Looking for an idea for a new product.

[JerryG]

I have an EE course that requires me to write a product development proposal and right now I am looking for ideas for new products. Are there any new products (EE focused) that you think should be developed or wished existed, but doesn't? Keep in mind that the budget is one million dollars so it can't be anything too big.

 

[jsgruszynski]

Part of the point of the project is for you to research what is needed - that's exactly how real product ideas come about.

 

[JerryG]

Part of the point of the project is for you to research what is needed - that's exactly how real product ideas come about.

Actually, that's not the point of this project. The point is writing and presenting a proposal. The idea for the product does not need to be mine. It merely needs to be something new and needs to have merit.

Please do not try and lecture me on the details of my project when you don't even know what they are.

 

[yungman]

Not to be sarcastic or anything, if I have a good idea, I would not be sharing. designing the electronics is just mechanics or a process and is the easy part. Come up with a good idea worth millions! If you come up with a good idea, never share in open forum!

 

[Bobbywhy]

New Products:

Acoustic Cloaking System for Submarines Using Active Noise Cancellation.

Ionic Liquid Capable of Storing High Density Electrical Energy.

Artificial Intelligence Network to Detect Heart Defects Acoustically.

Programmable Nanobots to Seek and Destroy Cancer Cells in Situ.

 

[jehan60188]

what are your interests?
what field(s) do you want to work in after graduation?

what recent advances have there been in that field? (google scholar, and doaj.org are very useful. Your school's library probably also has access to non-free journals.

of these advances, which would you like to extrapolate on?

What is your dream-widget (the invention/development that you want to give the world before you die)? Can you take steps towards that?

What phenomena/development do you know very well (can you explain something inside and out to a non-technical person?)

 

[jim hardy]

""Keep in mind that the budget is one million dollars so it can't be anything too big.""

Is redeeming social value a requisite?

For 10% of that i'll build you a digital clock that displays in Roman Numerals...
(Remember Hula Hoops and Pet Rocks...)

here's the QBASIC program

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
' program clock displays time in 24 hr Roman numerals
' press q to exit



DATA "","M","MM","MMM","Mv","v","vM","vMM","vMMM","Mx"
DATA "","C","CC","CCC","CD","D","DC","DCC","DCCC","CM"
DATA "","X","XX","XXX","XL","L","LX","LXX","LXXX","XC"
DATA "","I","II","III","IV","V","VI","VII","VIII","IX"
DIM m(10), c(10), x(10), i(10) AS STRING
FOR a = 0 TO 9: READ m$(a): NEXT a
FOR a = 0 TO 9: READ c$(a): NEXT a
FOR a = 0 TO 9: READ x$(a): NEXT a
FOR a = 0 TO 9: READ i$(a): NEXT a

'
ON TIMER(1) GOSUB time
TIMER ON
WHILE INKEY$ <> "q"
WEND
END

time: time = TIMER
sec = INT(time) MOD 60
min = INT(time / 60) MOD 60
hr = INT(time / 3600) MOD 60
hr$ = m$(INT(hr / 10)) + c$(hr MOD 10)
min$ = x$(INT(min / 10)) + i$(min MOD 10) + ":"
sec$ = x$(INT(sec / 10)) + i$(sec MOD 10)
'
PRINT "Time : "; hr; min; sec, hr$ + min$ + sec$
RETURN


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

old jim :rofl:

 

[sophiecentaur]

I have an EE course that requires me to write a product development proposal and right now I am looking for ideas for new products. Are there any new products (EE focused) that you think should be developed or wished existed, but doesn't? Keep in mind that the budget is one million dollars so it can't be anything too big.

A guy called Steve Jobs asked me once and I gave him a few ideas. I wonder what he did with all those ideas of mine.

 

[berkeman]

Actually, that's not the point of this project. The point is writing and presenting a proposal. The idea for the product does not need to be mine. It merely needs to be something new and needs to have merit.

Please do not try and lecture me on the details of my project when you don't even know what they are.

You are a long time PF member, Jerry, so I will let this slide.

You know the rules here about doing the bulk of your own work on schoolwork projects. What are your ideas so far for possible new products? As stated in this thread, most of my new product ideas are either the property of my employer, or things that I'm not willing to share at the moment...

 

[berkeman]

Adding on -- if your project is just focused on the write-up, then take some idea that has recently broken on the infomercial / product idea TV commercial circuit. There are plenty of new ideas that are being put out there right now, so doing your own documentation-centered project about them should work fine.

 

[skeptic2]

One of the things you might consider is whether this project is significant enough to include on your resume and show prospective employers after you graduate. If it or any other project is, you should consider doing an exceptional job with it.

Here's an idea I once had. About 10 years ago there was a freak, nighttime tornado in March in Kansas City. Because people were asleep with their windows closed, they never heard the warning sirens before their homes were destroyed.

Having had previously been involved in the development of a digital receiver that required only 100 uA, I believe a NOAA weather receiver could be incorporated into a smoke detector at very little additional cost. NOAA already transmits digital codes for severe weather and the area it is expected for. The biggest problem is how to enter the home owner's location so that the alarm only alerts for the home owner's area. Also NOAA transmits on 4 or 5 different frequencies so the receiver would have to be somewhat tunable.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Wouldn't broadband Internet sort that out for you, or even the SMS service? Or is the UK situation different?

 

[berkeman]

Wouldn't broadband Internet sort that out for you, or even the SMS service? Or is the UK situation different?

Yeah, here in the US, there are several txt alert systems and "reverse 9-1-1" dialing systems to alert folks by city/town/area. Nixle is one local example of a system that I'm signed up with (for free alerts):

http://www.nixle.com/

.

 

[Windadct]

Haha - I just typed up a 4 para description of a product - and decided I might want to keep that one myself!

Anyway - almost ANY well developed product can run into the $100K to $1M - it is more about the process - Proof of Concept, Prototyping ( could be 2 or more cycles) pre-produciton units and cost down projects - THEN you need to get through UL or other compliance testing ( almost ANY EE project needs some form of Compliance)

My idea could probably be built for $100 - but would need eh - $150 to 250K to launch.

 

[Carl Pugh]

I require an exremely high resistance resistor (in the 100 Gigohm range).
These resistors are practically impossible to find.
Why not make a resistor using the bulk volume resistivity of some plastic or ceramic.

Send me a few free samples after you make your prototypes.

Thanks
Carl Pugh

 

[sophiecentaur]

What were you planning to connecting up with? I imagine you couldn't do it on a humid day.

 

[Carl Pugh]

I'm trying to make a cosmic ray detector using a National Semiconductor LMCXXXX operational amplifier.

Getting extremely high resistance resistors are a problem and they are also expensive.

 

[jim hardy]

i guess you've checked with Victoreen?

 

[Carl Pugh]

Using a LMC6041In, operational amplifier, typical Input Bias Current of 0.002 pA max.

Humidity has very little effect on Teflon insulation. Are there other plastics with lower volume resistivity that are also not significantly affected by humidity?

 

[psparky]

How about an AC battery? Preferably one that has a frequency of 50 or 60 Hertz.

Invent that and you will be a multi-millionaire.

 

[skeptic2]

How about an AC battery? Preferably one that has a frequency of 50 or 60 Hertz.

Invent that and you will be a multi-millionaire.

When I was in school another kid very carefully took apart a 9 volt battery, extracted a few of the cells, replaced them with a function generator IC, and put it back together again. In lab, he called the instructor over, connected it to an oscilloscope and said very innocently, this battery is putting out AC.

I don't know if he's now a multimillionaire.