MacGyver Problem Solving – Episode 1

So I was thinking about something today that I had to post to you all out there. Historically, innovation has come out of necessity with the intention of making things easier. One thing that many people dont realize is that not only is that true but most of the time, the prototype or concept for something actual was derived from some household items. This reminded me of the classic television show MacGyver where the lead character always found himself in a strange predicament that he had to utilize what he had on his person to solve or get out of. So I have decided to start a post that will challenge the readers to come up with a solution to a problem with the list of things provided below.

Scenario: Imagine you are stuck alone in an elevator 80 floors up in a highrise skyscraper and the power has caused the elevator to stop in between floors.

Challenge: You will be required to exit the elevator and safely make it to one of the floors above or below.

Conditions: No cellpone signal, power has also tripped the emergency alarm and phone from functioning, elevator is a cable supported type, there is no light and you are without any food or water.

Tools: You have on you the following items; cellphone, digital wrist watch, metal ballpoint pen, notebook, backpack with nylon straps, laptop computer, Swiss Army knife.

I urge you all to be as creative as possible and please reply with your solutions.

Thanks

Sean Yakeley

Now Introducing the All New BanditGrip

We are proud to be representing a loyal clients golf training aid exclusively on our website. 

The BanditGrip is a patent-pending, golf training aid that is designed to help address the problems associated with improper golf grip pressure. The simple yet effective design is worn on the users glove hand and slid onto the middle finger. Once in place, the BanditGrip is wrapped around the golf grip and rolled snug. The fingers are then placed in the same manner onto the shaft as normal. The result is a much firmer grip onto the shaft without the excess pressure usually required. This allows for the feel of the golf shot to come through to the user and ultimately lead to straighter shots.

Come take a look for more information at: www.odyssey-solutions.net or purchase them online at our secured website: http://shop.odyssey.solutions.net

Thanks

Sean Yakeley

New Shopping Cart Added to Odyssey Website

Hey there everyone,

I just wanted to provide you with an update on our website development. We have recently re-launched out shopping cart thanks to helpful folks at Volusion. We are now offering a multitude of products for sale including; WrisTRAINER, TempoTRAINER, BanditGrip, MagKLIP and signature clothing. We urge you to come check out the new site at http://shop.odyssey-solutions.net

We have also added a lot of functionality to our main website so please come by and visit. 

www.odyssey-solutions.net

Thanks for the patronage.

Sean Yakeley

Solidworks 2012 Installed and Running Well (on a MAC)

Ok, so I am about a month into the newest version of Solidworks 2012. I am seriously impressed with the simplicity to generate full, complex, photorealistic assemblies. Prior to pulling the trigger on the Professional package (~$6000), I had spent countless hours comparing the likes of AutoCAD, ProEngineer, etc,… While they all had their own pro’s and con’s, Solidworks really seemed to be the industry leader in terms of 3D design and rendering. I have extensive experience in both AutoCAD and ProE and figured at first I would end up with either one on my computer. Another thing I need to tell you is that my computer setup is a Mac Pro so I was fortunate to be able to run Parallels 7 to create the Windows environment for the purposes of installing the CAD program of choice. Solidworks is very similar in the way that a part is created to ProE which is by way of extrusions and rotations, etc,… However, SW is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition when talking about ease of use and intuitive user interfacing.

I had a couple of simple parts I needed to create and assemble to inspect the clearances and fit of the assembly. It was a matter of 20 minutes from start up to completion. Ok, this assembly is rather simple indeed but, if I had been using the other programs, it would have taken me nearly twice the time. In my business as in most others, time is money. For that reason, I highly recommend taking a look at Solidworks 2012 when thinking about purchasing a 3D CAD software.

RIP Steve Jobs

To say that the world has lost one it’s most inspirational and innovative minds in the history of mankind would be an understatement. I remember when Apple introduced the iMac 1998, it was so different from anything else on the market in terms of a PC. Then, in 2001 the iPod was released and revolutionize how we listen to music. It started the tech wave that made owning anything by Apple a lifestyle decision. Those who had the iPod were cool and it evoked an image of being up with the times. Year after year Steve Jobs led Apple to create industry leading innovations. Just think about the PC itself or the mouse, both were creations of Jobs.

When I decided to start my own company I was inspired by the words of Steve Jobs…

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

- Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address (2005)

I feel honored to have lived in the era of Steve Jobs and I will continue to pursue my dreams as he has. You will be sincerely missed. Rest in Peace.

Steve Job (1955-2011)

Bad Economy Inspires Innovation

Did you know that some of the most important inventions in our history came at times when the economy was struggling? It’s true. The Industrial Age, The Computer Age and The Information Age all were sparked by innovative thinkers looking to kick-start consumer spending and ultimately change the way we live our lives. Pretty cool.

