This post is part of the "Future of Business" series, which examines how cutting-edge technologies are rapidly reshaping our world, from how businesses run to how we live. "The 
Of course you do.
But if it was easy to come up with the Next Big Thing, we would all do it. So here's a secret. There are two websites created by the same guy, Reinier Evers, that have some 17,000 thousand people worldwide scouring the world for the coolest, most creative business ideas and reporting on them for all to see and be inspired: Springwise and trendwatching.com.
For instance:
- Former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart is using a mind-reading EEG headset to create thought-controlled visuals and music for his Superorganism tour.
- A smart scale and Kickstarter project called the Prep Pad is a chopping board and weighing scale that can determine the exact nutritional content of the meal being prepared, and tracking users' eating habits.
- Yahoo! Japan has created Hands On Search, a machine that allows users to search by voice and receive a result in 3D-printed form.
- A new 3D printer called LumiFold is designed to be folded, so it can fit in a backpack.
- A clothing designer Elizabeth Fraguada, founder of the Jorge & Esther studio, has created a collection of clothing that embeds LED lights into the fabric (like color or cuff) and these lights can change color via a smartphone app.
We recently caught up with Chris Kreinczes, managing director for the Springwise blog, to ask about the business of trend spotting.
Business Insider: Why have two sites that seem to do basically the same thing?
Chris Kreinczes: The companies are actually very different in what they do. Trendwatching.com focuses on trends, offering free monthly trend briefings and, as part of their Premium service, access to their Innovations Database, Industry Bulletins, Trend Reports and an Apply Toolkit.
Springwise differs in both its content and its delivery of that content. The site is designed as an online magazine for daily viewing, and we deliver free weekly and daily newsletters (170,000+ subscribers total). The content consists primarily of overviews of innovative
We also offer a service for professionals called Springwise Access, giving access to our database of over 4,000 innovative business ideas, a personalized homepage tailored to our clients interests, and bookmarking and folder sharing
BI: How many spotters/Trendwatchers do you have currently?
CK: There are now slightly over 15,000 Springspotters and 2,500 Happy Spotters (the trendwatching.com equivalent).
BI: Can anyone be a spotter/trendwatcher, or are these contract, trained, paid jobs?
CK: Anyone can sign up to be a Springspotter and they will be automatically accepted. To become a Happy Spotter, applicants must first meet certain criteria. Both sets of spotters can earn points for accepted spottings, redeemable in our gift galleries.
BI: In 2013, what would you say are the big tech trends that define the year so far?
CK: According to the trendwatching.com team, a tech trend we highlighted last December as being key for 2013 was "Mobile Moments," how consumers would look to their mobile devices to maximize every single moment.
We've since seen an explosion of innovations that tap into micro pockets of time, from the boom in mini video sharing (including Vine and Instagram), to the high adoption of ephemeral messaging platforms such as SnapChat or Frankly.
Another trend that broke from the lab and into the consumer market was what we call "Emotive Tech," technologies that read and respond to emotions. It is a strand of the larger trend of "Intuitive Interfaces" where devices are designed to be natural, and therefore more pleasant, to use.
An example of Emotive Tech would be the Japanese-developed Mico headset, a pair of headphones that measures the wearer's brainwaves and selects music to fit their mood. Another is the recently funded Kickstarter project PIP, a stress detecting biosensor that helps users relax through gameplay.