Submissions are to fall under four categories: Education, Health-Medical, Environment-Safety, and Local Community. First-time entries are eligible for Idea Awards and for solutions that have particularly far-reaching implications for society, Samsung Electronics has the option to provide additional support through their Impact awards. For more information, visit: http://www.tomorrowsolutions.org

Ignis helps Firefighters Spot Victims and Dangers in the Field with Thermal Imaging

The winner of the 2016 Idea Award and the 2017 Impact award was Ignis, a project for an affordable thermal imaging solution customized for firefighters. Inspired by a real-life situation experienced by firefighter Han Gyeong-Seung, Ignis was proposed through Samsung Tomorrow Solution and then further developed by Samsung Electronics Creative Lab (C-Lab).

A fireman demonstrates Ignis in a simulated fire

Conventional thermal cameras are bulky and expensive, which makes them difficult to dispatch in actual firefighting and rescue missions. Working with local firefighters, the Ignis team devised a small, light and easy-to-use thermal camera that can be attached to the firefighters’ masks. Samsung donated 1,000 of these Ignis cameras to fire stations throughout Korea.

About Samsung Tomorrow Solution

Samsung Tomorrow Solution is a social contribution contest that was created in 2013. Over 7,000 teams, consisted of over 30,000 people, have taken part in the contest during the last five years.

To date, Samsung Electronics has awarded a total of one billion Korean Won to 40 winners through Samsung Tomorrow Solution, helping them further pursue and realize their ideas. Samsung has also invested additional assets, including financial, technical and human resources, to further develop and distribute solutions with particularly great potential.

Now in its sixth year and for the first year open as a global initiative, the project’s continuing quest to find and fund ideas that can help the public landscape is still going strong.

Additional Images

Ignis, an affordable thermal imaging camera customized for firefighters

The Ignis team worked with local firefighters to understand the full needs of their thermal imaging system

A local firefighter prepares to test an Ignis prototype

This infrared image, from a prototype test, is similar to what firefighters can see using Ignis’ technology

Samsung created the C-Lab in recognition of the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial talents of its own staff. It’s a program that enables workers to launch novel technologies that could go on to become a standalone success. Although these products are currently still in development, they already show a huge amount of promise.

Tag+

First up is Tag+, the product that will change the way that children interact with their toys. It’s a button-type device that connects to toys and a smartphone app through Bluetooth. Once paired, kids can click, long-press, shake or bump the smart tag to enable various responses from their toys. A click can access extra digital content for a toy, while a long-press could enable kids to share pictures of their latest Lego build, for example.

The developers created Tag+ to extend the life of toys everywhere by marrying digital and physical worlds. At CES, they are showing a live demo of the product and speaking with potential partners.

S-Skin

S-Skin is one of two skincare products on show from the C-Lab this year. S-Skin saves on the time and cost associated with professional dermatological care. It consists of a microneedle patch and a portable device that analyses and cares for the skin.

The patch can penetrate the skin to deliver effective ingredients and enhance absorption. The device can measure the hydration, redness, and melanin of the skin to provide customized skincare using LED light. The accompanying app saves details of the skin’s condition, making it possible to track changes over time. CES is a key opportunity for the creators of S-Skin to share their expertise.

Lumini

Another new product on display at CES is Lumini. Lumini is a portable device that spots skin problems before they happen.

It works by taking a picture of the face. The device analyses the information from the picture with its own algorithm and then sends the data to a smartphone app. The product identifies issues under the surface of the skin, like pimples, freckles, and redness. Lumini also recommends cosmetic products based on the analysis and provides a remote consulting service with a dermatologist or a skincare specialist.

Flying the Nest

As well as showcasing the three new C-Lab innovations, other C-Lab businesses that have spun off are also having a presence at CES. Among them are MANGOSLAB’s Nemonic, a compact printer that prints memos from smart devices to sticky notes; Jameasy, a solution that helps users practice an acoustic musical instrument through a sensor module attached to the instrument; MOPIC, a smartphone cover that helps view 3D content without glasses; analogue plus, a hands-free device for helmet users; and WELT, a fashionable belt for healthcare.

