Different Is Better
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
vv Different is better Stories of ingenuity and innovation from ThinkPad users across the globe 1 The first step of innovation is having the right tools. Different is better www.lenovo.com/think 3 08 36 Tammy Silva Jeffrey Powell Listening to the sea to Lending a helping hand build a better ecosystem 12 40 Design that Matters Dr. Zoltan Takacs Saving lives with design The venom is the cure that matters 16 44 Chinook Duncan Murray A wind-powered car race hints at Ten dimensions of data a green future 20 48 Hivemind Ray Xu Keeping harmony in the hive Microwaves, data sensors, and supercolliders 24 52 Dan Whisler Jorge Osorio The big impact of the impact Bringing technology to Mali, one group container at a time 28 56 Nanofur Przemek Zientala Tiny fibers in the big ocean Mapping a better future for Tanzania 32 60 Anvita Gupta Markus Reinert Fast tech, faster meds A young star in astronomy 5 Different is better any inventors can tell inspiration in unexpected you about how they places, and a wholehearted M went from zero to dedication to making one. With great excitement, tomorrow better than today. they can detail those late We at Lenovo are incredibly nights in the lab, the trash can proud to feature such full of discarded sketches, and powerful examples of the euphoria of finally bringing ingenuity and creativity. their concept to fruition. Yet, as the people profiled inside In honor of the 25th of this magazine will tell you, anniversary of ThinkPad, we the real challenge is going wanted to take a moment from one to many. How can a to celebrate the stories design transcend from being of ordinary people doing an idea in the lab to making an extraordinary things through impact in the world? And even our robust technology. We’ve more daunting than execution, always strived to be at the there’s one question that picks forefront of innovation, and at the brain of all restless for us that means delivering creators — what’s next? the best tech to the best minds in the world. These are the stories of 14 diverse, driven innovators These creators, many of them who never stopped pushing armed with nothing more the limits of technology. than an idea and a ThinkPad, Though their projects are have left us feeling inspired entirely unique, from 3D to tackle new challenges with printing artificial limbs to different perspectives — and racing wind-powered cars in we think you’ll feel the same. the Netherlands, a common thread connects them all. Each and every person herein has a knack for finding 7 Lenovo ThinkPad Listening to the sea to build a better ecosystem Marine biologist Tammy Silva analyzes ocean noise to understand human impact on the environment. What noise does a dolphin make? she said “jump-started a deep interest Marine biologist Tammy Silva has built and journey into conservation.” her budding scientific career around From boomboxes in ballet class to this question. When she’s not teaching the chatter of monkeys at the zoo, ballet to her students or playing with Silva is constantly thinking of sound her Husky-Golden Retriever mix, Tobey, as content to dissect and study. she’s climbing aboard sea vessels, tracking and analyzing the trills and For decades, researchers have whistles of the majestic toothed whales long presumed that ocean noise of Massachusetts Bay. To this scientist, probably doesn’t impact toothed the high-pitched squeals, rattles, and whales because they vocalize at clicks of ocean-dwellers aren’t an a much higher pitch. However, annoyance; it’s music to her ears. Silva’s recordings demonstrate, perhaps, that the scientists who The goal of Silva’s research, which have gone before her weren’t comprises her PhD project at the listening hard enough. “There’s University of Massachusetts, is to substantial ship noise in the same uncover how dolphins and whales use range that dolphins communicate, the Bay as a habitat, and how they which could directly affect their might be impacted by human activities. ability to communicate,” she said. Ever since she was a child, Silva has had a passion for protecting animals “By constructing quieter ships or and their surrounding environment. closing off certain areas to activities Throughout her undergraduate studies, like shipping, drilling, and sonar use, she volunteered for six years at the we could keep human interference to a minimum and protect the Buttonwood Park Zoo, a decision which 9 Lenovo ThinkPad This is where my trusty ThinkPad comes into play — so far, it’s been great at meeting all my research needs. Assessing the vocal behavior of ocean animals requires unique software, such as Raven Pro and MATLAB — but with her ThinkPad, Silva said it’s totally easy. From generating complex graphs to editing massive audio