Week 6:

This week’s lessons kicked start with a mind-blowing video on futuristic gadgets that were never thought to be possible. The future of humanity looks pretty darn good!

Moving on to the main bulk of the lesson, Prof introduced the quote which I find to be really pertinent and meaningful.

 A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in

What this actually means is to plan to meet the needs of future generations. We need not be selfish or else the world might not be able to sustain in the long run.

To illustrate this, I would think that the area of donation to the sperm bank to maintain a large gene pool for infertile couples for example is a possible prospect we can develop. Even in the biobusiness arena, if we are able to culture micro-organisms and grow insulin for diabetes patients lives would be more fulfilling.

The idea that prof mentioned (which amazed me) was the spider web protein. Although I currently do not have the name of this technology/innovation, the spider web protein has the capabilities of providing tensile and durability on military equipment. This would be a great boon (in Singapore) to the Singapore Armed Forces. This led me to think: How could something that is seemingly thought as insignificant could serve as a revolutionary innovation? Thus the takeaway point would be to not dismiss anything in its entirety. You never know if it will be an entrepreneurial stroke of genius.

There was also the issue of metabolic syndrome, a medical disorder that increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Sadly, this affects one in five people in the United States and prevalence increases with age. Could there be a time where the genes could be modified so that the body is immune or more resistant to such a disease? I believe it is plausibly and possibly so. Given the fact that portable dialysis pack already exists in the world today (and it has empowered diabetes patients a new lease of life and to be mobile whilst undergoing treatment), tweaking the gene is not so far-fetched after all.

This substantiates Reading  1, which is about the making of healthcare more accessible ie not just the private but also the public sector. More investment is funded for Research and Development purposes to stem out ailments ranging from diseases of access such as gout and obesity which are very possible to prevent to diseases of bandaid- a global burden of diseases like lower respiratory infections such as diarrhoea and major depression. It is also explains the vicious cycle the poor are trapped in. Without money to spend on medicine, they fall prey to diseases. Perhaps the route of the poverty cycle would be education but then again, it is always easier said than done.

We ended the day with a number of presentations. It was my turn to present this week and I showed the class my topic entitled the ViRob. In a nutshell, it is a micro-robot that serves as a mode of drug delivery (yes, in travels through your veins/bloodstreams). Although it has currently a few kinks, I’m actually looking forward to the day of its manufacture. I was initially a little reserved in using this technology given how invasive in nature it is but let’s face it. In a scenario where you’re diagnosed with say a terminal illness like cancer, would you still be bothered by how invasive a process is? I believe in this case, health comes first; the process is merely secondary.

Rating: 9/10

To conclude with a quote:

 In the sick room, ten cents' worth of human understanding equals ten dollars' worth of medical science.  ~Martin H. Fischer

Week 5- Big Brother is Watching

TWC week 5 kicked start with a video of Milo, a virtual being from Project Natal who was interacting with Claire (human being). I was fascinated at how he was able to exhibit very human-like characteristics. Although there were some problems with the logic of flow in his response to Claire’s questions, it seemed so surreal as though I was staring right at a virtual presence of a future me. The prospect of being able to communicate to a virtual interface is simply amazing.

This also led to a discussion on kinect, a gaming technology that has been linked with windows interface. With such interactive features in place, it is very easy for us to kill 2 birds with 1 stone ie playing games while keeping fit (to a certain extent by having to jump about or swing your arms madly). Or on a more global and useful scale, military training such as range practice (simulation of the actual live firing) which I partook not too long ago, flight simulation exercises for airforce pilots and architectural 3D practice can be derived from such a technology. Incredible? Definitely.

What left a lasting impression on me was the concept of wireless technology where data could be transmitted from one device to another via wifi, mifi (wireless wifi) or 3G technology. Paula’s article, which was on transmission of data from 1 Ford vehicle to the next could really help commuters take a more informed decision of which route to take in case of a jam or even an accident.

