Depending on how long you have been working, you have probably seen many innovations that amounted to paradigm shifts in how we work and conduct our personal lives. We no longer use typewriters. We use computers and word processing software. We use electronic calculators and spreadsheets instead of slide rules and mechanical calculators. We use cell phones and find it difficult to find a pay phone. All of these innovations have been based on the continually shrinking size and cost of portable computers, the versatility of input-output devices, the power of current software tools, and the availability of sensors that allow the small computers to be aware of their surroundings. This book is an engaging story of research and inventions that produced innovative devices and applications, many in the author’s own laboratory. This is not a cookbook on how to innovate. It is a scientific memoir of smart people doing clever things. It is a good read.

Holmquist enumerates five properties or factors underlying innovation: information processing, interaction, networking, sensing, and proactivity. Information processing refers to the action of the embedded computer. It is the foundation of all of the devices and innovations, but it alone does not enjoy a separate chapter of its own. The other four factors figure into the second part of the book. Interaction emphasizes the user experience of working with the device. Networking refers to devices that are linked together with some technology, such as Wi-Fi, satellite, or cellular radio. Sensing refers to the device’s awareness of its environment, its proximity to other devices, and the dynamics of its own motions. Proactivity describes the software tools that can act on the user’s behalf, most frequently encountered in daily use in spam filters or purchasing recommendations based on past transactions.

After a short introduction, the book is divided into two parts, each with five chapters. The two parts are called “Methods” and “Materials.” The first part is a historical and conceptual overview of what constitutes innovation. Chapter 1 offers a historical view, describing the digital products that permeate our work and personal lives. Chapter 2 describes innovation as being grounded in inquiry and invention, reflecting the title of the book. The third chapter, on inquiry, focuses on the need for awareness of the requirements, opportunities, and technological research to support innovation. Chapter 4, on invention, discusses how facts and tools can be brought together to create something new, with emphasis on the thought processes and organization of imagination. The final chapter in this part is on prototyping, demonstrating that the device can work. The first four chapters of Part 2 survey four of the five principle factors of innovation: interaction, networking, sensing, and proactivity. The last chapter in this part summarizes the book with advice on how to begin thinking about innovative research and development.

The book has an attractive format. The examples that would otherwise be in physical sidebars paralleling the text are in line with the rest of the text, but set apart using a light blue background. This separation of text from example is not disruptive. The flow of the story is smooth. The topics in the narrative range from the technical issues of accelerometer performance to the sociology and psychology of cargo cults.

There are two important lessons to be learned from this book. First, to be innovative, you must have wide-ranging interests. You can never tell when an apparently unrelated area may provide ideas or opportunities. Second, you must be aware of the history of technological developments spanning recent decades. Many of today’s innovations had long gestation periods. The curious but impractical device of ten years ago, based on a scientific or engineering concept from ten years earlier, may now be timely.