files, Silva’s ThinkPad makes her research easy so she can focus on the tones in the tide — instead of technical issues. habitat of these animals.” screen. For the past nine Juggling the whistles of dolphins, months, she has traded ocean the toe-tapping tunes of dance, By now, the 30-year-old waves for sound waves to and the bustle of daily life is a Massachusetts native is work on her research using her lot of noise for any one person accustomed to disrupting the ThinkPad, which she explains to handle, but Silva has shown norm and exploring uncharted has the robust processing she’s a master DJ when it territory. Not only is her work power and functionality to comes to getting the mix just groundbreaking, but she’s leading analyze bioacoustics. right. “My mother always told the path in a field predominantly me when I was young that I run by men. Drawing inspiration Even though she loves the nitty- could do anything I put my from her mother, who she claims gritty details of audio analysis, mind to, and she lives as an as her most influential mentor, it’s not long before she gets the example of that everyday,” Silva said, “As women, we can be itch to get back on the ship, or she said. “My larger goal in life scientists and engineers. We can take Tobey on a seaside run is to reach people and share go out to sea and build stuff, use along the water. And of course, messages about the importance technology, write code and we she’s always on the lookout of conservation. Scientists can deserve to be just as respected for interesting stories to tell collect data and write papers, — and well-paid — as men.” her students in ballet class. but it only matters if we get “They’ve invented ‘Whale Fact the message out to people and Working as a marine biologist, Wednesday,’ where I have to make it important to them.” Silva occupies a unique space teach them something new each between an incredibly active week,” laughed Silva. “Maybe life on the sea, and hours of there’s a future marine biologist solitude behind her computer in the class? Who knows?” 11 PHOTOGRAPHY BY LENOVO Lenovo ThinkPad Saving lives with Design That Matters Design That Matters, a social impact design company, creates affordable and easy to use products in healthcare. “The big question for us is: how prototyping and low-volume do you design a fantastic piece manufacturing, Prestero and his of equipment and make it hard team are setting the standard to use incorrectly in the context for best design practices of a developing country?” in the developing world. asked Timothy Prestero, founder and CEO of Design that Their mission begins Matters. For him and his team with FireFly, the world’s of innovators, it’s not enough most effective newborn to build something great — it phototherapy device for low- has to be built in context. resource hospitals. With a simple bassinet and overhead “The solutions to so many great light, it’s designed specifically global health problems already to allow rural clinics with limited exist, they are just poorly resources and inexperienced adapted to the context — and staff to successfully treat context is king,” said Prestero. babies with jaundice. Design that Matters doesn’t “Much of our success comes accept a world in which from the plummeting cost of countless newborns are at risk innovation,” said Prestero. of lifelong disability and death “A sketch pad used to be from easily treatable conditions this baroque fantasy object like jaundice, hypothermia, and that only movie studios pneumonia. By pushing the could afford. With our limits of technology in rapid ThinkPads, we can go from 3D 13 Lenovo ThinkPad drawing, to photorealistic for locals. Unused and broken Not only is rendering, to a 3D printed medical equipment amounts part, all on the road.” to $250 million a year in my ThinkPad unacceptable waste and As of May 2017, the Firefly serve as a mounting barrier awesome and phototherapy device has to improved health outcomes. reached 23 countries, from So in addition to building indestructible, Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, new things, Design that and treated more than Matters is tackling the issue of but it also 100,000 newborns. Products defunct existing technology. that Design that Matters has shares my helped design and launch One of their latest projects, have reached a total of Echo, is an open-source philosophy 330,000 people worldwide. internet-of-things module Building off of this success, that seeks to create and that design Design that Matters is collect data for medical developing a complementary devices. Once completed, should be device they call Otter, a it will quickly communicate conductive warmer designed what devices are being pragmatic and to treat premature babies used, which need repairs, vulnerable to hypothermia.