This actually led to the issue of privacy. Yes, Big Brother is watching but I believe privacy is overrated. I mean, is letting someone know of your whereabouts or even cookies (not biscuits, data packets) from a website such a concern to you? Definitely not. In fact, many people are already using 4square on their iphones to “check in”, an idea which I find quite nonsensical (pardon me, apple fans). I seriously don’t see a purpose in letting others know what a social animal you are. No doubt a line has to be a drawn. But insofar as our national security is upheld, I’m willing to give up part of my privacy. As in the case of equivalent trade, one always have to give up something for the other. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as free food in the world. How true.

To end off with a quote:

As a social good, I think privacy is greatly overrated because privacy basically means concealment. People conceal things in order to fool other people about them. They want to appear healthier than they are, smarter, more honest and so forth.

Richard Posner

Individual topical review paper outline

Specific Innovation of Interest

Medical Robots

Rationale for Selecting this Innovation

1)      Healthcare is vital in the world today

2)      Health = wealth

3)      Ill health = barriers to sustainable economic development

4)      Disruptive (revolutionary) innovation

Proposed Approach to Development of Paper:

Executive Summary

Introduction/Background

Definition: Robotic surgery- the use of robotic systems to aid in surgical procedures. Robotically-assisted surgery was developed to overcome the limitations of minimally invasive surgery.


Application

Robotics is now used in the fields of:

• Urology
• General Surgery
• Cardiac surgery
• Gynaecology
• Head & Neck surgery

For urology, the da Vinci robot can be used in surgery for:

• Prostate Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Kidney pelvis obstruction
• Ureter stricture
• Bladder cancer
• Bladder-Vagina Fistula 

Issues/Challenges/Opportunities

Pros:

1)      Reduction of hospital stay: Robotic surgery has been shown to improve patient’s recovery because of:

• Less pain
• Less blood loss
• Less scarring
• Less damage to surrounding structures
• Fewer complications

As a result, hospital stay is shorter and return to regular activities faster.

2)      Welfare of patient

3)      Minimization of errors

Incisions for open compared to robotic method

Cons:

1)      Absence of human presence

2)      Fault consequences

3)      Non-generic task

4)      Steep learning curve

5)      Cost of device

6)      Safety?

Key Observations/Historical Perspective

1)      Consider the life before robotics

2)      Difficulties and shortcomings

3)      Efficiency, pain and survival rate

Discussion and Analysis

1)      The da Vinci Surgical System performed the first robotically assisted heart bypass at the Leipzig Heart Centre in Germay.

2)      Consider the fallibility of technology

3)      Repairing costs involved

4)      Economical, social and ethical issues

Taking things forward

1)      Sustainability

2)      Feasibility in Long Run VS Short Run

Conclusion

References

The robotic arm mimics human wrist movements

Surgeon console

Robotic arms in position

3-dimensional vision camera system

Week 4

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change."
- Charles Robert Darwin -

Such an apt quote to begin the lesson on Drivers of World Change.

Personally, the driver that affected me the most was environmental change. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, living near Tan Tock Seng Hospital was a period of unrest- the countless temperature checks that I had to endure; the face mask that I had to put up with just because I have a common cold or cough. On a more international level, everyone was forced to undergo regular checks. In school, everyone was required to bring a thermometer and do checks twice daily. The stop-gap measures the government implemented to survive through this ordeal is testament that we should adapt to these changing times.

There was a discussion on evolutionary and revolutionary change. Evolutionary change involves small and gradual change over an extended period of time while the latter, aka disruptive change is one that is mainly irreversible and made ground-breaking impact. E.g invention of a mouse (the gizmo, not the animal) greatly improved the efficiency of computers!

Moving on to Change Management and Change Leadership, comparisons of a leader and visionary were discussed in class. Clearly, a visionary is a subset of a leader. What struck out was the sentence: A leader does the right thing while a manger does things right.

In response to change management, what amused me was the 3 approaches:
1) Eagle approach: big picture perspective; recognize change; proactive in change
2) Ostrich approach: unreceptive to change; remain stagnant; don’t see a need to change
3) Dodo bird approach: not sure that change existed until it hits him

Clearly, one should strive to have an eagle approach but then again, it’s always easier said than done.

