The 25 Most Influential African-Americans In Technology
24. Ronald S. Demon (1977–present)
24. Ronald S. Demon (1977–present)
Notable invention: The Smart Shoe
Inventor and CEO of VectraSense Technologies patented a sports shoe geared towards athletes and nicknamed it the “Smart Shoe”. This high-tech footwear sensed a person’s movement and automatically adjusted cushions in the shoe to provide better comfort. Nike’s either going to buy this technology or build a better version.
25 Great Black Tech Pioneers: 25. Benjamin Banneker
Notable invention: The U.S. wooden clock
The son of a slave, Banneker developed a fascination for repairing watches by taking them apart and studying their components. After mastering his craft he would go on to build America’s first-ever wooden clock using carved wooden pieces. The clock worked for more than 40 years. Banneker banked on his nationwide exposure and started up his own watch and clock repair business. They don’t make them like they use to.
Japanese firm will have robots to replace factory workers within three years
5 Truths of African-American Digital Consumers
As African-Americans spend nearly $1.2 trillion annually on consumer goods, Google and GlobalHue asked Ipsos OTX to examine what role search and digital advertising technologies play in this audiences’ purchasing decisions. We discovered five surprising truths:
African-Americans are early adopters, and are more likely to watch video online and to access online content via smartphones and other alternative platforms.
Digital technologies provide an important “microphone” to African-American consumers, who are significantly more likely to use Twitter and to recommend online brands and products to acquaintances.
They are avid searchers, more likely to use search daily, and to click through on search ads.
This audience is nearly 50% more likely than others to begin their “path to purchase” with search.
African-American consumers are substantially more responsive than the general population to digital video ads and smartphone ads.
