinking steps have created many great ideas, including the Tesla coil, which is the foundation for today’s wireless technologies. But the inventor didn’t stop at just an idea. They followed through with a prototype, making their idea into a real, tangible product. They shared their prototype with people and found manufacturers. They marketed their products to the masses, and slowly found their place in the invention world. Inventors of the past followed all the steps through until they were able to market their product to the public.

As humans, we love our inventions, but we crave more. We long for the next big thing. In the words of Nikola Tesla, “We crave for new sensations but soon become indifferent to them. The wonders of yesterday are today common occurrences”

So, inventors – keep thinking.