The presentation by Andrew, a fellow student whose slides were on Obama’s change management report card addresses this issue. He lists out the 4 main methods namely:
1) Make a case for change by explaining why the current situation cannot continue
2) Create a vision of what will be different
3) Mobilize commitment to change
4) Generate early successes that build momentum and learning

Traditional model works in the past where change was not very rapid. Therefore the conventional method of “freeze-unfreeze-refreeze” will work. However this solution will not come to pass in the world today. In fact, we should adopt the modern model: need for regular routine checks, continuously changing + upgrading in order to survive.

I would like to briefly touch on the article, Global Drivers of Change to 2060. Natural England Commissioned Report which I’ve read. It is an insightful and detailed report generated by England that discusses the possible drivers, ranging from environmental, demographic, commercial to scientific discovery and technology innovation that will shape the world of tomorrow. The report also factors in  wildcards (low probability events that could disrupt the expected mega trend) as well as potential paradigm shifts as a result of these drivers to provide a balanced view.

This week’s lesson deserves a 8/10 as the topic is relevant in an ever-changing world of today. However, an area of improvement would be more videos as it is a late class and everyone’s probably tired. The short clip of the dancing leader did the trick. We need more of this!

Quotes that are food for thought:

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Theodore Roosevelt

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.

Bill Gates

Week 3

The third lesson kicked off with a short recap of last week’s lesson on global dominance, with a brief discussion on China and how they saw themselves as superiors and shut themselves out from Western influence; also being insular (looking inward at own problems and becoming polarized in the process).

What piqued my interest was the short video of “the story of stuff” by Annie Leonard where she describes where stuff comes from and what happens when you throw it out. The process can be summarized as: Extraction-> production->distribution->consumption->disposal. In this age, we are a materials economy and we simply cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely! Less than 4% of the original forests remain; 100,000 synthetic chemicals used in commercial; 4billion pounds of pollution a year as a result of manufacturing. Such statistics are definitely of shock value. In fact, we are but a mere 5% of world population but we are using 30% of global resources! If this goes on, we’ll need 3-5 planets. We are constantly interacting with culture, environment and society and we cannot afford to be selfish. But unless in an unlikely scenario that we find alternative life in outer space (and I’m being rhetoric), we have to learn to use our resources more wisely and tactfully- let’s face it, we only have 1 Earth to live in.

This lead me to think back on the interest concept of “advantages of backwardness” in the article, Industrialization as an engine of growth in developing countries by Adam Szirmai where latecomers profit from the availability of modern technologies developed in the leading industrial economies, without bearing all the risks and costs involved in research and development.

Also, we have to take into account the IPP's (Integrated product policy) aim to improve the overall environmental performance of a product has to be realized. It is undeniable that all products cause environmental degradation in some way but are we forever caught in a case of equivalent trade where in order to progress and remain sustainable we forego our humanity and compromise our very living environment? Surely there must be a line to be drawn to demarcate this. I believe if everyone plays his/her own part, a lot of small effort will amount to something huge. We should stay away from the mindset that large corporations are mainly to blame and doubt ourselves by asking “what change can we as individuals make”. Change, no matter how large, can amount to something. If going green or using a recycling bag helps saving a tree, why not?

We moved on to market driven innovation vs. technology driven innovation. As defined, Market Driven Innovation (MDI) is designing, managing and implementing your innovation process based on the needs and wants from your key markets. Alternatively, technology driven innovation encompasses  technology, namely IT performance, information processing and communications that results in innovation. Should innovation be technology or market-driven? I believe there must be a fair balance on this. A company cannot solely be market driven as technology and profits are in tandem and they are so intertwined that they are inseparable. Of course, we should bear in mind not lose our morality and ethics in the process of doing so.

The lesson concluded with a discussion on valley, summit and cloud opportunities. Valley opportunities like rice farming has a low barrier to entry given the low level of skills required. Summit opportunities mainly involve knowledge-based production, a notch above valley opportunities. Cloud opportunities harnesses cutting-edge new technology and value-adds existing products. Example of such an industry would be apple. I can’t wait for iphone 5, like totally!

I would like to give this week’s lesson a 8.5/10 as it is very applicable to the world today as we are heading towards a knowledge based economy. At the same time, we should bear in mind not engage in Faustian bargains for the sake of progress.

Here's a parting quote to ponder:

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.  ~Mohandas K. Gandhi