Here at New Motion HQ, we can’t get enough of innovation. Which is why we’ve put together this list of our favourite innovations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Above all, these inventive and original ideas show us that out of something bad, we can sometimes stumble across something pretty darned impressive.
Vertical Farming
Finnish company iFarm has come up with a pretty inventive – and sustainable – way to make use of the vast swathes of inner city real estate currently lying empty because we’re all working from home: commercially scaled vertical farming. iFarm’s Growtune platform not only makes use of available urban space in an innovative way, it also supports urban farmers in every aspect of their journey; from crop choice to management of harvesting schedules. Growtune is an innovative, technical and sustainable solution to a raft of very modern problems.
Floating Houses
Miami-based yacht company Arkup and Waterstudio Design have developed a self-sufficient floating house (or ‘Liveable Yacht ’). Yep, a floating house. That’s not a boat, by the way, it’s literally a house that can be moved about and moored like a boat, but looks more like a luxury waterfront villa. Okay, so this one isn’t, strictly speaking, anything whatsoever to do with the Covid-19. However, if you’re worried about what the future holds but are lucky enough to be phenomenally rich (the Liveable Yacht will set you back about $5.5m), then you should consider purchasing a totally self-sufficient, zero-emission floating house and sailing off into the sunset. Just don’t forget to stock up on loo rolls and tinned soup before you go.
Digitisation
The move towards increased digitisation is a direct result of the measures – such as social distancing – we’ve been forced to adopt since the onset of the pandemic. Businesses and individuals alike have been propelled forward into, well, the 21st century. Gone are the days when we could stubbornly refuse to use online banking or shopping. Everything has moved online. Wearable devices are monitoring people’s health where doctors can’t. Telecomms suddenly got real. Big Data is the only data anyone’s interested in. AI and forecasting software is everywhere. Satellite tech, biotech, nanotech; R&D never saw so much action. Basically, digitisation has been put on the fast track, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Virtual Events
The world has gone virtual, and that’s pretty cool. From online shopping, to Zoom meetings, booking appointments and even health monitoring. And the conference and event industry is no exception; event organisers have had to do some serious pivoting since Covid reared its ugly head. Gatherings ranging from concerts to networking events, exhibitions and the like have gone ahead in innovative ways – from the resurgence of the ‘60’s-style ‘Drive-Thru’ to a huge increase in online streaming and singers broadcasting from empty stadiums (stadia?). Anyway. We’ve seen some impressive solutions to Covid-related social distancing measures and we’re totally here for it. In the spirit of innovation, the Global Innovation Forum London is holding its 2020 exhibition online, offering what it describes as, “a fully interactive and immersive experience”. You can rock up, virtually, between the 17th and 19th of November for a slice of the innovative action which includes streamed talks, digital workshops, guest speakers, an online expo, virtual tours and more.
There’s no doubt that the post-Covid world isn’t going to be an exact replica of the pre-Covid world that we knew and loved. Some of the changes that we’ve seen in recent months are likely here to stay, and there will probably be many still to come.
But one thing’s for certain; there has never been a better time to innovate.
