As a child I kept a big yellow notebook full of plans for my “inventions.” Somewhere in a box there is a 9 year old’s drawing of an animatronic dinosaur that people can ride around Disney World. Flip the page and see a working theory on suspending light in mid-air like floating, radiant string. Flip once more and you’ll see the schematic for a walkie talkie intercom system.
After an afternoon sketching, I’d clamber down the stairs for dinner. I couldn’t wait to tell my family about the inventions I’d spent the day dreaming up. If I thought it was cool and exciting, I was talking about it at dinner. I think that’s how I started thinking about certain innovations as “Dinner Table Cool.”
“Dinner Table Cool” is when an innovation is exciting to anyone you’re eating dinner with, someone who may or may not work in your industry, who may or may not know the plight of a tech worker. It’s when an innovation has that je ne sais quoi that makes you smile to know a human is bringing it into the world, or when you know the story will bring that same smile to someone else.
Some days our work is Dinner Table Cool, some days it’s not. Such is life. But every day we get to learn about a new and creative innovation like the ones I’ll share with you today is an exercise to expand our realm of creative possibility. In fact, the three companies I’m sharing with you today are among the stories that inspired me to want to start Meet The Market.
I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I did.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Superwood: Wood that’s stronger than steel
Liangbing Hu, the materials engineer behind Superwood and InventWood, spent years honing a process to make the wood stronger. 40+ patents later, the company is preparing to build its second manufacturing facility outside of Fredericks, Maryland to keep up with demand for this wood that has “up to 10x the strength-to-weight” of steel, according to its web site. Plus: it’s absolutely gorgeous.
When I first learned about Superwood, I was impressed but worried. Was this wood was made stronger by some kind of plastic that would turn the gorgeous natural wood into something more artificial? Fortunately, I don’t think that’s how it works.
According to their web site, “Through a proprietary two-step process, InventWood modifies lignin and selectively removes hemicellulose before precision densification. This collapses the wood’s porous structure and realigns the cellulose fibers, bringing them close enough to form new chemical bonds. The result is a material that is 4-20x stronger and stiffer than natural wood, with 3-10x greater dent resistance, and fire resistance that can achieve a Class A rating.”
The team behind Superwood is actively pursuing multiple certifications, including Cradle-to-Cradle, Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody, and building code approval for structural applications. They’re commercializing this new material so well that their first production run of 30 million square feet is accounted for.
ENERGY & INTERIOR DESIGN
Morgan Solar Blinds: Window blinds that respond to the sun and return solar energy to a building
The first thing I do whenever I enter a room is react to the light. Adjust the blinds. Flip the switch. Announce my intentions. It’s always a production.
That’s what first caught my attention about Morgan Solar Blinds. These blinds respond to the sun and adjust to let in more or less light. The photovoltaic panels on the back of the blinds collect energy and return it to a battery that integrates with the building systems. One product line is made with Superwood, so they’re also gorgeous.
What makes them really inspiring is how they turn one of my least favorite natural phenomenons (the July sun hitting my windows) into something useful. The solar panels facing the exterior of the building collects solar energy and captures it for the building. The solar energy that would otherwise heat the room and deplete resources used to cool it becomes an energy source that enables the building to stay cool more efficiently.
From their site: “Energy Blinds are photovoltaic interior window treatments that transform spaces to improve comfort for building occupants while delivering savings for building owners and managers. The blinds are controlled by Morgan Solar’s EcoMode blind control software.”
Teams can manage and customize the system in-house - and the gains can be so significant that they can help building managers achieve Net Zero goals.
HUMAN CONNECTION
Tin Can: Retro landline-style phone for kids with safety app for parents
Do you remember the 90s? If you are too young to recall, let me tell you that you missed out on a glorious time in communication. There was one phone in the house, people were calling you, you were calling other people, someone was on the phone and you had to wait your turn, and the social anxiety that plagues many millennials hadn’t yet manifested on a global scale.
A phone call wasn’t an event, it wasn’t something to schedule, it was something you just did, and then if you had to go husk the corn or go to the dentist, you just got off the phone and saw your friend later. I wonder what impact that culture of communication had on childhood, I wonder what it’s like to a youngster growing up without it.
That’s why I am so excited about Tin Can, a landline phone company for kids to talk to kids like we did back in the olden days. As the team describes it in their positively whimsical explainer video, “The new school landline for friends. It’s just like our old phones with no texting or games and it has all the regular phone things, too. Like buttons and twirly cords. And well, you know, you talk into it.”
The story behind Tin Can is really cool, too. It started as a side project in their neighborhood but grew as more folks were excited about their mission.
From their About Page: “We started Tin Can because we couldn’t find a phone we actually wanted to give our kids. Everything out there felt like a compromise — too much tech, too much access, or just another screen to manage. We didn’t want that. We just wanted our kids to be able to call their friends. Safely. Independently. And without unlocking the entire internet.”
How cool are these companies?
I love how each one of these innovations will make someone’s day a little brighter.
Do you know of any others? If you hear of something you might call “Dinner Table Cool,” reply to any email and tell me. I can’t wait to hear about it.
-Alli