HP Innovation Journal Issue 04: Fall 2016 | Page 5

Makers of necessity
A hands-on approach to innovation
and ingenuity
“There is something unique about making physical
things. Things we make are like little pieces of us
and seem to embody portions of our soul.”
— Mark Hatch , Author
of the Maker Movement Manifesto
and Former CEO of TechShop
W
e are living in the midst of an amazing
and accelerating amount of change
and progress. As discussed in Issue
2, we will experience even more change in
the next 15 years than in all of history to date.
• We now have more computing power in our
pocket than all of NASA had in 1969 to put
the first man on the moon. 1
• 43% of the world’s population
is connected to the internet,
mostly in developed countries.
And by 2024, more than half
of all home Internet traffic will
be generated by appliances
and devices. 2
makers who turned the tools and technology
at hand into world-changing innovation. From
the fire-making apparatus of the Stone Age, to
the clockworks and turbines of the Middle Ages,
to the telephones, light-bulbs and automobiles
of the Industrial Revolution, our desire to create
and innovate is ingrained in us.
There are natural human traits that drive
us to innovate: curiosity, resourcefulness, op-
posable thumbs (ha!), ability to design and
build and combine elements to make new
things. Some of the tools and processes we
invent DRIVE change, others help us embrace
change — it’s all connected.
Mass production in the 20 th century gave
way to mass individualization. And from that, a
rising appreciation for the bespoke, the unique,
HP Sprout:
inspiring the
makers of
tomorrow
Bonsall High School is a new tech high
school. The curriculum integrates the the-
oretical knowledge of the classroom with
hands-on practical experience. HP Sprout
helps bridge the gap.
“Sprout is inherently fun, so students who
use it automatically want to start creating
things.” — Lee Fleming, Principal
“Sprout is right on that cutting edge of
creation and what is new.… As we grow, I
will continue to really push to the teach-
ers — be risk takers, use the technology,
get the kids in front of it, and get out of
the way.” — Daniel Costa, World Studies
Teacher. 

The makers spirit
But what drives this need to push
boundaries, look at ideas through a
new lens, and overcome challeng-
• 42% of the overall primary
es and constraints?
hospitals and 50% of the to-
In recent years we’ve seen the
tal provincial level hospitals
rise of artisans, tinkerers, hobby-
in China have their own tele-
3
ists and creatives looking for (and
medicine center.
finding) new outlets for their need
• It’s expected that the first 3D
to make. A flurry of technology
printed liver will be created
advancements have made way
by 2025. 4
HP Sprout allows designers and makers to bring physical objects into the digital world to for new immersive creation tools
And while things might be mov- transform and create a new.
like HP Sprout, new collaboration
ing at lightning speed today, the
avenues like Make Online and the
phenomenon of embracing change with new the handmade and one-of-a-kind. We have global Makers Faires, and new distribution and
tools and processes harks back to our origins. tools to amplify or even transform traditional sharing sites such as Shapeways.
Some of the most influential advancements crafts — from handmade models to 3D printed
It’s estimated that there are 135 million
in our history were driven by inventors and models, for example. We can put world-class makers in the U.S. alone, creating a new wave
tools and instruments within reach — consider of products. 5 These entrepreneurs and innova-
a digital keyboard for a composer that synthe- tors are fueling business with some $29 billion
1 ZME Science
sizes input from a hundred Steinway Grands to
2 United Nations
deliver sound from the world’s best piano in a
3 Research and Markets Report
4 World Economic Forum
5 Time Magazine and Atmel
$200 keyboard.
Issue 4 · Fall 2016 · Innovation Journal 5