Here is a great article about some of the more famous inventions during the Great Depression: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/12/1205_sb_necessity/1.htm

One incredible story that you may be aware of is just two months following the attacks on 9/11, when the economy was upside down, the Apple iPod was first introduced. Not long after that, there began a cult like following that has created the most profitable in the US, Apple.

Although, the stock market, the deficit, the dollar and the political policies are in turmoil, maybe it is time to you think of pursuing some of your ideas. Who knows maybe you could have something that may change lives for years to come.

It is this concept of getting your ideas to market that has formed as the foundation for Odyssey Solutions. I hope that everyone reading this, that has an idea for a new product to nurture our creativity and if you are unsure how to make it a reality, contact us.

Got an Idea? We Can Help…

Follow us to stay in the loop with some of the innovators of the moment.

Don’t Let Your Ideas Go to Waste…

If I had dollar for everytime someone told me “I have an idea for XYZ that would really improve the lives of people”. So often these ideas never get developed into anything more than just a discussion. A few days after this person has told me about their idea, they are preoccupied by something else in their life (family, friends, work, etc,…) and they have completely lost any focus on getting this idea into a real product. What I urge readers to do is embrace your creativity and innovative thinking and reach out for help from someone that can take over and turn this idea of yours into reality.

I founded Odyssey Solutions on this exact premise, helping innovative minds get their ideas onto paper and into a product development flow. We can help individuals or companies that do not have the resources or know how of product development and design. Not only do we specialize in Engineering, Industrial Design, Marketing and Graphic Design but we also have real world experience in product development and we know how to analyze the market to find out whether this idea has what it takes to make money for you and help solve a consumers problem.

To read more about what we can do for you please visit our website today: www.odyssey-solutions.net

Looking to Improve Your Golf Swing Tempo and Clubhead Speed?

Have you ever arrived to the golf course and you are just about to tee up yet you know that you haven’t taken any time to warm up and get your tempo down? Well that is the case most of the time for me, in an ideal world we would all have a good hour to practice at the range before stepping up to hit our first shot. But, we all are busy and cannot always afford to allocate this time, maybe we are working, taking care of little ones or maybe just stuck in traffic. The two most beneficial aspects of practice prior to game play is warming up our muscles and refamiliarixing ourselves with our natural swing tempo. I wanted to create a product that would hit on both of these points yet require a fraction of the time to use. That is when I developed the TempoTRAINER. While the TempoTRAINER is based off of a standard steel golf shaft and rubberized grip, that is where the similarities end. I have incorporated a dynamic weight system to replace the normal clubhead. This weighted system will not only add weight to the product to help accelerate muscle acclimation but, the weighted sleeve is supported but a compression spring that opposes the outward motion of the sleeve. Why is this important you ask? Well getting back to the tempo portion of my argument I needed to solve the issue of accelerating the bodies memory to the point that the natural tempo can thrive. When the user swings the TempoTRAINER for the first time they will notice that the faster the club is swung the more the club will actually accelerate at the point of impact. This nothing more that some laws of Physics in action (literally). As the club is swung the weight wants to move away from the golfer and out towards the end of the club. As the weight compresses the spring, the center of gravity moves outward as well. This in turn causes the clubhead speed to increase at impact. In mere minutes of use the TempoTRAINER will transform the normal practice session into a brief swing that dramitically improves consistency. Find out more at www.tempotrainer.com

Are You Tired of Inconsistent Golf Shots and The Frustration of Not Hitting the Ball Straight?

Like most golfers I was frustrated by the hours of practice required to improve my golf game. Even after all of the time and energy I had comitted to the game, I just wasn’t getting over the hump of being able to hit consistent golf shots, straight. That is when I realized that the most critical factor a straight golf shot was having the club face completely flat or perpendicular to the desired path. Seems pretty obvious I know but there was more to this then just the clubface. I noticed that since my body was rotating at a pretty fast speed around the axis of my body, my wrists would often be in front of the clubhead at impact so much su that the clubface would be left open, resulting in the ball firing off target to the right (slice). I then looked at all the golfers at the driving range and even the best ones had encountered this problem at some point in their practice session. What could I do to ensure my wrists were completing in harmony with the clubhead at impact? I decided to invent the WrisTRAINER. The WrisTRAINER is a reinforced composite wrist support that is worn by the golfer on the top of his/her lead wrist. I designed a universal product that could be worn by either left or right handed golfers. The WrisTRAINER is installed onto the wrist with the use of two adjustable straps. The straps are very comfortable and made of a elastic material that not only keep the product in-place but made it for a truly non-invasive feel that golfers are after. I also added a EVA foam padding to the underside of the insert to give additional comfort as well as allow for the wicking of sweat during usage. I urge any golfer interested in hearing more to visit my website for more information.
www.wristrainer.com