Innovation also tends to arrive in clusters; at certain points throughout history, humanity has overflowed with new ideas, products, services, art, literature, philosophy and technology, and I believe that we are living through one of these clusters right now.

So now that we are all on the same page regarding the definition of innovation, I want to share 5 rules about innovation that will help you understand how to foster forward-looking thinking within your own business or organization.

1. Exposure Often Lights the Fire – Exposure to different industries, technologies, content, processes, ideas, products, etc. is often the spark that drives innovation. Exposing yourself and your team to other ways of thinking and doing, even in relation to the simplest tasks, can drive more innovative thinking.  And today, with the access to information and content provided by the Internet and other digital technology, we have no excuses for remaining surrounded by the homogeneous nature of our daily lives.
2. New Methods of Education Create Momentum – Innovation is fueled by education, and we find that new methods of education in particular seem to drive more groundbreaking thinking. Today, we have access to a myriad of new educational platforms and technologies.  Online and alternative education is booming (and, in many cases, free).  Start educating yourself and your team now by using these new tools so that you are prepared to spot opportunities for innovation when they present themselves.
3. FFTW (Failing For The Win) – Another trait of all innovative cultures is that they foster risk taking and understand that failure is a part of the game.  If you’re not failing, you’re not really trying. Encourage your team to take chances and give them a safe environment in which to experiment. Also, consider putting aside a small portion of your team’s budget specifically for experimentation, and make sure you have mechanism in place to keep track of what works and what doesn’t so that you can apply this knowledge moving forward.
4. There is an Art to Creative Combination – Some of the most innovative ideas out there today came from creatively combining existing ideas and functionality with new and interesting bits and pieces from other products, services and ideas.  Ask yourself, “What are all the ways I might be able to break apart and recombine this product, service, or process?  Is there something else out there that could be combined or incorporated into my product that would result in a positive, substantial improvement or change?” Like most other art forms, creative combination takes practice, so ask yourself these questions every day and see what you come up with.
5. If You Don’t Build It, Someone Else Will – We tend to think of innovation as existing in a vacuum; a “genius” creates something “new” in a secret lab and it is heralded as an amazing, unique innovation. But the reality is that most scientific discoveries and innovations are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors; this is the theory of multiple discovery. ^[2] Essentially, history is written by the winners, and in the innovation space, being first often counts more than being the best. If you have an idea for something — a new process, product or service — start bringing it to life or you will be kicking yourself when someone else does.

The world’s robot population is staggering. The service robotics market alone is valued at $20.73 billion and expected to reach $46.18 billion by 2017. iRobot, the maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum, alone reports a 50% year-over-year increase in Home Robot revenue. It’s here-and-now evidence that we’re closer than ever to bringing our imaginative ideas around these machines to life.

Many of you reading this may already have a Roomba, or its floor washing sister, Scooba. Both were designed for a singular purpose, just as my historical and mythological examples were. Yet these modern robots have one key differentiator; aside from being real, they have an Open API (application programming interface). In fact, iRobot created a version of the Roomba, less the vacuum, specifically for the intention of sharing its possibilities through Open API development.

So what exactly does this mean for the non-techie folks out there? It means we’re entering an era in which the common man can buy and build both the hardware and the software necessary to advance robotics to the next level.

Access to these APIs gives developers and inventors the world over the chance to build applications on top of these various robotic machines and platforms. It means that we, the public, are helping to decide the direction of robotics exploration to come. If you want a robot that feeds the dog and takes out the trash, it might not be too far in the future that this dream becomes a reality.

And as more and more people purchase robots for their homes and workplaces, there will be opportunities for relevant brand and product integration that provide utility and convenience to users.

For example, a brand like Food Network might build an app on top of an in-home food preparation robot that could help you plan and cook meals based on recipes within their catalog and the ingredients available in your fridge. The Home Depot could build an application for construction-focused service robots that assists in taking measurements, provides product recommendations and walks the customer through the building process step by step.

Of course, I couldn’t write about robots without referencing the long prophesized SkyNet-controlled robot apocalypse. While I can’t rule this scenario out completely, most experts agree that the development of artificially intelligent robots with an affinity for the destruction of the human race is highly unlikely. If I were you, I would be much more concerned with the zombie apocalypse and learning how to defend myself from all those pesky vampires and werewolves.

This revolution doesn’t have to do with the development of written content or information, but rather the physical production of products.  What I’m referring to is 3D printing technology. It’s a wave of innovation that’s about to hit us – and the industries we support – like a Muhammad Ali knockout punch to the jaw.

For those who aren’t familiar with the technology, 3D printers allow a user to manufacture or build an actual, workable item or product (including kinetic functionality) layer by layer, similar to the way that ink printers create an image on a piece of paper.

3D printing is often called additive manufacturing, and its real strength is that it’s much less reliant upon economies of scale, allowing for more product customization without the additional cost or risk.

The technology is already being utilized to manufacture a number of different types of products, including jewelry, car parts, customizable mobile devices and even medical implants.  And it’s rapidly being tested in other markets.

So what does it mean for product-based brands like Nokia and large retailers like The Home Depot? People will soon be able to “print” a customized device or a tool/part that would include specific, selected features and functionality right in their own homes.  It means that these brands had better come up with a new revenue model focused on facilitating this behavior as opposed to resisting it, or they will meet the same end as the dodo, the rotary telephone and Polaroid. I’m talking extinction, baby.

And if you think the application of 3D printing technology stops at prosthetic legs and customized cellphones, I would ask that you stretch your imagination a little further. Imagine a future where extensive space exploration is, in part, made possible by the use of 3D printing. Because the last thing you want to do if you're living on Mars is travel back to earth every time you need a hammer or a screw. In a 100 years, we may look back and realize that 3D printing was the catalyst for an unparalleled explosion of human creation and innovation, not just here on earth but throughout the known universe. Watch this space.

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