MANGOSLAB’s Nemonic is a compact printer that prints memos from smart devices on sticky notes.

Jameasy helps users practice an acoustic musical instrument through a sensor module attached to the instrument.

Through the use of a simple device that attaches to a phone much in the same way as a protective case, MOPIC enables 3D viewing on the go. No glasses necessary.

The C-Lab initiative is a valuable opportunity for great minds to think freely and create something ingenious. CES is another chance for the businesses themselves to interact with the market. It will also enable them to gain priceless insights that will help shape their products.

Samsung Electronics announced that following the success of last year’s showcase, it will display three more Creative Lab (C-Lab) projects during CES 2017, at Eureka Park.

Created in December 2012, C-Lab is a startup business program that encourages a creative corporate culture and nurtures innovative ideas from Samsung employees. The program supports the development of ideas from all areas of the business.

Projects that will be unveiled at CES 2017 are Tag+, an electronic device that adds extra functionality to kids’ toys; S-Skin, a home skincare and analysis solution; and Lumini, a portable device that checks the inner skin to identify and prevent skin problems.

Tag+

Tag+ is a button-type device that kids can easily use. The device is a digital companion that connects to toys and a smartphone app through Bluetooth LE and introduces intuitive interactions. Depending on whether kids click, long-press, shake or bump the smart tag, the companion application responds accordingly, opening new doors for kids to have fun. With Tag+, kids can have multiple experiences with a toy without losing interest.

S-Skin

S-Skin is a consumer skincare solution that saves time and cost associated with professional dermatological care. It is comprised of a microneedle patch and a portable device that analyses and cares for the skin. The microneedle patch can deeply penetrate the skin to deliver effective ingredients and enhance absorption. The device can measure the hydration, redness, and melanin of the skin to provide customized skincare using LED light. The condition of the skin is saved in the accompanying app to track changes over time.

Lumini

Lumini is a portable device that spots skin problems before they happen. After taking a picture of the face with Lumini, the device analyses the information with its own algorithm and sends the information to a smartphone app. The device identifies issues under the surface of the skin, like pimples, freckles, increased pores, wrinkles, redness, and sebum. Lumini also recommends cosmetic products based on the analysis and provides a remote consulting service with a dermatologist or a skincare specialist.

Since earlier this year, Samsung has been showcasing C-Lab ideas from various areas at major exhibitions. Employees’ ideas are displayed at the exhibitions and the business value of each project is examined based on the public’s reaction, which helps improve the project.

Five additional C-Lab projects that have successfully spun off will be exhibited at CES 2017: MANGOSLAB, a compact printer that prints memos from smart devices to Post-it note paper; Jameasy, a solution that helps users practice an acoustic musical instrument through a sensor module attached to the instrument; MOPIC, a smartphone cover that helps view 3D content without glasses; Analogue Plus, a hands-free device for headgear; and WELT, a fashionable belt for healthcare. They are seeking global business opportunities through CES 2017.

Meanwhile, performance of C-Lab projects that have successfully spun off has attracted attention from the global market. MANGOSLAB’s smart printer Nemonic was awarded CES 2017 Best of Innovation Awards under the Computer Accessories category. Also, WELT has launched a smart belt in collaboration with Samsung C&T’s fashion division and other projects are awaiting official launch during the first half of 2017.

“Ideas from diverse areas from fashion and kids to beauty are being developed based on innovative technology and we will continue to seek for additional ideas across a broad spectrum,” said Jaiil Lee, Vice President of Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics.

Imagine being able to create your own business with the help of your existing employer. Even better, imagine being given the resources and time off from your daily duties to help your venture become a success. It might seem like an unlikely idea, but it’s one that’s taking place right now under our roof here at Samsung.

