Since starting this blog, I’ve wanted to talk about cultivating ideas, brainstorming and other tips for inventing. So, I did what I do when I try to solve any problem - I pillow-talked it. I know, it sounds dirty, but believe me it’s not and it’s the most useful tool an inventor can have.

You see, we all face what we believe are unsolvable road blocks. Whether you have writer’s block, or you’re having problems in a relationship or you just can’t figure out what’s making the “clink” sound in your car. Pillow talking can be a great way to solve these problems, well, depending on how serious the “clink” is. Anyway, right before I go to sleep, I clear my thoughts and focus on the problem I want to solve. Once you have a desire to solve a problem you’re subconscious recognizes it. Make sure this problem is the very last thing you think about before falling asleep. If you’re truly passionate in looking for an answer, you’re subconscious mind will give you one.

Once you have an answer, you have to force yourself out of bed and grab it while it’s hot. Write it down; don’t expect your conscious mind to keep it fresh. Now, I’ve been doing this for 17 years, so don’t expect to get it right in 24 hours. It takes time. I do it with client projects, corporate projects, my private life, even when thinking through the future of my business.

I’ll never forget, I once pillow-talked an idea for a toy company. I woke up with an invention, got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. I don’t know why the kitchen, but I went to the kitchen and sketched out the idea. In fact, I sketched it in three dimensions, something I don’t normally do. It was funny, because several months later I was looking at the finished product sample of my project when one of the lead designers showed me the sketch. “Do you realize that this is dimensionally correct?” he asked me. I laughed, because I was just sketching what was in my mind. I hadn’t even thought of the specifics, yet.

In time, if you practice it regularly, you’ll find this to be an indispensable tool in your life. I can’t guarantee magic every time, but it can only be helpful.

Earlier this week, I attended that Industrial Designers Society of America ceremony for the winners of the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards in Texas. There we received our official recognition for the silver design explorations award for our floating automotive creeper, the Hover Creeper, and our bronze win in consumer products for the BikeBoard - both are featured in the Fall 2006 issue of Innovation magazine.

Among the throng, more than 700 people attended, I noticed something different in the design community: A lot of major corporations are attending more and more. Company’s in America are starting to recognize the value of innovation in their products, more so than ever before. It was apparent in the attendance and the showing of major corporations among the design firms. Some of the world’s largest companies were present, from Panasonic to Intel, Bayer, Microsoft, GE and more. There were international design teams coming forward for the first time with American designers working with Asian designers working with European designers all building the new products for international companies.

It’s an exciting to watch big corporations recognize the needs of innovation as an essential tool to keep a competitive edge. You can’t just make a wastebasket anymore. It has to be ergonomic, aesthetic, environmental friendly and so on to compete. The need for good design has finally taken a hold in the mainstream.

This design competitiveness and specificity in trying to match with consumer wants leads me to some predictions on innovation. My thoughts are, and I hope they’re correct, the very next steps for consumers and the design industry are not far off. With the growing use of rapid prototype machines, it’s only a matter of time before they become a part of a consumer’s everyday use. People will design their own products or even download ones they like. Just input the files into this new home appliance go to sleep and wakeup with a new wastebasket. Consumers will be empowered more than ever. This is a very exciting time to be in the innovation business.

This morning I received a call from a friend. He told me that Segway Inc. is voluntarily recalling its personal transporters for software upgrades. I guess they discovered it can unexpectedly reverse direction, causing the rider to fall off.

As an inventor, and someone who admires technology, I encourage my staff of Inventionmen to use our Segway in InventionLand. So, we happen to use Dean Kamen’s creation to not only navigate our work environment, but also to inspire us to create.

For myself, an inventor and entrepreneur who has faced the struggles of the invention world, I’ve seen Kamen as an inspiration. He is someone who shows it can be done. We’ve seen him take on the auto industry with a zero emission product. It was an ambitious project that drew much criticism, but it was successful. However, today more than 23,500 personal transporters were recalled.

Can you imagine taking your vision to market only to pull it following several years of success? Not to mention, Segway Inc is rolling out their latest models.

Now, I hate to be the one who uses the Segway as a segue (I honestly tried to resist, but the draw was far too great), but this is just one of many examples of the setbacks inventors face.

Inventors push through thousands of holdups, blowouts, meltdowns, explosions, trips, mishaps and the ever unfortunate glue incidents. From initial idea, to tooling a concept into a manufacturable product and finding a company to license and sell it is a road lined with land mines. Even when you have it on the shelves you have to hope you were right about the human psyche and a consumer’s wants and needs in the marketplace.

The path of inventing is full of near-debilitating incidents. I’ve faced them, as many have before me, and I face new ones every day. This software recall may not be significant, but it’s an example of the ongoing struggle innovation pioneers meet.