For those of you that are new, welcome to Next Gen Ideas, the newsletter that provides the catalyst for entrepreneurs and innovators looking for a little creative spark. Each week, I will send 5 ideas that have randomly popped into my head as a regular everyday guy – I’m no billionaire, no business guru, just someone with an overactive imagination.
For everyone, enjoy this weeks’ ideas. This week we have a service business, several gadgets, and another not-so farfetched biomimicry idea. As always, if you ever try to action one of these ideas or have actioned them in the past, please reach out and share your experience with me! I’d love to feature you on a newsletter.
- Chris
NEXT GEN IDEAS
Idea 1: Wildfire Management Service Company
Wildfires have made headline recently, but they have been an ever-persistent force in predominantly the Western United States. Wildland fire is a very natural part of most ecosystems, but due to a variety of factors, the severities and proximities (and resultant damages) to humans in recent years have created a dangerous fire situation for many communities. A major reason is that fire suppression and a subsequent lack of brush management has created “tinder boxes” just ready to ignite into a major inferno. This issue is one that could be solved with a service company that actively manages land for fire mitigation / prevention in areas where the interface between urban and rural is eroding. Additionally, we are seeing all time highs in housing insurance costs for homes in fire prone areas (up to 900% in some cases). This can have catastrophic third and fourth order effects, but once again, a documented proof of threat reduction from a company specializing in fire management / mitigation / prevention could do a lot to reduce those premiums. The knowledge is available and the labor is pretty straightforward. It’s about time we be proactive with wildfire management rather than the reactive.
Idea 2: Analog Universal Light Switch for Homes
This technology already exists in hotels, but perhaps there’s a market for private residences. You know how you have to put a hotel key in the socket for all the lights to function in the room? Same concept, but for your house. That way, instead of having to go around turning off lights and lamps before you go to sleep or leave your house for the day, you just have to flip one switch on your way out. I know, I know. Smart homes. However, there it’s no secret there is a substantial population of people who don’t want smart homes, because of the constant monitoring. This might capture only a slice of a niche audience, but who knows if that slice is big enough to make a living, until you’ve tried it right? Or maybe here at Next Gen Ideas our lights are on, but nobody’s home.
Idea 3: Portable Shower Heads
Any travelers out there? Gym goers? Anyone just hate the shower head at their in-laws? What if there was an attachment that you could take in your bag and use it to change the water pattern of any shower head you came across? An old locker room shower head shooting like a firehose against you? The hotel shower head all busted up and is spewing at weird angles? All easy fixes with this idea. You make it a dual female adapter, where one end can attach onto a wide variety of sized shower heads and the other end has a few other options of suitable water patterns. As long as the water pressure is good, it shouldn’t be such a hassle to get a decent shower during the transitory times in your life / daily routine. Seemingly simple to manufacture, a wide array of customers, and can be utilized on a daily basis. Now, you can enjoy a shower anywhere. Who knows? Maybe your peace and quiet will turn some shower thoughts into some Next Gen Ideas.
Idea 4: Collapsible Rigid Cooler
Once again this idea is more of a “gadget”. No novel technologies, only combining them in a unique way. As we head into Summer, it’s cooler season again. Peak utilization. However, when coolers aren’t being used, what do they do? Take up a lot of space. Everyone wants a sturdy cooler like a Yeti, but those empty suckers take up all the garage and trunk space. The solution? We are imagining an accordion like outer shell that can collapse into a much smaller space, but it retains a softer insulating “fabric” on the inside. When the cooler is fully expanded, great. It’s a regular ole cooler. When it’s not being used, collapse the outer shell down to half the size of the cooler. This way you won’t compromise structural integrity nor total cooler space. Instead, you just have a cooler that can be stored much more easily. So, this Summer, enjoy your coolers. But come winter time, when the tailgating is over and your coolers are just taking up space, remember this idea. Maybe even act on it. In the words of, Ole Matty McConaughey, “It’d be a lot cooler if you did.”
Idea 5: Sound to Electricity Generator
We are departing from gadgets and moving to new technology for our final idea this week. We are surrounded by sounds all day. Most are passively thrown to the back of our attention, but the truth remains that our existence is permeated with soundwaves. What if you could develop technology that harnessed that? You would need a very sensitive material to vibrate, or really generate any type of motion from absorbed sound waves. Then, could that motion be harnessed to perhaps turn a small turbine? All of this is theoretical, but the principles seem logical. Sound waves equal energy. Energy sensitive material creates motion. Motion generates electricity. We see this at a much smaller scale when you consider how hearing actually works in mammals. Sound waves hit our inner ear, where sensitive hairs and structures generate motion. That motion is translated into a nerve impulse (AKA electricity). And there you have it, hearing is achieved. Is this another way we can look at mother nature and learn from her example? You tell me.
Next Gen Ideas encourages the free and independent use of these ideas, and any monetary gains generated from these ideas is the sole property of the individual who took action on these ideas. Next Gen Ideas forgoes any right of ownership over these ideas.