Samsung has a legacy of building market-leading products. Chances are that you probably have a piece of Samsung technology in your home or workplace. However, a company can never rest on its laurels and that is no less true for Samsung than any other firm that wants to innovate into the future. And with the link between creativity and productivity so clear, Samsung created a program that clearly shows that ethos. As well as continuing its traditional business units, the company is also helping our workers to think outside the box and the results are already evident.

The Samsung C-Lab (short for Creative Lab) was set up to enable Samsung employees to nurture their own business ideas and give them the tools, the time and the support to become fully fledged businesses. The program encourages progressive thinking by giving workers the go-ahead to develop ideas, even if those ideas don’t necessarily fit within a currently existing area of our business. The only pre-requisite is that the idea is genuinely innovative and can demonstrate itself as such by gaining the approval of other colleagues. The end result is a new product or service that could be developed further by Samsung, or stand on its own two feet as a business in its own right.

The great thing about the C-Lab is that Samsung enables workers taking part in this program to dedicate themselves to their projects 100%. They can take between six months to a year away from their usual day jobs and spend it working on their ideas. They’re given free rein to experiment, which means unbridled creativity. It’s a positive move that helps Samsung’s people to unlock their potential by doing something they’ve never done before.

The C-Lab is a win-win situation. The workers are empowered to explore and create in ways that differ to how they are usually able. And for Samsung, the C-Lab keeps us at the forefront of innovation by taking a different approach.

Changing Business

The C-Lab was created in 2012, based on the experiences that Samsung’s management had in Silicon Valley. They had seen how the entire business environment was changing. The startup scene there in particular was booming, with large numbers of companies receiving investment on the back of original ideas and growing aggressively. It wasn’t the traditional types of businesses we were used to seeing thrive on such a scale. These startups were fleet of foot and able to move very quickly without being hampered by legacy thinking and bureaucracy. They were agile enough to move and change rapidly.

Technology in particular was in 2012, and still is, a huge growth area for startups. Internet and software companies, for example, accounted for two thirds of VC investments in 2014. It’s a clear indication of the type of firms that were emerging a few years ago. Similarly, when looking at angel investments, internet companies accounted for almost half. It was obvious then that the appetite for entrepreneurship was there, especially in tech.  It called for Samsung to listen to the market and respond accordingly in order to bring about a ‘challenger spirit’ within its ranks.

A Break from Tradition

Operating as a startup is easy when you only have a few members of staff on your books. Samsung is now finding that it is possible to introduce some of the elements that typify a startup within its own business. But it does involve some radical adjustments to make it work.

One of the aspects that we introduced with the C-Lab is holacracy, or a flatter way of organizing and managing teams.

“In a similar way to many of the startups of Silicon Valley, the C-Lab’s structure isn’t governed by hierarchical systems. Instead, each team has a leader and project members. That’s it. It works because the absence of a set-in-stone structure enables everyone to get their hands dirty, and contribute and work collaboratively to help the project meet its goals. They’re no longer tied to uniform tasks, they receive performance-based rewards and are encouraged to set challenging goals that help them to excel.” said Stan Kim, a director of C-Lab at Creativity & Innovation Center.

Perhaps the most notable tenet of the C-Lab approach is that failure isn’t a bad thing. It’s part of the exploration process that helps the most innovative of companies to hit the eureka moment. If workers aren’t afraid of failure, they can experiment and possibly create new things that they wouldn’t otherwise have the breathing space to do.

What’s more, C-Lab teams get to work flexibly, meaning they can work when and where they want. It’s a reimagining of how teams work and collaborate.

Samsung feels that the benefits of this type of structure can be far reaching. By calling on the strong leadership and culture of the existing organization, along with the challenger spirit of small, innovative organizations, we’re able to benefit from hybrid innovation. It’s a model that enables the business to have the best of both worlds.

Ideas Search

Discussing ideas is a breeze as well. Any Samsung employee can suggest and evaluate ideas through the company-wide collective intelligence platform ‘MOSAIC’ or via email. Ideas can be submitted either individually or as a team.

