Pic c/o Philips
Great idea that I discovered in Brainjuicer's Dutch Oktoberfest this week for researching over the horizon using creativity and the web
Paul Gardien, Philips inspirational head of design creates "probes": creative pieces - 'social objects', if you like around a theme - are released into the world via e.g. Youtube.
Paul and his friends at the company then stand back and listen and watch the conversation that the world has around the subject
Try this for size - the idea of electronic tattoos or the electronic dress
Go here to see more about Philips' probes