It is the dream of every scientist, inventor, and artist to create something new and breathtaking, a brand new type of something that can drive the world forward. This is what is known as a breakthrough simply because it breaks with the normas and changes things for the better.
It takes us multiple steps forward and there is no looking back. It is how the biggest and most important inventions in history came about, from the earliest discoveries of learning to use fire, to the wheel and writing, and the the printing press, electricity, and the internet.
Understanding Breakthrough Innovation
Before talking about how one can create a breakthrough in their field and what the recent ones are, let us dive a bit deeper into what makes us consider something an innovative breakthrough.
What Makes an Innovation a Breakthrough?
Any innovation is a very positive thing both for the inventor and the industry or field it is a part of. However, not every single innovation is a breakthrough. A breakthrough is something so important and game-changing that it transforms, disrupts, and cuts ties with how things have been done up to that point. There is no going back as we now have this new thing that is better, more useful, and more optimal.
How Technology Transforms Innovation
In the modern world where technology is advancing at an incredible pace, breakthroughs are coming in thick and fast. Thanks to this drive forward new advancements in smart tech, AI, robotics, and other areas, modern tech leads the way for innovation across the globe and it is only getting started. There is no saying how quickly we can continue to progress and how many more incredible breakthroughs can find their way into our lives.
Core Technologies Driving Breakthrough Innovation
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and ML for short, these two have been at the forefront of adapting the usual ways things are being done and how quickly machines and robots can replace mundane tasks. These days, every single software has its own AI that learns, adapts, and allows the user to personalize everything. Machine learning tools are so advanced that it no longer takes humans to help them. It can do things on its own based on the information it has already been fed.
Internet of Things (IoT) and Its Disruptive Power
The concept of IoT is a scary one for some people, but it is a necessity in the modern day and age where connectivity is crucial and where the flow of information must be constant. The Internet of Things is the collective network of connected devices and tech. It allows communication between them and the cloud and allows faster reaction times and processing. It also works on other communication networks and includes all sorts of electronics, computer science and engineering, and communication.
Blockchain: Enhancing Security and Decentralization
From the moment blockchain came about and introduced crypto, a breakthrough in finance tech took place. The decentralized nature of its infrastructure and the security it has is incomparably better than anything traditional currencies and software can offer. It is also anonymous and there are no laws and regulations from higher bodies. It is all made for the user to have a better and more enjoyable experience, and the possibilities are numerous.
AI for Personalisation and User Experience
As mentioned already, AI has already done a lot but the best utilization of this tech is the personalized user experience. When you have software or even a chatbot, that caters to your needs, suggests content and course of action, and predicts what you need, things are much easier and fun to use. After all, contemporary users want as much control and customization options as possible and nothing beats AI on that front.
Blockchain for Secure Transactions
Another reason why blockchain is so good is the actual money transfer, or cryptocurrency transactions to be more precise. There are no mediators who take cuts for allowing the transactions to happen, just you and the other person. No names are involved, only crypto electronic wallets for quick and secure token transfers.
Virtual and Augmented Reality, other innovations in iGaming
As is always the case, the video game industry benefits greatly from breakthroughs in tech. None are more prevalent than VR and AR, which cannot give the player the immersion they have always wanted. All of us have wanted actually to be in the worlds we play in, and being able to interact with touch and other senses is the closest it can ever come to reality. A startup company like Hub88 for example paves the way forward with its breakthroughs in single and simple API integration, unique game aggregation features, and an efficient seamless wallet integration.
Create a Breakout Innovation: A Step-by-Step Guide
Getting to the point in your career where you can make your breakthrough innovation is no easy task. It takes years, maybe decades, of hard work and dedication. With modern technology, it also requires being a part of it all and growing and changing with it. Here is how it can be done.
Step 1: Identify a Significant Problem or Opportunity
You start by identifying an aspect of the field or industry that is lacking or experiences constant problems. Gaps, shortages, imperfections, and lack are what you aim to solve. It bothers you and your progress and there are no solutions, meaning it is also an issue for everyone else.
Step 2: Foster a Culture of Creativity and Innovation
Introduce the problem to your team and general staff and tell them the plan. You require creativity, minds working together, and long brainstorming sessions. Encourage everyone to come forward with their ideas and promise them that you will take everything they have into account.
Step 3: Leverage Cutting-Edge Technologies
While thinking about how to approach the issue and come up with a breakthrough innovation, utilizing cutting-edge tech and the newest solutions on the market is crucial. You are attempting to do something that has never been done, so how else can you achieve it unless you have the best tools for the job? This is also true for the personnel so hire nothing but the experts.
Step 4: Prototype, Test, and Iterate
When the time for testing arrives, keep trying and inventing new prototypes. A bunch of failures surely await, but you can continue to tinker, change, and adapt. Most great inventions and recipes came after an accident or a failed experiment. Maybe you will also fail in the best way possible, one that will make it clear what needs to be done. A system of elimination is a great system as you eventually make it work.
Step 5: Scale and Implement Your Innovation
When you are close to having it and then actually realize it, you will be getting calls from all over the place. New deals and partnerships will come your way and your team will need to grow. Scale accordingly and do not be afraid of getting bigger. It is now time to implement your innovation into the field, starting from your operation and then selling and licensing it to others.
Step 6: Measure Impact and Continuously Innovate
What happens when you reach such success? You go back to the lab of course! You cannot live from old glory for long. It will eventually come a time when a new project must take place and a breakthrough to work on. Continue to innovate and disrupt the market and you will only get more successful and your startup will never fall behind.
Creating a Culture that Supports Breakthrough Innovation
Encouraging Risk-Taking and Creativity
A big mistake that many companies make is not encouraging risk-taking among the workforce. You need to make it known that everyone is welcome to come out and suggest a new thing worth working on. Usually, it is the lower and middle positions that have the best ideas because the upper management and the board have too much at their hand running things. Listen to those on the front lines and inspire creativity. It is them who will be doing the lion’s share of the work anyway so they should have a say.
Leveraging Cross-Disciplinary Teams
Only by coming together and sharing in the expertise can different teams benefit from a single project. Designers and programmers are different, but they are doing the same software in the long run. Editors and writers will need to be informed at every stage too. Cross-disciplinary team communication and cooperation is crucial if your innovative breakthrough is to see the light of day.
The Future of Breakthrough Innovation
The future is bright, but how bright exactly and are there any potential dangers along the way?
Technology as the Backbone of Disruption
New technology will only continue to drive the change forward and disrupt what we currently know and use. And that is a good thing. Remember how the internet changed how you look for things and you can now get information on anything in any given moment? Well, you no longer need to read so many books to get information. That is disruption but in a positive way. Technology is the backbone of this and it will continue in much the same manner.
Sustainable Innovation: Balancing Progress with Ethics
Of course, along the way, we have to remember the ethics of it all and continue innovating with the foresight of remaining true to who we are as humans. Technology must not take over so much that we lose ourselves in the process. Innovate, but remain sustainable and allow the progress to balance ethics along the way. It will help everyone remain genuine and remember that it is we who need to benefit from the use of technology, not technology itself.
