Oh, I agree and if I were 20-something again, I'd would be clerking down at the Zippy mart right now. But, alas, I'm an old man with a full burden of house payments and kids in college, so selling squishies at the quickimart just doesn't make an appreciable dent in my basic nut.
Thanks for the positive message. I've had a bunch of folks saying I was doing it the right way, but haven't yet found that partner, either a business partner or co-developing company yet. I've been getting quite a few messages now, so maybe something will come of this. Again, thanks for the strokes.
--- Dennis
Thanks, I'll check this out. I've seen more tech failures because someone was jealous of their ideas, and I never want to make that mistake. I want everyone who wants to to be able to play with this. I think it's a big idea with huge possibilities and I certainly don't want to encourage and not stand in the way of any innovation. at the same time, That's why the first thing I want to make is a dev kit. On the other hand, I want to be able to share in any profits that come out of it.
Very different in approach and problem space. I'm doing only relative tracking, not absolute position or distance, only displacement from a known relative pose or position.
A glove is a great application for this, but bears the most upfront development costs necessary for the small form factor. Big, as in for horses, or jackets, is a lot simpler, cheaper development target.
You address this as if a dev kit were to be my product. It's intended merely to promote and showcase the technology. Companies that see the capabilities and possibilites can then go on to license and develop their own targeted products, for example, fully instrumented sport clothing that could capture your golf game to a flash drive for later playback and analysis What's.01% of that market?
Most common applications I foresee are for biologic tracking, legs, arms, hoofs, hands and fingers, fins, etc. Because it's wireless RF based most industrial applications would probably introduce too much reflective multipath.
And the application has just been submitted and is not yet public, but the title is "Methods, Apparatus and Systems for Wireless Determination of Relative Spatial Relationship between Two Locations."
Exactly the way I wish to proceed, especially with the dev kits. My problem is the $100K or so of upfront design it takes to get to get to the Gerber files necessary to start production of them. My early and, perhaps premature, estimate of cost of production is below $500 a unit, one a line gets rolling.
I'm in the Redmond area. SCORE was helpful, but I'm afraid I just don't have an aptitude for business. I've developed a solid business plan, but don't have any sense on how to go forward with it.
I see this as a low-cost mass market commoditiy opening applications in sports, medicine, gaming, exercise, vetrinary, an on. I haven't given the traditional mocap market much attention since this technology is 1) very disruptive due to it's very low cost and 2) a motion picture studio has a market for a few of these and if they're selling in the $1 or less range, it's a great deal for them, but not much of a market for me.
The one place I did not skimp was on the patent. That, after all, is what I own. I've read a lot on patents, "Patent it yourself", etc. I shopped for weeks reviewing patent attorneys in my local area. Selected a smaller firm here in Bellevue that specialized in IP and have spent around $20K ensuring that The patent process is never a sure thing, but I'm comfortable that it is the best possible that I could do. By the time maintenance fees are an issue, if my accountants aren't taking care of it by that time, probably public domain wouldn't be an issue.
I've talked with VCs and there a several problems. 1. I don't have a product, I have a new technological approach to a probllem space. The VCs are most comfortable with a beginning middle and end, a widget, as it were. I've got something more like a keyboard. It's not a solution of itself, If you invented a keyboard, you wouldn't want to start a company manufacturing keyboards, you license the design to companies that are already in a similar business.
Also, I since I'm not trying to make a capital intensive product-based company, I don't need the amount of money that VCs want to invest. I figure that $500K can get me to the point where I can deliver development kits selling for under $1K. These dev kits would be for researchers, hobbyists and artists. They would also be usable for potential licensees to evaluate the technology to determine whether they would want to develop targeted applications using it.
I have worked out a business plan and had it vetted by a number of different educated sources so it's been confirmed as rational and reasonable. But taking that business plan forward needs more than just my techiness. I don't own a suit. Have no brochure and my web page is just a stub. I'm at this huge disjunction between knowing what needs to be done and being the person that can actualize it.
Boy, do I need and want a business partner. Someone to chase the angel funding and structure the business. Seek out and negotiate licenses, etc. Let me get back to the technical design where I shine.
That suggestion to first get a job is a stickler however. First, it's a crummy job environment and second I'm a systems architect and when I take a job, I never able to make less than a total commitment to a project usually entailing 6 months to two years of effort. And, not to whine, but I'm 64 years old and no longer want to spend much time waiting.
Slashdot Mirror
The standard ISM frequencies work quit well for my app. The solution is somewhat frequency agnostic.
Would you like an address in order to send your $50. You are wrong on every count.
Oh, I agree and if I were 20-something again, I'd would be clerking down at the Zippy mart right now. But, alas, I'm an old man with a full burden of house payments and kids in college, so selling squishies at the quickimart just doesn't make an appreciable dent in my basic nut.
