GE and Quirky Partner to Inspire Invention

GE and Quirky, the company that makes invention accessible, announces a new partnership that will allow everyone to participate in the development of new products with two global leaders in invention and innovation.

 

The partnership will consist of two parts: a new platform where GE will open thousands of its most promising patents and new technologies to the Quirky community for the development of new consumer products; and a co-branded product development initiative to build a full line of app-enabled connected devices for the home in areas such as health, security, water, or air that will be developed using advanced manufacturing tools and technologies. This new line of products will be co-branded Wink: Instantly Connected.

 

Combining GE’s technology and scale with Quirky’s collaborative process and speed provides a platform that will truly unlock the power of GE’s lab-proven technologies and the potential of the app-enabled product category. The partnership represents a marriage between what GE has dubbed the “Industrial Internet,” or the internet of really big things -- with the internet of everyday things. Consumers and businesses will not buy more things they’ll need to think about, but rather be surrounded by things that think about them.

 

Beth Comstock, SVP and chief marketing officer, GE, says, "We admire Quirky’s speed, collaboration and inventiveness and by opening up lab-proven technology and patents to everyday inventors we can help inspire new ideas and accelerate advanced manufacturing innovation. At GE we are passionate about innovation at market speed, working with entrepreneurs and finding new models of business, and this partnership is just another way we can help inspire invention and help scale it. We are excited to see how the Quirky community uses tools from our scientists and technologists around the world to develop products in an entirely different way."

 

In May, GE will make thousands of U.S. patents available to the global Quirky community, which may be used as the basis for creating new consumer product ideas. Quirky will develop a new platform designed to inspire inventors to find new and unexpected uses for existing technologies.

 

Ben Kaufman, founder and CEO of Quirky, says, “Thousands of patents from one of the most inventive companies in the world will be available to provoke, inspire and drive a whole new way of thinking. For years patents have become widely misunderstood and misused. We are going to return patents to their original purpose to act as a blueprint for technological and societal progress while protecting inventors and becoming a source of inspiration for future creators.”

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