Review of the article "Low Cost Technology Saving Premature Babies' lives"

This article written by Shilpa Kannan is to introduce how the low cost technology saves preterm babies’ lives by comparing the current baby death rate with the local medical conditions.

India is a country with the highest rate of premature baby deaths, but most of the babies’ lives can be saved by providing adequate warmth. Premature babies often have little baby fat to keep them warm, and incubators are needed to keep them alive. However, in India, incubators cannot be facilitated even in a state-run hospital in rural areas. Under such severe circumstances, GE Healthcare launched a baby warmer named Lullaby to help save the lives of new babies. Lullaby warmer consumes less power and is cheaper than the traditional warmers. It is quoted as a model of “reverse innovation” to decrease the premature baby death rate, and the warmer developed by GE are sold in more than 80 countries.

Although Lullaby warmer is a good product to save new babies’ lives, it still cannot take any effect when it is in rural places where people have little access to basic healthcare facilities or even electricity. In these places, people wrap new-born babies with layers of fabric and hot water bottles to keep baby in warmth. However, many babies don’t survive. To resolve this question, Embrace is invented to save the babies’ lives. It is a sleeping bag with a removable heating element with lower cost, and it is more durable and portable. In addition, Embrace is not sold. Instead, it is donated with non-profit venture to rural areas in need. 

Review of the article "Wearable tech will transform sport – but will it also ruin athletes' personal lives?"

The article written by Jared Lindzon tells that wearable technology is used in sport field to analyze athletic performance in details for performance, training improvement, injuries reducing and better fan experience. However, it makes a worry for athletes about whether it will ruin their personal life.

It has been investigated that the profit of wearable technology in sports field is greatly uptrend from $1.9 billion in 2013 to $2.8 billion in 2019. New innovations adapted into arenas are more convenient for decision making by coaches and managers with training data. In addition, it will be more interesting for fans to get close to sports game by the sight of technology data. Some business institutions like Catapult and Adidas are devoting themselves into wearable devices and sportswear for sport facts and figures. Wearable technology continues to expand in this professional and competitive life of athletes.

Brian Bulcke is a defensive lineman in Canadian Football League, and he also provides mentorship in sport innovation program. In his opinion, it is inevitable for athletes to get involved into proliferation of technology. New technologies are going to change the current sports environment, and he is intended to be the early ones for balancing the concerns over the effect brought by new techs for athletes’ personal life. Concerning the blur between personal life and professional life of athletes, both Bulcke and technology providers admit that there is a line between workplace and personal privacy.

Review of the article "Contract Manufacturer Flex Plans Southeast Asia Push"

  Lorraine Luk writes this article to tell readers that two important things are happening in global electronic companies. That is, on one hand, Flex and its rival Hon Hai are planning to build new sites in Southeast Asia and South Asia. On the other hand, technological innovations are been valued by not only contract factory, but also in venture capital firms. Flex is interested in technological innovations like wearable devices and even designed Flex Pulse application in factory displays. A famous venture-capital firm - GGV Capital is also focusing on innovative wearable applications.

  

  In the last few decades, contract manufactures are busy with expanding their business in Asia, especially in China. After years’ of development, with local consuming level updates and labor cost increases, it is necessary for these contractors to looking for potential market and factory sites for business expansion. There is no doubt that South Asia like India and Southeast Asia with large population and cheaper labors are good choice for them.

  

  As for technological innovation, there is a saying that science and technology change the society and make life better. GGVC was the early backer of Alibaba Group, which is the e-commerce giant who has changed people’s shopping life style in China and even the whole globe. It is a tendency that technology will gradually take big part of people’s life, and for its huge return on investment, technology innovation is the main investment field for venture capitals. In addition, armed with technology innovation in traditional electronic factories like Flex, it will create new business line and gain new growth with higher productivity. 

Review of the article "How Everlane Succeed in Fashion by Acting like a Tech company"

 This article has offered us an opportunity to know more about the Everlane which is a very famous online clothing brand in the United States. The main characteristic of this brand is the combination of fashion and technology. From the interviews of the founder of this brand, Micheal Preysman, the brand was not regarded as a potential brand by most people because the clothes are very normal and basic. However, it has made great progress and become one of the most important online clothing brand in the United States. It has taken the great advantage of technology and fashion to make its products special and attractive. Micheal Preysman believes that”fast fashion” will be a trend in the future. And the products of this brand mean to lead the fashion.
  

After the success of this online mode, many other companies and brand has tried to copy this mode. However, it is easier to establish a brand online but harder to combine the technology with fashion. It is not easy to balance the two. Just like Jack Ma made a hit in China through Internet, but many other companies can’t repeat his success. It is very important to be creative.
  