Thanks for the positive message. I've had a bunch of folks saying I was doing it the right way, but haven't yet found that partner, either a business partner or co-developing company yet. I've been getting quite a few messages now, so maybe something will come of this. Again, thanks for the strokes. --- Dennis
I'm completely open to consulting, bring 'em on. On the other-hand, have you seen today's job market?
Thanks, I'll check this out. I've seen more tech failures because someone was jealous of their ideas, and I never want to make that mistake. I want everyone who wants to to be able to play with this. I think it's a big idea with huge possibilities and I certainly don't want to encourage and not stand in the way of any innovation. at the same time, That's why the first thing I want to make is a dev kit. On the other hand, I want to be able to share in any profits that come out of it.
Very different in approach and problem space. I'm doing only relative tracking, not absolute position or distance, only displacement from a known relative pose or position.
A glove is a great application for this, but bears the most upfront development costs necessary for the small form factor. Big, as in for horses, or jackets, is a lot simpler, cheaper development target.
You address this as if a dev kit were to be my product. It's intended merely to promote and showcase the technology. Companies that see the capabilities and possibilites can then go on to license and develop their own targeted products, for example, fully instrumented sport clothing that could capture your golf game to a flash drive for later playback and analysis What's .01% of that market?
Most common applications I foresee are for biologic tracking, legs, arms, hoofs, hands and fingers, fins, etc. Because it's wireless RF based most industrial applications would probably introduce too much reflective multipath. And the application has just been submitted and is not yet public, but the title is "Methods, Apparatus and Systems for Wireless Determination of Relative Spatial Relationship between Two Locations."
Exactly the way I wish to proceed, especially with the dev kits. My problem is the $100K or so of upfront design it takes to get to get to the Gerber files necessary to start production of them. My early and, perhaps premature, estimate of cost of production is below $500 a unit, one a line gets rolling.
I agree with you completely. If only I could find those partners.
Bless you!
I'm in the Redmond area. SCORE was helpful, but I'm afraid I just don't have an aptitude for business. I've developed a solid business plan, but don't have any sense on how to go forward with it.
Because I had an expert in RF build my prototype and those were his measurements.
Good advice. I did read the employement agreement, and added an explicit exception to this as a rider.
I see this as a low-cost mass market commoditiy opening applications in sports, medicine, gaming, exercise, vetrinary, an on. I haven't given the traditional mocap market much attention since this technology is 1) very disruptive due to it's very low cost and 2) a motion picture studio has a market for a few of these and if they're selling in the $1 or less range, it's a great deal for them, but not much of a market for me.
I'd love to contact you. Your email appears to be hidden.
Yeah, you're right. I really couldn't work on this while I was at Microsoft.
I've just filed my utility patent. As soon as I got the idea, over a year ago, I filed my provisional. I got my stake in the ground some time ago.
I work fanatically, obsessively. Always have. Maybe it's a flaw, maybe a strength. But I can only commit to one singular goal at a time.
The one place I did not skimp was on the patent. That, after all, is what I own. I've read a lot on patents, "Patent it yourself", etc. I shopped for weeks reviewing patent attorneys in my local area. Selected a smaller firm here in Bellevue that specialized in IP and have spent around $20K ensuring that The patent process is never a sure thing, but I'm comfortable that it is the best possible that I could do. By the time maintenance fees are an issue, if my accountants aren't taking care of it by that time, probably public domain wouldn't be an issue.
I've talked with VCs and there a several problems. 1. I don't have a product, I have a new technological approach to a probllem space. The VCs are most comfortable with a beginning middle and end, a widget, as it were. I've got something more like a keyboard. It's not a solution of itself, If you invented a keyboard, you wouldn't want to start a company manufacturing keyboards, you license the design to companies that are already in a similar business. Also, I since I'm not trying to make a capital intensive product-based company, I don't need the amount of money that VCs want to invest. I figure that $500K can get me to the point where I can deliver development kits selling for under $1K. These dev kits would be for researchers, hobbyists and artists. They would also be usable for potential licensees to evaluate the technology to determine whether they would want to develop targeted applications using it.
I have worked out a business plan and had it vetted by a number of different educated sources so it's been confirmed as rational and reasonable. But taking that business plan forward needs more than just my techiness. I don't own a suit. Have no brochure and my web page is just a stub. I'm at this huge disjunction between knowing what needs to be done and being the person that can actualize it.
Boy, do I need and want a business partner. Someone to chase the angel funding and structure the business. Seek out and negotiate licenses, etc. Let me get back to the technical design where I shine. That suggestion to first get a job is a stickler however. First, it's a crummy job environment and second I'm a systems architect and when I take a job, I never able to make less than a total commitment to a project usually entailing 6 months to two years of effort. And, not to whine, but I'm 64 years old and no longer want to spend much time waiting.