PortaLock - 3D Printing File Share

In Star Trek, Next Generation, everyone one the Enterprise could go to the nearest replicator and ask for food. The machine would fabricate to food on the spot, dish and all. While Geordi La Forge in the engineering room could struggled to repair the ship because he had to retrofit parts and patch the Enterprise back together. Why didn’t they install a bigger replicator on the engineering floor? It would make way more sense than having one in every bedroom.

Today the industry of 3D printing would have saved the Enterprise a dozen times over. The current technology to reproduce a part is accurate and available. For about $3000 you could have a 3D printer in your house. If you had the file, you could produce the replacement part you need for your cars retractable cup holder. If you had the file, you could make a battery cover for the TV remove. If you had the file, you could build that knob for the stove that broke during the great Spaghetti Meltdown of 2002. What an easy solution, if you had the file. The 3D printer industry wants to go residential, then the customers will need a way to obtain files.

Information flow for TV remote battery cover

 

The PortaLock is an ETI designed system for connecting households with the company supplied files they need. It would provide a location for participating companies to offer certain files to the public. These files would be standardized for a specific type of 3D printer. If you needed a remote battery cover, you could download the file for $2 and plug the file into your machine. This way the company still makes money without producing or shipping actual product. It also gives the company some slick customer information. PortaLock could also be a valuable resource to the innovative community that wishes to provide solid model files securely. If a factory needed a small part in order to keep a key machine operational, the Manufacturing Engineer could download the file and print one in a matter of hours. The production time saved would pay for the technology the first time used.

This is also a $1,000,000 Idea. It is widely acceptable that 3D printers will soon become common appliances. Every printer requires solid model files, and as of now there is not a good way to manage the file transfer process. Whatever company manages that first will own the industry.

The real fun part about this would be the innovators around the world that would file share their own inventions on this system. This would make PortaLock the central hub for all new concepts. I am idealistic enough to think that innovation is only limited by our ability to communicate. PortaLock will also be used by hobbyists. It is 100% guaranteed to have a full complement of SciFi action figures for anyone to build. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) might be the first file loaded.   

Until next time – Keep Inventing

Eric the Inventor

TeKoach - Personal AI Trainer

There are many benefits for those that belong to a health club. Signing up for classes allows a trainer to correct your form. Standing in front of a mirror can also help a person see what they are doing wrong.  The problem is that the classes are not always on your schedule and the trainer is not always looking at your form. Standing in front of a mirror works if you already know what you are doing. What the modern health club needs is way to truly customize classes.

The TeKoach, another ETI first, combines all the best features. It is a full size LCD Display laminated in a smoky mirror. The display shows the AI trainers motion while the mirror allows you to “motion match” with the AI Trainer. Attached infrared projectors can capture your actions and give feedback on the screen. A trainer would assist you in customizing the program. The TeKoach would also provide data back to the trainer; response times, restricted motion, and completed sessions.  The TeKoach could become another profit center inside the health club.

This is easily a $1,000,000 Idea many times over. The technology exists and the industry is huge. With treadmill running over $5000, the TeKoach could easily sell in that range. With over 80,000 health clubs in the US, a 1% saturation would be $4 Million. Each year upgraded programs could be released. (or if this is run by Microsoft, every 2 months)

This will be the next wave in fitness training. Within a few years they will also be available in Universities, Hotels, and every millionaire will have their own. I also think it would be a great marketing move to get a celebrity trainer to be the image.  For an upgrade charge any character from Tomb Raider, Halo, or a Marvel Super Hero. I always pictured me working out with Juggernaut.

Until next time - keep inventing
Eric the Inventor

DraiNut

Most men would rather headlock an angry raccoon into submission than change a nasty diaper. But they would rather face the diaper than cleanout a clogged bathroom sink drain. The wad of indescribable foreign material that comes out of that hole leads a man to wonder, more than he would like, about his wife’s morning rituals. “Is that a R.O.U.S. wearing a hair binder?” (Yes, I did just reference Princess Bride 1987)

The true culprit is not the wife’s flowing locks but the outdated drain plug mechanism. A rod goes across the drain tube that actuates a drain support structure that takes up half the flow volume. It seems to have had “hair catching” as one of the design intents. The world needs to reinvent the drain.

