The event, organised by the East Flanders Chamber of Commerce, brought together 170 students from secondary schools and colleges around Ghent and 40 corporate representatives from companies like automation specialist Pilz, medical consultancy Mephysco and web developers Xando.
The goal of the event, held in the stadium of AA Gent football club, was to help free up the innovative spirit of young people in courses ranging from sales to economics to informatics.
The technique of Mega Brainstorming was developed by Ypres-based creativity consultants Creax. The basic idea, the company explains, is that “no-one is as smart as everybody together”.
Some of the results of the day-long brainstorming were:
• Moody’s, a shoe that changes colour, with heels that can be adjusted in height to match the occasion. The shoes also have a built-in pedometer and calorie counter
• The Flowermatic, a flower pot with built-in water reservoir, which sends out a signal when levels are running low. It can also change colour to match its surroundings, its contents or its owner’s Moody’s shoes
• The C’est Chill, a folding chair that can be configured into the shape of a bar stool, office chair, table or storage unit
• The Teeth Cleaning System, a device that can be filled with toothpaste then placed inside the mouth, where it will clean the teeth automatically while the wearer is busy doing something else. The Teeth Cleaning System, whose name might possibly benefit from an additional day of brainstorming, won the day’s prize – a remote control helicopter.
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