Chindogu: the JapaneseArt of Invention
A hands-off workshop
NCIIA Conference 2011
© Francisco Ruiz, 2011
Dedicated to the Japanese people
© Francisco Ruiz, 2011
Outline
Why?DefinitionsExamplesExercise 1More examplesExercise 2Reflection and take-aways
What's inside this logo?
Innovation Pyramid
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Ventures
Business Plans
Prototypes
Ideas
Some definitions
Chindogu: [ ‘tʃin-do-goo ]= valuable/priceless tool
Developed by Kenji Kawakami:“101 unuseless Japanese inventions”
not really useless
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Really “not-useful”?
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The 10 rules of Chindogu 1. “A Chindogu cannot be for real use”
It must be an invention that is almost useless. If it turns out to be practical and that one can use it on a daily basis, it is not regarded as a Chindogu.
2. “A Chindogu must exist” It must be something that you can make and use. It cannot be just a mere idea or concept.
3. “Inherent in every Chindogu is the spirit of anarchy” They can be seen as a form of philosophy. The idea behind them is to challenge the
“suffocating historical dominance of conservative utility” by producing something that is almost completely useless.
4. “Chindogu are tools for everyday life” Since there is a certain critical philosophy behind them and thus are a “form of nonverbal
communication” they must be understandable to everyone. If it turns out that the philosophical idea behind the object is only understood by specialists, the invention cannot be called Chindogu.
5. “Chindogu are not for sale” They are not allowed to be sold to anyone, not even as a joke, otherwise the purity of the
intent is forfeit.
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The 10 rules of Chindogu 6. “Humor must not be the sole reason for creating Chindogu”
Although they might seem funny or silly to people who look at them, they should not be produced for humorous reasons; they should be created to solve a problem.
7. “Chindogu is not propaganda” They are invented to solve a potential problem and to be used, at least in theory. “They
should not be created as a perverse or ironic comment on the sorry state of mankind.”
8. “Chindogu are never taboo” They are not allowed to cross the line. Their concepts may not contain any vulgarity, cruelty
or “debase the sanctity of living things” . E.g. sex toy inventions are not allowed.
9. “Chindogu cannot be patented” They cannot be patented or copyrighted, since they are produced to share a certain idea
which is there to be shared with everybody.
10. “Chindogu are without prejudice” They must not discriminate against anyone and should be able to be enjoyed by everyone,
not matter what race, age, gender or ethnic group they come from.
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Chindogu vs. Patentable
Patentable:NewNot ObviousUseful
Chindogu:NewNot ObviousNot Useful (?)
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Exercise 1: Chindogu
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Draw a not-usefulidea for a personal item
Time: 10 minutes
USPTO Chindogu
Beerbrella United States Patent 6637447 Inventors: Mcmullin, Mason Schott (St. Louis, MO)
Bell, Robert Platt (Alexandria, VA) See, Mark Andrew (Alexandria, VA)
Application Number: 09/981966 Publication Date: 10/28/2003 Filing Date: 10/19/2001 Primary Class: 135/16 Other Classes: 206/217, 220/694
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More than 100 years
Grave AlarmUS Pat. 500072 Issued 1893 Inventor: A. Lindquist
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How many appliances to change a lightbulb?
Light bulb changer United States Patent 6826983 Inventors: Magdi, Thomas (Rockledge, FL) Application Number: 10/361528 Publication Date: 12/07/2004 Filing Date: 02/10/2003 Assignee: Magdi (Rockledge, FL) Primary Class: 81/53.11 Other Classes: 81/52
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No comment
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US Patent 3216423
Apparatus for Facilitating the Birth of a Child by Centrifugal Force
Issued 1965
Inventors: G. B. Blonsky C. E. Blonsky
Exercise 2: not-Chindogu
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Draw a more usefulversion of your Chindogu
Time: 10 minutes
Why are we so hung up on usability?
For:Innovation requires a
userEfficiency with time
and resourcesQualityDesign optimization
Against:Users often can’t
formulate their needsFreedom and
creativityQuantityAvoiding local maxima
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Local maxima
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Invention as an Art
The classical Arts:PaintingSculptureMusicDanceLiteratureTheater
The modern Arts:Cinema (the 7th art)Video Games (adds interactivity)Invention (utilizes any material)
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Recap
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What did we learn?
How to use it in class?