The DraiNut by ETI is the answer to this daunting domestic disturbance. By offering a simple nylon ball valve connected to a torsion cable, the DriaNut removes the need for internal mechanisms while allowing external cleaning. In stead on pulling a plunger up and down the handle rotates.  If it is required the ball valve could contain a screen on top to catch the big pieces.

This is a $750,000 Idea. The market is every house in the world with a drain. It could be an add on to existing sinks if the mounting process was simple enough. The current replacement parts for a drain are $5-$10. The DraiNut kit would need to be in the range of $15-$20 to have any chance. This price restriction and concept shift from the norm are major market obstacles.

 Although it might seem like a boring problem, I had fun thinking through the dozens of ways to accomplish this; hydraulic balloons, twisting a silicone tube, blade valves. Please let me know if you have any ideas on this issue, other than making the whole world bald.

MinnoWhip

While in a boat by a shoreline the fisherman will cast at a structure. He is hoping to catch a predator waiting to ambush prey at the barrier between structure and open water.  In a normal situation the lure travels through that barrier in a perpendicular direction back to the fisherman. This means that the lure is actually in the best position for a short amount of time. The fisherman in the boat would like to keep the lure in the “barrier” area for as long as possible.

 

The  MinnoWhip by ETI keeps the lure in front of the bigger fish for longer. While at rest in the water the MinnoWhip floats nose up with the vertical swimming spoon out of the water. When retrieved the fishing line will provide tension from the center of the spoon. The lure will then travel at an oblique angle to the tension as opposed to normal lures that return in a direct line to the tension. When the fisherman wishes to reverse direction, simply allow the lure to come to rest and start retrieving. In this way the MinnoWhip sweeps back and forth across a large area. It also stays in the Barrier area for a long time. Fish are more likely to strike at the moment when the lure changes direction increasing the fisherman’s chances even more.

This is a full $1,000,000 Idea. The sports fishing market is as big as they come. By many reports there are over 60 Million anglers in the US alone. It would take less than 0.5% to make a million in sales. The concept could be sold with soft tales and an assortment of sizes. I personally would be the first $200 in sales.

This concept was developed years ago while fishing a shoreline and my friend hooked a plank of wood.  The hook was buried in the center of the flat board. It fought just like a fish. We even had the net ready. If it could fool us, the same concept in a lure may actually fool a real fish. I know that some might think that is too big of an assumption.  

Until Next Time - Keep Inventing

Eric The Inventor

SaiLite - Flying Fan Boat

In Minnesota there are over 10,000 bodies of fresh water, dozens of major rivers, and endless ponds. This gives the fishermen (and fisherwomen) too many choices. Moving between options is not always that easy.  Flying in to lakes with restricted access has become incredibly popular. But once you are there and your pilot leaves you are there until the plane comes back. What the fishing industry needs is a quick personal method to get to the next best fishing hole.
 

Introducing the ETI SaiLite. This vehicle combines the quick and simple transportation with the ability to fish any lake you want. The ultralight / parasail / boat design merges all the best features of each. The extendable floats near the bow provide stability while in the water. The large fan and rudder allow maneuverability both in the air and on the lake.

 
This is a $250,000 dollor Idea. The reason it is so low is that the market is small, and it is far from being fully developed. As obviously awesome as this idea is there are a few quirks to work out.

1.      Once on the lake and with a wet sail, how do you get back up again?

2.      How do we accommodate for weight distribution being different in the water than it is in air?

3.      Who do you ask to “get the net” or “take a photo” when you have a big catch?

Although these are worthy questions (and ones that I may have ideas on already) they are not insurmountable. Once these issues are worked out, possibly with fixed wings that fold, this could get to be a full $1,000,000 Idea. Yes, I can see it now, flying home with a stringer of fish waving in the breeze behind me… as they get caught in the fan and rain down on the traffic below. Maybe there are more than 3 questions that need answering.