After the submissions of ideas, they are screened based on how specific, innovative, and marketable they are. Next, the ideas are developed using the “Lean approach” to ensure they are as efficient as possible. The ideas then proceed to the voting stage, where Samsung employees get their voices heard. Voters choose their favorite ideas that will continue to the next round, and after a final review by a group of experts, it’s time for the final presentation. Here, a selected audience plays the role of venture capitalists and after each presentation, they decide whether they would invest in the idea.

Around 15-20 ideas are selected each year using this process and they are the ones that become official C-Lab projects.

The Next Step

The selected C-Lab members start developing their ideas that they hope will become full-scale businesses. As team leaders, they can select colleagues who they want to work with through Talent Audition, a unique job posting program. As a team, they pursue a shared goal and decide on the best ways to reach it. And because C-Lab is an open project, employees are allowed to recruit members from outside Samsung if they can’t find the right people inside the organization.

In the end, many find that the hard work pays off. When C-Lab projects are completed, those that are closely related to a division’s business (such as TVs or home appliances), are transferred to each division for further development to launch on the market. Other projects, which are not transferred to divisions, are supported to launch an independent company as a fully-fledged startup. Not bad for something that started out as a grassroots idea on the Samsung shop floor.

C-Lab has been an incredible incentive for employees. At Samsung, innovative thinking is recognized with an opportunity to take the idea to market. Samsung invests money as seed capital to help employees launch their business. In addition, the company offers counsel by way of technology and management expertise during the early stages of their business to ensure stable growth. Despite all this, the startups maintain their independence.

The Measure of Success

The main objective of the C-Lab since it was established is to drive and encourage employees. Employees are empowered to kick-start creative ideas and get hands-on with technology development that may lead to a new business opportunity. Given that objective, the results have been encouraging. The number of projects submitted to internal idea contests has increased for the past three years. Meanwhile, sharing ideas has become a natural part of internal culture as employees realize that the more they share new ideas, the better chance they have of developing and creating new business opportunities.

The ideas that have blossomed are a real testament to the success of the C-Labs. Some 46% of projects are transferred to various Samsung business divisions, and 18% are spun off to become businesses in their own right. But it’s the people behind the businesses who are the real stars. Through the program, they are able to be bolder in their thought processes and dream big. They unlock their full potential and are given the right amount of support and autonomy to be successful through the use of their own ideas. That’s a priceless opportunity.

The Future

Samsung is planning to increase the opportunities for employees to participate in C-Lab projects. New locations are already in the works, including a physical space to increase synergies between projects and personnel, the Seoul R&D Center for software and spinoffs, a tech shop and a new exhibition hall in Suwon, plus an additional R&D base at Seoul National University.

There has been firm believes within the company what the C-Lab can achieve and so we’re opening up the program in a way that will continue to provide more chances to get employees involved. The more people get involved, the more they are able to engage their own workforce to go the extra mile in how they approach their work. Samsung encourages staff to become personally invested in innovation, which, as a concept, is very powerful.

WELT

Samsung Electronics’ Creative Lab (C-Lab) launched five projects as independent companies. The C-Lab was first introduced to cultivate a creative company culture and produce promising startup companies.

On May 31, the 18 employees of the five C-Lab companies resigned from Samsung Electronics to officially establish the five companies and engage in full-scale business.

In August 2015, Samsung Electronics introduced a startup company establishing system (C-Lab spin-off system) for the first time in the industry. The company selected nine outstanding C-Lab projects to support as startup companies. This year, five projects were chosen and established as companies.

The five projects to become independent startups include: “WELT”, a smart belt that manages obesity and overeating; “Idea Printer”, a printer that simply prints ideas onto sticky notes; “Locksa”, a smartphone application that manages photographs with your smartphone unlock function; “Save Energy Cost”, an intelligent software that recommends optimal electricity pricing systems; and “Samsung Insulation”, a vacuous insulator with the highest insulation efficiency in the world.

