Here we go again, we have your biweekly fix of new business ideas around the world ready for your review in this issue if our BIZNESS! newsletter. Hope you'll find lots of inspiration in dreaming up the next big thing.

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The Smiling Robot

The copycat robotic head, 'Jules' shows you what you look like when you make a face. Designed by roboticist David Hanson, it copies facial expressions captured by a video camera. Software translates the expressions to small electric motors under the robot's rubber skin, which move in accordance to recreate that expression.

"However, because the robot's motors are not identical to human facial muscles, some artistic licence was required. After filming an actor making a variety of expressions indicating, say, "happiness", an expert animator selected 10 frames showing different variations of the expression and manually set the servos in Jules's face to match."

After seeing robots that can serve beer and coffee, this is a fresh twist on the use of this mechanism, which aims to improve social behaviours in difficult situations. Due to the reliance of human relationships on facial expressions, the mimicking robot can be useful in healthcare settings, such as nursing homes and with children. Robot trends are no longer a thing of the future? Seems so. But let's hope that even with the most realistic robots, we'll still always know the difference.

Read The Rest of This Article | Comments | Robots
 TrendsSpotting.com is a CBI Ideas Hunter. View TrendsSpotting.com's profile or read more articles from TrendsSpotting.com.

Paper Christmas Tree

Cloud Gate Design was founded in 2006 by two designer friends, Nick Ng and Dan Greene, as a way to bring environmentally conscious alternatives to market. One such item, the Cardboard Christmas Tree, extends the life of existing cardboard by using recycled corrugated cardboard for the tree and its packaging.

Read More | Comments | Design

Self Publishing For Children

Tikatok.com, a leading online children’s book community, makes it possible to give your children’s own original stories captured in beautiful hard or soft cover books for between $15-$20 as very personal gifts for family and friends this holiday season. The books created on Tikatok.com are one-of-a-kind presents.

Read More | Comments | Non-Profit & Charity

Ginsu Outdoors Electric Fillet Knife

The Ginsu Outdoors Electric Fillet Knife designed by Robert Radi is specifically geared towards the outdoor marketplace and designed with the avid fishermen in mind. Whether one fish is being filleted or a whole limit this electric fillet knife is designed to have the coolest running motor on the market.

Read More | Comments |  Consumer Goods

Groupon

Businesses in and around Chicago will offer a limited-time only special on Groupon (Group + Coupon) that will be good for 1 day. In order for the deal to become "active" a certain number of users must join and pledge to buy the special offered on Groupon. 

Read More | Comments | Retail

Save Up To 30% On Your Electricity And Heating Bills

It is now possible with the new booster for your heating system and electricity reduction device (ERD) or energy saving devices. If you was to sit down right now and work out how much you spend a year on your electricity and your diesel and gas for your central heating you would get a shock.

Read More | Comments | Environmental

Cooling E-Bag

The E-Bag from Hungarian designer Apor Püspöki cools your drink while you walk. How does it work? Quite simply: The rotating handle is attached to a dynamo that uses arm motions to charge a battery. “The cooling system makes use of the Peltier technology, a kind of solid-state heat pump."

Read More | Comments |  Gadgets

I Feel London Maps

Guidebooks and recommendations are all very well, but there’s very little point in discovering a new activity, restaurant or shop if you’re not in the right headspace to enjoy it. Enter I Feel London (or Toronto, or New York as is appropriate), a site that lets users search for things to do based on their mood.

Read More | Comments | Tourism

Which Online Marketing Tool Will Win Your Website Marketing Battle: SEO Or PPC?

Business owners are pressed for time, pressed for funds and most importantly pressed for survival in this competitive world. Marketing is a very wide arena helping businessmen to achieve this, especially in online marketing.

Read More | Comments |  Sales & Marketing | Article by Mark S.

Is Your Tax Bill Giving You Nightmares?

Tax seems like a boogeyman giving nightmares to those businessmen who have zero accounting and tax background or knowledge to find their way out of this chaotic labyrinth. The problem begins when small businesses wait till the very end to gather the required details and file returns.

Read More | Comments | Finance & Capital | Article by Satish Patel.

Why Be Creative At Work
 
Why bother with creativity at work? Why should you encourage it from your staff? For one thing, promoting creativity at work has many benefits and an organization’s continued survival may depend on it. Most importantly, ideas = $! Embracing creativity allows organizations to find new connection and insights.

Read More | Comments | Business Ideas | Article by Karen S. Sieczka

Steps To Finding The Right Business Partner

Having a partner presents a complex mix of interpersonal and business issues, and both need to be addressed for it to work. If your primary interest is having someone to brainstorm with and to help your business move forward, there may be other options besides a partner. 

Read More | Comments | Starting Up | Article by Marian Banker

Stop Shopping Cart Abandonment!

Shopping cart abandonment" means that someone goes to a website, reads the sales letter, and clicks on the buy link to go to the secure order form, but they don't finish filling out the form. So, this means that for every 10 people who click on a "buy" or "order" link, only four (4) actually complete the transaction. 

Read More | Comments | People & Relationships | By Adam Hommey

Are You A Dreamer Or A Schemer?

The world needs entrepreneurs more than at any other time in the last century and an online business guru has come up with a way for would-be business owners to test whether they are likely to be a success or failure. See which statement applies to your thoughts then see whether this is a dream or a scheme.

Read More | Comments | Entrepreneurs | By Avinash Patil

How To Avoid Business Failure In A Lagging Economy

When you're a small business owner there's no "Golden Parachute", no Massive Severance Package or Stock Options to cash in on and there are definitely no bailouts. The success or failure of your small business is all on your shoulders! Here are 5 things to do if you want your business to fail during a recession.

Read More | Comments | How-To Guides  | Article by Ron Romano

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