Nau mai hoki mai, welcome back for the first Global Signals issue of 2024!
Over summer we have been working with David Mattin to design a short course on how you can use trends as springboards to create new innovations inside your organisation. David has recorded a welcome video covering what he’ll be sharing, so make sure you watch the video below!
Also, this month, we share an innovation turning the motion of the ocean into drinking water, the continued surge of AI into the workforce, and soil powered fuel cells!
We’ve designed this newsletter to deliver interesting signals to your inbox that we believe may influence agritech in New Zealand and beyond.
Over the next four newsletters guest contributor, Futurist, author of New World Same Humans newsletter, and friend of Callaghan Innovation, David Mattin will share his wisdom.
In the short take-over series David will uncover trend-driven innovation, how to identify trends, and give you current examples relevant to agritech. It’s free to Global Signals subscribers, and will be delivered to your inbox as part of your Global Signals feed. Here’s a teaser of what’s to come.
Salty solutions
With freshwater becoming an increasingly finite resource globally, harnessing renewable energy sources through new desalination technologies could be part of a sustainable solution.
Oneka Technologies’ wave-powered system uses floating buoys to utilise energy from waves,to move seawater through a desalination system. The resulting fresh, drinking water is then pumped to land, again only using the power provided by waves.
Oh, and did we mention that Desolenator's desalination plants are solar powered?
Where can New Zealand play a bigger part in adopting circular economy principles and innovations in the agriculture or horticulture sector?
Recent research shows a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption with up to 27 per cent of tech job listings in the UK calling for AI experience.
The shift towards prioritising AI skills in the tech industry has prompted a call for upskilling and reskilling to enhance adaptability. The research also foresees the emergence of new roles, such as integrators and re-skillers, to navigate the evolving landscape.
Another survey of 148 tech executives in the US, UK, and Canada revealed that 91 per cent are already using or planning to implement generative AI tools, and 90 per cent foresee mandatory AI training for all professionals within the next five years.
How long until we see this type of change in the primary sector, and is there anything you need to do to be ready?
Northwestern University has developed a soil-powered fuel cell, the size of a paperback book.
This clever technology uses ubiquitous soil microbes to generate electricity and is designed for underground sensors in precision agriculture. The fuel cell is durable, eco-friendly, transmits data wirelessly, and outperforms comparable technology making it a promising alternative for low-power IOT devices.
Could this be what sees soil embedded IOT sensors become ubiquitous on farms?
We’d love to hear your feedback so we can continue to share relevant monthly reads with you.
Don’t forget to share with us any signals or interesting innovations you’ve come across so we can spread the word. We enjoy seeing NZ companies be creative, innovative and push the boundaries, it makes for insightful reading.
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