Idea Printer

Through internal technical evaluations and external venture capital evaluations, Samsung Electronics selected the five projects were not only creative, but also showed the highest potential for commercial success.

After being established as independent startup companies today, the companies will complete product development and engage in marketing activities, aiming for market release in the second half of the year.

Samsung Electronics’ C-Lab is an internal venture incubation program that was first introduced in 2012 to cultivate a creative company culture, and discover and actualize the innovative ideas of employees. When an idea is chosen as a C-Lab project, employees can take up to a year away from their primary job to autonomously execute the project—from team formation to budget usage and schedule management.

The person who proposes the idea becomes the team leader, regardless of rank or position. The team will focus on commercialization of the idea in a flexible and parallel environment undeterred by working hours and places.

Through the promotion of startup companies, Samsung Electronics expects to stimulate a spirit of entrepreneurship in all employees.

Furthermore, the startup team members will receive consultancy support based on Samsung Electronics’ capabilities, network and other business expertise.

Meanwhile, the nine companies that became spin-offs in 2015 are showing progress despite the competitive startup environment.

Swallaby and Bluehack developed mobile applications and recently launched official services through Google Play. Innomdle Lab developed a new wearable-based UX concept. In April, the company attracted a promising foreign venture investor for the first time as a spinoff company.

“This year is the fourth year since C-Lab was initiated,” said Lee Jae Il, Director of DMC R&D Center, Samsung Electronics. “To date, we have had 130 projects with 480 employees participating. Among those, 40 projects have been transferred to a business division to be developed as commercial products. Recently at global conventions such as CES and MWC, we have released outstanding C-Lab projects as a proactive effort to increase ties with actual business.”

Additionally, Samsung Electronics dedicated a C-Lab only space in the central park of Samsung Electronics Digital City in Suwon to invigorate C-Lab projects.

Depending on the character of each project, C-Lab projects will be relocated and run in two spaces, either the central park C-Lab space or Seoul R&D campus in Umyeondong.

The building’s centerpiece is C-Lab Square, a wide meeting space that allows staff to hold interactive workshops and seminars with the help of multimedia solutions. The C-Lab Factory, equipped with power and precision tools, 3D printers, a laser cutter and more, offers space for C-Lab hopefuls to get to work on the nitty-gritty of developing blueprints and prototypes. Meanwhile the Idea Lounge offers a book café, vending machines and sofas – an ideal place to head for those who need a rest from lab work.

To celebrate the opening of C-Lab Space, Samsung held a competition to select 12 final winners who made presentations based on their ideas, with an employee vote determining the results. The winning teams will now work on their projects for a year, and will soon be able to start using the C-Lab Space facilities to further develop their ideas.

Below is a peek at what’s going on inside the exciting new C-Lab Space complex.

C-lab staff work on their innovations at the C-Lab Factory.

A staff member reads away at his leisure in the Idea Lounge.

A competition took place at C-Lab Square, where employees voted to select 12 final projects.

C-Lab, established at the end of 2012, is one of Samsung’s primary Innovation Programs, and helps its employees to nurture creative business ideas, and to encourage creative thinking throughout the company. C-Lab has supported over 100 projects, and has participated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), South by Southwest (SXSW), as well as other large-scale global tech gatherings.

“C-Lab projects are being showcased here to assess their market potential and get hands-on feedback from CES attendees,” said JeongRae Cho, Manager in the Creativity & Innovation Center. “The feedback was much more impressive than expected, and there is further progress to be made.”

Check out the people behind these three C-Lab projects explaining their inventive ideas in their own words.

WELT:

rink:

TipTalk:

Related stories:

Samsung to Showcase Three Creative Lab Projects for the First Time, at CES 2016

Samsung to Support the Launch of Three New Startups From Its Creative Lab

Samsung Electronics announced that it will be demonstrating three Creative Lab (C-Lab) projects for the first time, at CES 2016. C-Lab is one of Samsung’s innovation programs, which helps its employees to nurture their own creative business ideas. The three projects are WELT – a healthcare belt that helps people manage their waist size by measuring their daily habits and behaviors, rink – a hand-motion controller for mobile VR devices, and TipTalk – a remarkable new user experience (UX) that enables users to hear sounds, transmitted through their own body.

