SECTION I: The product
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1a |
The innovation potential of this product is related to:
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| Blind or vision-impaired persons are limited in their normal life activities. Mobility and orientation of blind persons is an ever-present research subject because no total solution has yet been reached for these activities that pose certain risks for the affected persons.So it is a market driven innovation
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1b |
What added value for end-users does the product hold? • higher quality • Better technical characteristics • Other … |
| Higher quality, more convenient | |
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1c |
What is the Unique Sales Proposition of the potential product? |
| Lower price,
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SECTION 2: The Market
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2a |
What is the target market for the product? National ¨
European ¨ Global ¨x Please describe the characteristics of your target market. |
| Global | |
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2b |
How the product is characterized from the following options? Number of companies producing similar products in the field.• Base – applied by all companies in the industry
• Leading – applied by a single or limited number of competitive companies • Key –at a development stage, but has already proven its potential |
| There are several companies dealing with “blind radar”. Many of them using simple ultrasound radar technology with sound alert. This idea is more sophisticated, but requires further research to prove its feasibility.Two existing examples:
Elad Kuperberg and Einav Tasa, two engineering students at Israel‘s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, have developed a device that gives auditory cues to blind people — without tying up one hand like the traditional sensing stick. Using two video cameras, a computer and a light source that scans the area ahead of the user, just like radar. Since it scans from two angles – just like the human eye — it can “see” by scanning the depth of its surroundings. That enables the system to pick up obstacles, even overhead. 2. Ultrasound radar for blind. This solution based upon the orientation of bats. Two ultrasound generators and receivers detect the object and a proper circuit transforms the signal to the audible region.
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2c |
What type of market demand will be satisfied?• Existing demand – the market is already developed
• hidden (latent) demand – the market has yet to be developed |
| There is a rather large, global market of the visually impaired and blind people | |
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2d |
What is the current stage of the product’s market life cycle?• Implementation, implementation in production (leading to a radically new product offers)
• Growth (rapid spread within the industry or outside it) • maturity (parameters of the technical characteristics of manufactured products reached their maximum, higher-grade products can be manufactured on the basis of technological substitution) |
| There is no product in this case. Its life cycle is unknown. | |
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2e |
Strategic partnerships (existing or potential). |
| At the present stage of the innovation, biomedical research and development background is necessary. | |
SECTION 3: The Competition
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3a |
What is the competition within your target market? |
| The development is immature, so it is too early to estimate the competition of products.
Here are some existing products: 1. Device: Batcane/Ultracane Cambridge Consultants for Sound Foresight Sensor: Ultrasonic sensor located on long cane. Display: Vibration
2. Device: BAT “K” Sonar Cane Bay Advanced Technologies, LTD (BAT) Cost: NZ$ 900.00 Sensor: Ultrasonic sensor that attaches to your long cane. Display: azimuth: hand orientation elevation: hand orientation range: the closer the object, the lower the pitch. Users can simultaneously track multiple objects, and sense object texture. Hear how it sounds. 3. Device: CDM-90 Manufacturer: Shanghai Acoustical Laboratory Academia Sinica, 456 Xiao Mu Qiao Lu Shanghai 200032 China. Cost: $280 Weight: <0.1 Kg. Sensor: ultrasonic, headmounted spectacles with control box Display: azimuth: head-azimuth, elevation: head-elevation range: the closer the object, the higher the pitch of a tone (beep) and the faster its repetition rate.
4. Device: C2 Talking Compass (formerly Columbus) Manufacturer: Robotron Pty.Ltd. Sensory Tools Division Robotron Group 15 Stamford Road Oakleigh 3166, Australia Cost: $69.95 Weight: 2.2 oz. Sensor: Mechanical magnetic compass with digital output Display: Digitized speech azimuth: 8 cardinal points
5. Device: GuideCane Manufacturer: University of Michigan Cost: Prototype Weight: Sensor: Ultrasonic Display: Tactual: GuideCane is a robotic guide dog which pulls the user on a clear path around obstacles. Patent#: 5,687,136
6. Device: Handguide Cost: $79.00 Weight: Sensor: Infrared 4 foot range Display: Vibration, chirping
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3b |
What competitive advantages will the introduction of the new product ensue?• lower prices based on lower production costs
• product differentiation (uniqueness of the product proposal) |
| See the previous remark | |
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3c |
Potential products relate to the following price range:• High price range
• Average price range • Low price range |
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3d |
Potential products will be marketed:• To regulated markets (e.g. heat supply, water supply, universal telecommunication services, agricultural products, fishing industry, architectural services)
• To markets operating on the principle of free negotiation between agents on the market |
SECTION 4: Indicators
| Estimated cost of the new products | unknown |
| Expected market volume (potential / maximum number of users) | unknown |
| Expected sales volume | unknown |
| Expected market share of the company (proportion between sales and total company sales in the relevant market) | unknown |
KEYWORDS QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT (0-5).
| Please put X as appropriate. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Added-value potential | x | ||||
| Size of future market demand | x | ||||
| Competitive positioning of the product | x |
Tivadar Lippényi
