They are ideas that allow enhancements or improvements to be made on the existing process or products, by introducing new methods, which may come from an old technology with new application. Ideas that satisfy the assessment of inventive step and non-obviousness are generally regarded to have innovational values.
You must have the ability to rethink an old idea and at the same time must not “reinvent the wheel” in the fields you mentioned above.
KNOWLEDGE from the N.A.S.T.Y., namely the Nature, Animals, Science, Technology, and Yesterdays (historical events). You are also encouraged to read lots of invention books (e.g., DK Eyewitness Series: Ancient Civilizations, Great Scientists, Invention, Robots, Science, etc.; 100 Inventions That Made History; Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions; National Geographic's 1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization).
Kindly note that the question is philosophically incorrect in which it is pointed to the "idea" while inserting an adjective like "innovative" behind it.
Kindly please note that the word "Idea" comes from "Creation" because of its nature of being mentally and subjective whereas the word "Innovative" comes from "Innovation" because of its nature of being Sensual and practical.
It can be changed as "what is a creative idea ? "
Then to know how to originate an "creative idea" in the field of Automation, Robotics, Control Science Engineering, and so on, it is obvious that it is needed to study relevant "Explanation" which helps to make a model through the "Experts' Consensus" and this modeling could be the purposed "Innovative Conception".
To know what the essential criteria is to produce an innovative conception, it should be used the R&D strategies such as:
Type
Time
Fitness
Position
These strategies are extracted from the Main Functional Strategies.
Finally I offer to comply with an Assessment Model what I invite to use the SAM model which mentioned in the attached publication.
Article Explanation of the“Strategic Assessment Model” and verificat...