These C-Lab projects will be showcased at Eureka Park, the flagship destination for startups at CES, in Hall G, Level One of the Sands Expo, from January 6 to January 9, 2016. As the projects are still in the development process, they are being showcased to assess their market potential and to gather hands-on feedback from CES attendees, enabling further improvements to be made.

WELT – A More Discreet Way to Track Personal Health

WELT is a smart wearable healthcare belt that looks like a normal belt, thus offering consumers a more discreet way of using smart sensor technology to monitor their health. WELT is capable of recording the user’s waist size, eating habitsand the number of steps taken, as well as time spent sitting down. It then sends this data to a specially-designed app for analysis, and the production of a range of personalized healthcare and weight management plans.

rink – Taking Mobile VR to the Next Level with Hand-Motion Control

rink is an advanced hand-motion controller for mobile VR devices which offers a more intuitive and nuanced way to interact with the virtual world. The ability to intuitively control the game or content just by using their hands provides consumers with a much deeper level of mobile VR immersion.

TipTalk – The Future of Wearable Communications Offer Greater Call Clarity

TipTalk is a remarkable new UX that enables people to listen to the sound from their smart devices, such as the Samsung Gear S2, without headsets or earphones, simply by touching their finger to their ear. This enhances the clarity of calls, enabling them to be taken in public, even in noise-sensitive or loud environments, such as a concert hall or building site – without the risk of being overheard.

Shaped like a watch strap, ‘TipTalk’ can be added to watches – analog or smart – and sync with smartphones, enabling Text-to-Speech (TTS) functionality.

C-Lab: Empowering Samsung Employees with a Culture of Innovation

Since being founded in 2012, Samsung’s C-Lab has fostered creative thinking throughout the company and supported more than 100 projects. Of these C-Lab projects, around 70 have already been completed, 40 of which are currently being further developed by Samsung’s business units.

This year, nine of these projects have been identified as having an especially high potential. As such Samsung has helped these project teams launch fully-fledged external startups – with one example being the inventor of Tip Talk, Innomdle Lab, which launched as a new, independent company in August 2015.

Related stories:

Samsung to Support the Launch of Three New Startups From Its Creative Lab

For more information about CES 2016, please visit our exclusive page #SAMSUNGxCES2016

Samsung Electronics announced that it will support three of its current C-Lab (Creative Lab) projects as fully-fledged startups, with the goal of each company’s products and services going live by the first half of next year. The C-Lab, established at the end of 2012, is one of Samsung’s primary Innovation Programs, and helps its employees to nurture creative business ideas.

The three projects to be launched as startups are:

• TipTalk – a remarkable new UX that that can recognize sounds through body parts, with potential applications in the wearable device sector
• IoFIT – a new prototype ‘smart shoes solution’ that can correct a person’s gait and body posture, with potential applications in the healthcare and wellness sectors
• WalkON – a new app and mobile platform that makes walking more fun, by rewarding people with vouchers from brand partners when they achieve a target number of steps

“Samsung has always strived to both attract and support innovative talent, and provide them the opportunities they deserve to bring their ideas to life,” said Jaiil Lee, Vice President and Head of the Creativity and Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics. “Now, we want to go even further and invest in the vision of our entrepreneurial employees, helping them to start their own business journey.”

As nine employees from the startups leave Samsung, they will establish an independent company . Samsung will provide counsel by sharing its technology and management expertise with each company during the early stages of their business lifecycle, ensuring stable growth and guaranteeing the independence and freedom of each startup’s management team.

Employees also have the option to formally re-join Samsung.

Samsung believes that the initiative to turn the C-Lab projects into startups will further encourage staff to develop creative ideas. The C-Lab, which was founded to encourage and foster creative thinking and a creative culture throughout the company, has so far supported more than 100 projects.