Author Archives: Mariana Van der Walt
Regional Innovation is a Thing
We are accustomed to thinking about innovation as an idea that finds its way into the world either as a new business or a new technology. When we think about new ideas we often think about it as an idea coming from an individual. While this is often the case, it is increasingly not the […]
Innovating Innovation
The Global Innovation Index (GII) report for 2016 has recently been released, and can be downloaded. Its release coincided with the start of my annual trip to the countries doing well in the GII and have similar or at least comparable size as New Zealand where I live and work. The GII report highlights that […]
Reproducing and creating End- Use parts
Dickson Motorsport- Seatbelt Brackets for a Race Car Seat Problem: A bracket that protects the seat from wear had broken. Brackets could not be purchased from supplier without buying a whole new seat Solution: A digital 3D model was created from the existing broken bracket and printed in Visijet Tough- and ABS/PP- like polymer before […]
Prototyping and Manufacturing End-Use Parts
Williamson Design & Engineering: Rally Car Wing Mirror Problem: While sliding sideways the side mirrors stick out too far for the driver to have a clear view. Solution: A smaller side mirror was required but the pivots for the glass is not something you can purchase and they are complex parts to machine. A digital […]
3D Printing and Prototyping
A professional 3D printing service utilizing the Projet 6000MP; a production and medical grade, high accuracy SLA 3D printer capable of producing complex and dimensionally stable models from resin. Our current material range caters to the following applications: Thin-walled models Liquid containers Equipment housings Medical supply components Plastic lenses Rigid structures High impact based Household […]
Interactive Health Research – Trial Village
The nexus of clinical, nutrition, and exercise in health-related trials Often health and wellness experiments and trials monitor only a limited set of data. At our IHR Trial Village we can provide and monitor a wide range of interventions and monitor an equally wide range of data to inform the analysis of impact of the […]
The spaces where learning happens (or not)
How we learn, where we learn and what we want to learn are all changing at the same time these days. Part of this journey is to monitor that the spaces we learn in actually help us learn better. This has everything to do with shape, size, interior design, furniture, etc. It also has to do […]
Development of a database for support of improved dairy production in Ecuador
As a result of an agreement signed with the Ministry of Agriculture of Ecuador (MAGAP) for the execution of the project “Upgrade of the Ecuadorian Dairy Production Matrix”, AGSO (Association of Cattle Farmers from the Highlands and Amazon Region of Ecuador) are committed to implementing an evidence based system to promote constant improvement of the […]
Smart community vegetable gardening
We were successful in obtaining funding from Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) from their Curious Minds contestable fund to do a project with a community (vegetable) garden, sensoring it to provide information to the community about their garden that is usually only available in more sophisticated precision farming environments. The aim is for them to learn […]
Monitoring water quality in the Waikato
We are doing a three year project in the lower Waikato region, mainly a beef and lamb farming area, to monitor the impact of farming practices on water quality. Throughout the project we’ll be working with farmers in the region and also closely with the Waikato Regional Council. This will also be the first time […]