Until Next Time - Keep Inventing
Eric The Inventor

BolTight

Machine operators in the field often have to do on-the-spot maintenance. If they don't have the right bolt for one machine the whole operation could come to a halt. It is impossible to carry a spare of every fastener they might ever need. What they need is a single option that could get them working again until the real parts could be found.

The ETI BolTight system becomes what ever bolt you need. Simply place the BolTight anchor into the hole and inject the non-stick epoxy through the center lumen. Hold for 3 minutes. Now your back to work. In 4 days when the real bolt comes in, loosen the BolTight system with the bolt head. Remove and replace with factory part. The operator never missed a beat.

This is a $500,000 dollar idea. Although it is unique enough to be marketable it does not have the market size required to get to the full million. Every guy in the field might put one in their box but they will only need them once a year. There is also a concern about the self life of the epoxy components. If they rattle around in back of someone's pickup for 3 summers, will it still work.

Thanks to Sean for talking this one out with me.

Till next time - Keep inventing

SofTub

Thousands of accidents occur in the bathroom every year. The combination of wet flooring, temperature changes, and hard surfaces makes getting in and out of the tub the most dangerous thing some people do every day. According to the CDC 2/3 of all domestic accidents are in the shower or tub. That added up to over 230,000 nonfatal events. It would save billions if there was a quick fix.

The ETI SofTub is a professionally installed coating that protects the user from the hard surfaces during a fall. The protection would involve 4 coats. 1st the prep coat of the tub to secure good adhesion. 2nd the closed cell foam layer is applied in 3 applications to achieve the 2" of cushion. 3rd a smoothing layer is applied with customer selected color. 4th is a high gloss finish that will include some antibacterial property. The product would be best applied to existing tubs but could quickly be provided on new installation tubs.

As a continuing service, the installer would fix cracking. ETI woukd also sell SofTub Scrub, a speciallized soap that included a cemical application to store the plasticiser of the finish coat.

This is at least the full $1,000,000 Idea. It prevents a billion dollars of damages. It could have as high as a 200% mark up. The on going sale of the ETI SofTub Scrub would also generate another $250,000. Not only would the money be good, not only a 100,000 people be helped, but it will most certainly be a late night infomercial that could become a classic. Where is the "I've fallen and I can't get up" lady. Time to come out of retiremnet.

Till next time - keep inventing!

HydrOptic Fish Camera

As a fisherman I am always looking for an edge. In clear water the underwater camera provides an advantage over the normal sonic fishfinders. Yes I am a few decades behind on this. But in their current state the AquaViews of the world are also decades behind. They utilize a tube screen and huge 12 volt batteries. Although I love the 80s, we need to update our fishing.
The ETI HydrOptic uses the smart phone that you already have. Just hook it up, drop it in, and take a look. The camera could also have a blue tooth transmitter in the float. It gives the user depth and direction. The phone ap would allow screen shots of fish that would capture time, GPS, and image.
This Idea is about a $500,000 dollar idea as it is only for a select group of sportsmen ( and sportswomen) that frequent clear water. There is also a concern about battery life. The market could be expanded to other commercial applications; bridge inspection, boat repair, or sewer maintenance. If thats the case, I guess we should make a disposable version.

"No-Label" Label printer

Label printers are still used in almost every office all over the word. What if you could skip the label and print directly to the object? This should work with any surface where a permanent marker would work.
It programs just like any other label maker. Say you want to label the kid's pencil box. You type in "PENCILS" into the ETI No-Label Maker. Then you start rolling the coated rubber wheel along the surface of the box. The internal printer puts the ink to a film that wraps around the wheel. As you roll the ink gets transferred to your pencil box.
I think this is a great idea. Definitely the whole million dollars. It could be used in every industry. There is a refill option with the film and the ink. It takes a concept that everyone knows like label printing and reintroduces it to the world.
Till next time - keep inventing