Inspiration for a new product can come from a million different sources. One great way to innovate is to use a process or method that exists, but in a completely different context. Designers do this all the time with aesthetics, borrowing a line from a car on a new shoe design, or button detail on a jacket for a new backpack. But when this process is used for functional design, some very interesting things can be created.
Jorge Odón’s spark of inspiration came from watching a video on YouTube, and applying what he had seen to a completely different problem. After watching a video on how to remove a lost cork from a wine bottle, his unconscious mind made the leap from corks to babies in the midst of difficult births. His device for aiding infants stuck in the birth canal now has support from the World Health Organization. Check out this article in the NY Times to see the Odón Device.