Gold Medal Products Company

Andy Shang

Breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, and medical sciences are historically the root of the innovation tree that allow product development to flourish. Basic research breakthroughs lead us to amazing product innovations in consumer and industrial products; this relationship is fundamental to making advances that solve challenging problems and improve the quality of life. I would suggest that there is a new root of innovation that links information to new products. So many innovations now rely on the collection and analysis of data that allow for predictable outcomes, decisions that create real business value, and a better overall user experience.

IoT, the Internet of things, is described as products with ability to process data via sensor and telemetry and to exchange data using any number of communication protocols. We have seen exponential growth of devices and peripherals that have been highly disruptive across many industries and changed almost every aspect of our lives.

As an experienced Design Engineer, I watched in amazement the revolution, and witnessed firsthand product innovation converging with the Information world. So many great product innovations have entered the manufacturing world, such as sensors that provide predictive maintenance data, manage inventory and movement of components, and provide remote monitoring of major assets. The integration of Information brings the real promise of the Connected Factory, Office, and Home.

One example that fully highlights this revolution in the Home is the alarm business. The product innovation began modestly with the ability to turn the simplest function of the door knocker or doorbell into a device that takes snapshots and videos of activity and can allow individuals to have direct conversations with visitors and guests behind the privacy of a door or remote location. The disruptive product innovations that followed were simply astounding: the integration of motion-activated cameras, motion-activated lights, proximity sensors, motion detectors, shock detectors, smoke detectors, monoxide detectors, water detectors, and other Smart Home technologies.

“Embracing the idea that Information and Product Innovation need each other to succeed is fundamental to creating game changing new products and services that can alter every aspect of our lives.”

However, none of these incredible innovations can be of any value without reliable, secured communication protocols and analysis and screening of reams of telemetric data. In almost all cases, the end user does not care to know how it works but that it works reliably and that it gives relevant, timely information that is easy to interpret and react to and allows the end user to make good decisions. Think about some of the questions we now ask when the doorbell is rung: Do I need to know who is in front of my door? Is it someone I need to talk to? Do I need to watch a video of the transaction on cloud storage? All these incredible innovations are made possible with the convergence of Information and Product Innovation.

Every day we see examples of connected product innovation in the manufacturing, medical, transportation, entertainment, and retail industries. Embracing the idea that Information and Product Innovation need each other to succeed is fundamental to creating game changing new products and services that can alter every aspect of our lives.