Before the advent of social media, companies would have difficulties conversing with their customers because they were limited to conventional promotional methods. It is understandably hard to engage with customers when your only communication channel used to be a 30 second ad on the radio or television! Now that technology has given us tools like Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, and Google, it has become easier for companies and consumers to connect and share ideas.
One very prominent example of the benefits of a dialogue between companies and consumers is the story of ‘Smart chopsticks’ by Chinese tech giant Baidu. The idea began as a simple April Fool’s joke released by the company in 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BChk6WOBjsA
However, what the video achieved was more than just awareness of Baidu – it created significant buzz within the Chinese community who made it known that they supported the idea. Since China’s food supply chain is so vast (there are over 1 billion mouths to feed after all), there have been a number of food scandals in recent years. As a result, many Chinese have become wary of the food they consume and the thought of being able to conveniently test their food with a popular eating utensil resonated with them.
Fast forward 6 months and Baidu is introducing ‘Smart Chopsticks’ prototypes at it’s annual technology conference. While not as sophisticated as the chopsticks in the video, the ability to detect food that has been cooked with ‘gutter oil’ is definitely a step in the right direction towards strengthening food safety in China. Just another example of how necessity is the mother of all inventions, but this time the inventor was not tackling his own needs, but those of his customers!
What are your thoughts on ‘Smart Chopsticks’? Do you think we would find any use for this product in Vancouver or the rest of Canada?
References:
http://www.thehindu.com/in-school/signpost/april-fools-joke-inspires-smart-chopsticks-in-china/article6383670.ece
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/15018/20140907/smart-chopsticks-to-detect-chinese-food-gone-bad-why-not-says-baidu.htm
Hi Vincent,
Thanks for sharing the video and letting us know that Smart Chopsticks actually exist! I loved it and I can really see that the Smart chopsticks’ technology can actually be applied to different inventions in the future! Vancouver and Canada do not have a large food safety problem like China does, but food safety and supply may be a growing issue in the future. I think the smart chopsticks would be more of an innovative and creative invention rather than a commercial product in the future. However, just thinking of the possibilities excite me! The technology here is basically a small, convenient, and accessible tool that can capture, analyze, and display data. Can you imagine how this technology can apply to other aspects, such as medicine? There is a lot of research now that try to develop pocket-size tests, such as a tiny blood test kit that you can take anywhere.
I also agree with you that social media has changed marketing drastically. There is so much technological capacity now to circulate one single video around the world. Amazing. Think of the possibilities
-Szascha 🙂