Robert Victor's Profile

Throughout this article, the author provides a unique perspective by balancing her discussion the powers of open innovation with the reality that these new practices are difficult to adopt. Most notably, the author articulates that the human mindset limits the progress and adaptation to these technologies. This led me to think of how the human mindset can impact the spread of other technologies such as 3D printing food products or using machine learning to analyze our shopping behaviors. It is not the construction of the technology that is limited, but rather how humans adopt to it.
Going back to the article, the author’s argument can further be defended by discussing the Human Health and Performance Center that NASA has established (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140006960.pdf). Through this initiative, NASA has created several projects that benefit the learning of this expansive organization and the paper includes details on how the program was established. Overall, this author constructs a truly through-provikng argument.

This essay was extremely informative and insightful, eloquently dictating how a public health emergency can benefit from a megatrend and changes in technology. The section I found particularly engaging relates to the 24-hour opioid challenge where one team created a tool that “visualizes physicians’ opioid prescription patterns.” To further support the argument about how open innovation has a positive impact on the opioid innovation, the author should analyze how open innovation will play a role in the future of healthcare (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978915002152). In this article, it is evident that technology and innovative strategies will continue to have a strong role in solving healthcare challenges. Moreover, I am still curious as to how HHS can learn from the opioid challenge and use similar practices for future public health crises. Overall, this essay critically evaluated the impact of open innovation and how HSS used this tool to fight the opioid crisis.

This essay was truly engaging, as it touched on a topic I had not previously considered – how 3D printing could impact the food and beverage industry. I found the arguments on the customization benefits extremely insightful, specifically the notion that “customized chocolate, using technologies like above, is available at global Hershey’s locations.” My only concern with the thesis of this piece is the rate of adoption. While 3D printing will clearly benefit Hershey’s from a manufacturing standpoint, how will consumers respond? From working paper articles including “I Can’t Get Past the Fact That It Is Printed: Consumer Attitudes to 3D Printed Food” (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Deborah_Lupton/publication/311576615_%27I_Can%27t_Get_Past_the_Fact_That_It_Is_Printed%27_Consumer_Attitudes_to_3D_Printed_Food/links/584e753708ae4bc89936b46d/I-Cant-Get-Past-the-Fact-That-It-Is-Printed-Consumer-Attitudes-to-3D-Printed-Food.pdf) it is evident that some consumers are skeptical. Given this, I am cautious that 3D printed chocolate will not become mainstream in the short or medium term. However, as a whole, I agree with the author’s argument that 3D printing has the ability to truly transform the industry, specifically on a cost and production front.

This essay fully captures the impact 3D printing has, and will continue to have, on the shoe apparel industry. The author discusses the customization benefits of this new medium along with the cost hurdles the company has to overcome. Seeing as 3D shoes are retailed at $300, the author cites that “they remain a niche product for early adopters and well-funded athletes” and “it remains to be seen if Adidas can bring the costs down.” While I agree with this argument, I think the author should consider if driving down costs is currently plausible or if it is something that will be accomplished in the long-term (10+ years) as 3D printing becomes more mainstream. Costs will be difficult to drive down, as not only are these shoes more expensive to produce in terms of manufacturing, but also, they are more expensive to produce. For example, in this article on Nike, https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/27/nike-incs-man-rev-project-how-nike-plans-to-overha.aspx, it is clear that hiring practices will shirt as creating and designing the shoe becomes even more important. I wonder how this will impact Adidas and their ability to bring 3D shoes into the mainstream. Overall, I agree with the author’s argument and how the industry will forever change due to this megatrend.

This was a thought provoking essay that succinctly addressed how Wayfair is utilizing machine learning to improve its search engine and customer satisfaction, while also discussing the limits of machine learning and how current data sets may confine the ability of certain queries to meet customer demand. More specifically, the author mentions how in the short-term Wayfair is “developing its own machine learning models to improve its search engine, and consequently, its effective product offering to an online customer.” This statement, and the tone of the essay lead the reader to believe that Wayfair is an innovator and sole operation in the space. However, recent articles including Shaping up E-commerce with Machine Leaning (https://towardsdatascience.com/shaping-up-e-commerce-with-machine-learning-d64fa7b2e546) emphasize how critical machine learning is to future success of any e-commerce website. Moreover, companies with sophisticated machine learning capabilities may beat out competition in the long run. While I still agree with the overall sentiments of their piece, it would have been helpful to discuss how the competitive landscape is changing the way Wayfair conducts business.

I agree with the author’s sentiments – sharing data has the potential to benefit cancer centers and the healthcare industry as a whole, but there are risks of this data sharing. At the end of the essay, the author raises the question of how to think about the value of the data we are inputting and if it is safe. As such, I’d like to introduce the author to Imprivata, a company formed off the basis of HIPPA regulations that enables healthcare to securely be transferred between people, technology and information (https://www.imprivata.com). Companies such as these will allow the healthcare industry to continue to leverage digital tools in a protective and secure manner. Before the process of standardizing shared data occurs, and hospitals start communicating information to one another, it is critical for patients to feel their data is protected and for large treatment centers such as MSK to invest in data protection for the short and long term.