Hi all,
A colleague of mine has a device and we are trying to find out how to build a prototype.
The device needs to vibrates, give tones, provide visual stimuli on a screen, and be able to be operated by a remote control.
Does anybody have any advice about how to find someone to build it, the costs involved (I'm sure this varies), or any books or websites we might find helpful?
Thanks!!!
Something to think about.
JAmie
Sounds like all you need is a hot chick with a personal vibrator. Oh, I guess she'd need to know how to whistle.
But seriously... If somebody asked you a question this vague, how could you possibly give any meaningful answer?
Where in the world do you want the prototype built? Schedule? budget? You expecting to spend $100 or is this a million dollar prototype? You want a proof of concept for your personal use? You want a shiny product to show investors? Details, details and more details...the devil is in the details.
This happens a lot. Somebody has an idea that they're sure is novel and will make them a butload of cash with no effort on their part. They want someone to tell them how much it will cost without disclosing anything about it.
If it REALLY is novel and can make a butload of money, there are gonna be lots of people trying to steal it from you. So, the first thing you need is a patent attorney to teach you about protecting your invention. Then find someone local, wherever that is, to develop it for you. The devil is in the details. And you ain't given any. If you don't think it's worth the upfront expense of protection, you don't really believe in the idea.
If you're a gambler and believe in odds, your best course of action at this point is to go with the probabilities. Forget the prototype and go find the hot chick who can whistle.
If you live near me, drop by with the hot chick and we can talk about details. Maybe we can work out some kind of trade for services ;-)
Yes, get an electrical engineer.
hardy
As mentioned, the cost is going to vary hugely depending on just what you're planning to do, in detail.
Do you want a rough lab prototype? A production-ready prototype? Are you going to build one? Ten? 100? Is this going to be a consumer item? Industrial? Military? Does it only have to work inside, on a table, or is it going to be outside at all temperatures, getting rained on and dropped on concrete, etc.?
All of the above factors, and about a bazillion more, can have a huge effect on the $$ it takes to build a prototype.
If the size can be the size of a smart phone, and the vibration no harder than what you get out of a smart phone, and the distance for remote control is within Bluetooth specs (a couple of meters, IIRC), then you can hack an Android phone to do all of this.
Or you can hack a tablet PC, which may be easier yet -- get a pair of them, use wireless Ethernet for the "remote control" part, hang something that vibrates on them for the buzzer, and away you go.
(Come to think of it, I think most smart phones these days will connect to wireless Ethernet, too -- so maybe that'll make the remote control part easier).
Without knowing more I can't say more, but unless you do a lot of the work yourself or there's something with substantially similar behavior already out there, you're probably looking at a few tens of kilobucks -- at least one.
If you can't do this with a smart phone or a tablet PC -- expect to pay more.
If you're in a university town you can take a risk and hire a really bright college kid (ask for "cell phone hacker") -- chances are about even that you'll get it for less than half of what you'd pay me to do it, or that the kid would never get it working and leave you holding the bag for a bunch of your own time wasted, market opportunities lost, plus whatever you paid the kid.
Ditto if you have anyone in your circle of acquaintances who's technically capable of this, but for different reasons. You can _try_ to offer a share of the action for the technical work, but be prepared to (a) give up some control, and (b) to take a rebuff without hard feelings. Taking on something like this is hugely risky, in return for the chance of not getting paid at all you have to offer some pretty strong incentives.
If you _can_ figure out how to do this on your own on a tablet PC or an Android phone, then you can do your in-lab or maybe even alpha-level testing with that, and worry about productizing the thing later.
-- My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook. My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook. Why am I not happy that they have found common ground? Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software http://www.wescottdesign.com
You need an electronic engineer. In the US they call them electrical engineers. If you want to keep all details quiet, have them sign an NDA before disclosing any details.
NT
For the consultant, what's the downside of an NDA?
I once visited IBM. They took us into the conference room and handed us all the NDA. "Sign it or go home."
It was several pages, but there were two main points.
1)Anything they told us was secret and they would sue us in a heartbeat. The language was so broad that they could sue us for derivatives of things they didn't disclose. 2)We relinquished all rights to anything we told them and they'd use anything they liked. Again, the language was so broad that it appeared to grant them rights to any related technology developed by friends of my unborn grandchildren. OK, that's an exaggeration, but you get the point.When you're the big dog, you can get away with that.
But for the clueless little guy, like the OP, how much info should be exchanged before requiring an NDA?
I can understand the desire to protect the invention.
Signing an NDA gets the consultant a free seat at the defendant's table for any litigation that occurs in the future, whether you take the job or not. Being not guilty doesn't prevent bankruptcy due to legal defense fees.
I've had several opportunities to help clueless inventors. Invariably, they have a vague notion of how rich they're gonna be if they get someone else to develop their idea.
They don't have a defined product. They don't have a clue who their customers are. "What's competition?" "Distribution channel????" "What's a patent search? You mean someone else might already have a patent on part of my invention?" They don't have a clue about external forces, like third-party certifications.
They wouldn't know a "deliverable" if it bit 'em in the ass.
I once went so far as to write a product proposal and ask them to edit parts they thought were wrong...nothing. I got yelled at for trying to define what they wanted me to do. "I don't have time to read all that, just build the )@M^ thing." The word "thing" pretty much describes the level of detail in the request.
I don't have a problem with a defined deliverable and written acceptance criteria. I do have a problem with, "I don't know what I want, but I'll recognize it when I see it...just build it."
I'm NOT talking about real consulting work with real corporations.
I'm talking about trying to help clueless inventors with an NDA in hand and not much else. This thread is an example. The downside risk seems much greater than the possible reward.
Given the opposing forces, how does stuff get done?
When was that? I spent 20 years at IBM Research, and had several dozen NDAs with outside entities. Judging by how hard signatures were to get on one-way NDAs vs two-way (CDAs vs CEAs in IBM-speak), IBM doesn't mind giving out its confidential technical information so much, but _hates_ receiving it from folks, and won't do it without a solid business reason. Having deep pockets, they worry a lot about getting sued if they inadvertently use it in a product, and having lots of smart people, they don't worry about being unable to develop it on their own.
An NDA just gives you a license to sue if the other party screws up. Its main advantage for individuals is that an invention disclosed under NDA legally hasn't been publicly disclosed, and so remains patentable. The patent is primarily useful if you want to sell the idea rather than the product. (That's usually a good idea for individuals, unless you actually want a company to run. Personally, I'd rather have the money.)
That works for some people. Steve Jobs, for example. You have to be really good at it, though, and being lucky doesn't hurt.
I've never run across one of those who actually wrote any cheques, but I have a number of clients who came to me because they didn't know exactly what they needed. One or two have been a bit of a thorn in my side, but the great majority are straight shooters.
Ask them for a week's retainer, under an NDA and consulting agreement that specify (a) that for anything to be considered confidential information it must be so labelled; (b) that your work for them is not considered confidential; (c) that you bring your own IP to the table, and give them a license to any of it that is embodied in your work product, but they don't own it when you're done; (d) that consulting is best-efforts only and paid hourly; and especially, (e) no indemnity and no liability for the actions of others. Then insist on a detailed statement of work.
If they sign up and send a cheque, they're almost certainly serious, and working with a good consultant can educate them pretty rapidly on how things should be done. The SOW makes sure that you're working on what they think they're paying for, thus avoiding misunderstandings. Working on retainer keeps everybody focused, and also avoids collection worries and the hassle of lots of small invoices. It's a win-win if you handle it right.
Happy New Year, all.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
-- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 845-480-2058 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net
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