[Closed] Turning an idea into a product

First thing to do is to see if such a product already exists. If you want to PM I can let you know if there is something out there. There are many devices now to aid in manual handling.

How do I take it from prototype to product?

Unfortunately this bit tends to need quite a lot of time, money and effort.
You can reduce the money bit, but this will mean more time and effort normally.
Most people end up needing a backer (see Dragons Den, etc.) or a large loan to realise an idea like this.
Then there is no guarantee it will sell, or become popular. You will also probably need to do patent checks of some sort, so legal advice will be needed (more money!)

I have a friend who works on the Engineering side of some quite clever medical devices (they involve lasers and scanning the top layers of skin).
Anyway, even with a lot of money behind it, lots of interest in it, and a lots of people working on it, it's still not fully at market after 5+ years.

Drac - Google brings back nothing similar on the first 5 pages

All - I am happy to give the idea to someone if they will make it. It seems a really stupidly obvious solution that I can't believe it isn't already out there, but then again, it isn't.

Just thought as I posted that, what about giving the idea to the RLNI or Mountain Rescue so they can use it and potentially sell it on.

Anyone here RLNI or mountain rescue?

Is it a massive drone?

No, wait...

A tensegrity stretch.

Does it involve pressurised air, fetid sex ponds, squirrel hide or chainsaws.

Is it a supportive safety flipflop?

If your design is novel rather than an improvement of an existing design then you want to get it patented. That is quite expensive unfortunately, but the IP is worth more than the product and if it is a genuinely good idea once you've patented it you might find bigger companies with resources come to you offering to buy the rights or licence which will save you a load of hassle, takes away risk and probably far more lucrative for you.

I think creating a product and bringing it to market is quite hard. People who have done it before it has taken them years and cost them alot of money and risk with many more ventures failing than succeeding. The story around Dyson getting inspiration from sawdust separators at a wood suppliers...quite a simple thing really, no moving parts, but still took him years and cost him a fortune to develop and bring to market and he had previous experience from developing other inventions/products before.

I know someone in the RNLI (Jersey) if you need to get in contact

Is it a supportive safety flipflop?

Steel toecap crocs. Must be

Sorted. Spoke to a bloke and he said that they have something similar. Not the same way I was thinking which is why I didn't find it on Google but same functionality so I shall not be pursuing this.

Thanks

You can’t just leave us hanging.  What was your idea?  Or at least what is the existing product?

Giant inflatable wheels?

Okay here are the rules Finish the following sentence.

Are you bored enough to...

Modified hovercraft style hoverboard

does it involve lots of squirrels?

Hovering squirrels? Daaaaaamn. They's getting clever.

WCA ...

Sorted. Spoke to a bloke and he said that they have something similar. Not the same way I was thinking which is why I didn’t find it on Google but same functionality so I shall not be pursuing this.

Not necessarily a good reason not to take a patent

As an aside just when you were being visited by Deaks and Brendog someone stacked it at Fleet.

3 ambulances... weirdly being all the same height non of them could get through the height barrier.
When they eventually had it opened and bloke in an ambulance one of the paramedics borrowed a bike and went round the pumptrack....
Warmed my cockles to hear a load of people shouting to "put a ***ing helmet on"

Not necessarily a good reason not to take a patent

patents aren't worth shit if you can't afford to defend them.

Not necessarily a good reason not to take a patent - not worth it when there is an existing product that is similar enough to make it pointless developing the alternative.

3 ambulances… weirdly being all the same height non of them could get through the height barrier. - We had something similar at the BBB on year when someone crashed in an awkward spot.

Our on site medics are called, , walks over to the guy and says the need a rough ground stretcher to move him and calls for back up
Paramedic arrives in a car, walks over to the guy and says the need a rough ground stretcher to move him and calls for back up
Another paramedic turns up in a 4x4, walks over to the guy and says the need a rough ground stretcher to move him and calls for back up
A normal ambulance turns up and the medics get out, walks over to the guy and says the need a rough ground stretcher to move him and calls for back up
Another ambulance turns up and has the right stretcher.

They then want to report this as a major incident because of the number of people and vehicles called to attend.

Wouldn’t it save time and effort for all involved if you just did all your diy in the hospital car park?

patents aren’t worth shit if you can’t afford to defend them.

True, but then your idea and invention is also worthless without a patent. It's the only way you can monetise and sell your idea. You can aways shift product of course, like Delboy down the market, but as soon as you start shifting product then others will be on it like flies on dog turd and take away your business and its you who's got the investment and development invested. You're house on the line. Not them....its easy and cheap to copy an idea or product. The value of any product is in its IP and/or the brand.

lol @ Perchy!

True, but then your idea and invention is also worthless without a patent. It’s the only way you can monetise and sell your idea

From the sounds of it it would be a very niche item and unlikely to get enough backing to actually get it manufactured so best chance would be licensing it to a company already producing similar devices or at least stuff for the same market. But licensing wouldn't make much in a niche market - possibly some value if the military took it on (not sure how much rough ground stretchering they do vs using a helo though)

Not necessarily a good reason not to take a patent – not worth it when there is an existing product that is similar enough to make it pointless developing the alternative.

Possibly but not necessarily. My brother made a fortune out of "parallel" patents to stuff.

Another ambulance turns up and has the right stretcher. They then want to report this as a major incident because of the number of people and vehicles called to attend.

Amazed me they just kept sending the same design ambulance ... by the time someone from the council (presumably) arrived to unlock the height barrier they couldn't get through with 3 ambulances blocking the entrance.

Hope the bloke is OK.... best part though was the fact everyone was so shocked they were riding without a helmet. IMHO really pulls the community together 😉

I am not much fussed about the money as I would rather it saved lives but am still happy to rake in the royalties if I have to.

If your design is novel rather than an improvement of an existing design then you want to get it patented.

It not impossible to get royalties without a patent, but if the objective is to get the product used rather than get rich patenting isn't always the best option. One option it to open source the idea - whilst its more common with software than hardware there is a growing community publishing hardware designs that people can take and build or improve on (spend some serious time working out which license though - because you might not want someone getting rich on your idea, or you might not care so long as they also publish their improvements for others to build on).

Just thought as I posted that, what about giving the idea to the RLNI or Mountain Rescue so they can use it and potentially sell it on.

is the sort of thing that could work - but beware most organisations like that are really slow to adopt new technology unless they thought of the problem in the first place.

Sorted. Spoke to a bloke and he said that they have something similar. Not the same way I was thinking which is why I didn’t find it on Google but same functionality so I shall not be pursuing this.

It doesn't necessarily follow that your idea was no better than their's. If you definitely will not follow this any further you could at least post a sketch here for our interest.

That said - I would not assume that the challenge of carrying a stretcher across the ground was quite as dramatic as the TV producer made it seem. They had lots of people, it was on a path you could drive a quad bike over, and the casualty was in a basket stretcher. It would have been a bit of hard work - but mountain rescue teams do much harder stuff frequently. If they were struggling and still couldn't get a Helo, then they could have picked up the CG rescue team from the mainland, or even the fire service or MRT would have gone over in the lifeboat to man handle the stretcher.

Based of your fleeting interest in portable stretchers you may find this interesting: http://macinnes-stretchers.co.uk/the-spark-of-genius/ (and if your idea is really a breakthrough and you don't want to get rich they may even be interested in seeing your prototype).