Everlane not only makes good perfect blend of technology and fashion but also makes improvements on its delivery. The delivery speed of this brand is very fast and convenient. It pays a lot of attention to its service that is to satisfy customers. The company has its own strategies which are not affected by other companies.
  

In all, as a successful company, Everlane has its own ideas and strategies on its management and design. It doesn’t follow the suit and always keep creative which is an essential factor to be successful.  

Review of the article "Fashion's Changing Landscape"

  This paper published by Lectra is about current fashion changing and the new emergence of hybrid business model, aiming at promoting its commercial value in fashion industry.

  Firstly, the paper introduces that three models dominated the traditional fashion industry: brands, retailers, and manufacturers, and each of them are responsible for apparel design, selling and production respectively. However, with economic and political transforming and technological developing, even consumers are updating their shopping ways, the fashion industry are facing a change in pace.

  Secondly, the paper tells the specific shifting in fashion industry from three different perspectives of price, value and time change. For price and discount game, in spite of retailers’ discount game is still going on, manufacturers and brands are selling directly to the end consumers through their online or offline store. For value, consumers pay more attention to design over price. For time, it is more crucial when the apparel is sold out, which is at the concept of get-it-before-it’s-gone. Therefore, the three separate expertises of brands, retailers, and manufacturers are getting into each other’s field to win lower cost and higher profit. When more and more fashion companies design, produce and sell their own production, the hybrid business model in fashion industry is coming. Nevertheless, the fact is, fashion teams and companies are often separated around the world. To get there, they are investing a lot by way of technology and innovations to support bridges across the separate places for collaborative work.

  In the end, the paper takes Lectra as self-introduction to provide the most innovative technology solutions to the current apparel professionals. Lectra believes its fashion­specific solutions integrating fourty years of industry experience and process are best practices to keep companies ahead of the competition.

Review of the article "3D printing Technology for Economic Revolution in the Developing World"

  The article was written by Jephias Gwamuri, a PhD student in Material Science and Engineering at Michigan Technological University. It discusses on how 3D printing Technology brings economic revolution in the Developing World.

  According to the author, over half of workers in developing countries are self-employed, and working on agriculture field, doing little contributions to their countries’ economic growth. Free and open-source hardware has recently been developed along with printer models such as the self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3D printers. 3D printing Technology makes it possible to fabricate and customize products cheaper and faster with comfort so as to from a manufacturing systems. Thus, Jephias Gwamuri thought 3D printing Technology may change the current situation in developing countries by the following ways:

1.Self-adjustable eyeglasses can be made and customized at low cost with a 3D printer, helping people with no access to eye care in low and middle income areas.

2.Products by 3D printing Technology could improve the local poultry breeding conditions, keeping the animals feed from being contaminated by faeces and diseases.

3.With easy transportation and low cost, solar-powered 3D printers can improve the local life, education system and medical clinics, increasing employment rate in remote countries isolated to network or electricity.

  As the article is saying, the developing world has much to benefit from embracing the 3D printing revolution.

Review the article: Google And Levi’s Want To Put Computers In Your Clothing

          Google and Levi’s are working together to make conductive yarn weaved into garments, and the cooperation is called “Project Jacquard”. It said that we could press the sleeves to turn a light or active a phone call in the cloth through touch and gesture interactivity.

            The “wearable technology” is one-way communication that can be embedded into clothing without any uncomfortable feeling. It focuses on creating beautiful textiles with both new functionality and digital connectivity. Meanwhile, they create something that people want to wear, which is not only comfortable but also with fashion.

            Google choose Levi’s because they have their own strengths, and they want to co-create something instead of co-branding; in addition, Levi’s wide consumer group agrees with Google’s exploring space in technology. Meanwhile, for Levi’s, Project Jacquard won’t need to modify its looms for production.

            Today, we use smart phone, wear smart watch, and wear a jacket to control a light on or off in the future. It is a great idea to weave fabric with Google’s special yarn into garments. When electricity was found, then along come telephones, personal digital assistants, and smart phones, where the miniaturization of computers has progressed to the hand-held form factor we know and love well. It is even predicted that the smart wearable device time is coming. It is really excited to hearing the partnership between this tech giant and fashion brand for their smart garments.

References

Arthur, R. 2015. Google and Levis Want To Put Computers In Your Clothing. Retrieved Sep 7^th, 2016 from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelarthur/2015/06/16/google-and-levis-want-to-put-computers-in-your-clothing/