Most hated: cell phones
Teens overwhelmingly believed e-mail (81%) and voicemail (71%) make life simpler. Adults agree to a lesser extent; roughly three out of five say e-mail (59%) and voicemail (58%) make life easier.
The stats come in the the eighth annual Lemelson-MIT Invention Index which also says teens have mixed reactions about credit and debit cards: only 32% said they make life easier, while 26% said they make life more difficult and 39% felt they make life both simpler and more difficult.
Half of the adults surveyed said the benefits of credit and debit cards outweigh any disadvantages.
In the meanwhile, topping the list of items most people hate but can’t live without was the cell phone (30%), with alarm clocks (25%) and tv’s (23%) coming up fast in the number two and three positions.
Razors, microwaves, coffee pots, computers and vacuum cleaners were also cited as "essential yet despised inventions".
But it isn’t all bad.
"Side effects or limitations of an invention create new opportunities for further innovations," says Merton Flemings, director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, a nonprofit organization that celebrates inventors and inventions.
And in the case of the cell phone, MIT Media Lab researchers Chris Schmandt and Stefan Marti have recognized an opportunity.
"Most people dislike cell phones because they either feel tethered to them or they are annoyed by others who use them in inappropriate public places, such as restaurants or movie theaters," Marti says. "We are exploring ways to give these devices human-style social intelligence, which means that they would know what we as owners expect them to do – and especially what not to do – without our having to tell them explicitly every time."
The Lemelson-MIT Invention Index also raised concerns about whether future generations of Americans will have the technical skills and ingenuity to continue solving societal problems through invention.
When asked how globally competitive the United States will be 10 years from now in terms of invention, 57% of adults and 55% of teens surveyed said America will be losing ground to other countries.
"These perceptions support preliminary observations from a recent Lemelson-MIT Program workshop on intellectual property that found that foreign entities are likely to receive more U.S. patents within the next few years than American entities," says MIT News here.
The index also found an equal proportion of Americans believe the responsibility for encouraging invention and innovation right now falls equally to industry and universities (26% each). Twenty-one percent thought the responsibility lies with primary schools. Only 14% said government plays a role.
"We need to figure out ways to better prepare and encourage future generations of Americans to invent," Flemings adds. "Innovation can only flourish in a supportive society. The Invention Index alludes to the risks our culture faces if we neglect to support and embrace inventors and their contributions."
In April, the Lemelson-MIT Program will host the first-ever Invention Assembly where leaders from industry, academia and government will explore new ways to nurture an inventive culture.
