I-Corps: Customer discovery for electronic devices with haptic feedback

I-Corps：通过触觉反馈发现电子设备的客户

• 批准号: 1631196
• 负责人: Andrea Belz
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Southern California
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-03-15 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1631196&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Customer; discovery; electronic; devices

This project involves customer discovery for a technology that provides the sensation of touch on an electronic device, generating feedback to the user. The technology has the potential to be used for virtual reality applications, remote human-human interaction, and natural human-machine interfaces. It also has the potential to transform many industries, ranging from industrial platforms to consumer products. The diversity of applications presents a challenge for translation to the marketplace for a small team. The proposed technology, based on ultrasound phased array and predictive/learning based algorithms, creates high resolution air pressure fields that can be sensed by human touch sensors to enable users of VR systems to interact and sense virtual objects. The proposed solution uses a high-density array of Piezo-electric transducers to create high-resolution ultrasonic patterns to create 3D objects. The transducer array and algorithm enables complex high-resolution patterns while using less power and footprint.The impact of introducing sense of touch to daily lives of people can be significant. Sense of touch is an extremely important sense in human life. Because of the large size of target market, the variety of applications (gaming, entertainment, social interaction, etc.), and the need for seamless sense of touch in VR scenarios, this project's solution can have a marked commercial impact in the fast growing Virtual Reality areas. The proposed work will use the lean startup methodology to investigate and prioritize potential commercial applications of an electronic device providing the sensation of touch. Through an accelerated customer discovery process, this I-Corps team plans to rapidly create business model hypotheses, validate them through interviews, and iterate to develop an integrated business model. Participation in the I-Corps program will allow this team to efficiently develop a business model that can develop rapid traction in the marketplace.

该项目涉及一项技术的客户发现，该技术可提供对电子设备的触摸感，从而向用户产生反馈。该技术有可能用于虚拟现实应用，远程人类互动和天然人机界面。它还有可能改变许多行业，从工业平台到消费产品。应用程序的多样性提出了将小型团队转移到市场的挑战。 提出的技术基于超声阶段阵列和基于预测/学习的算法，它创建了高分辨率的气压场，可以通过人触摸传感器感知，以使VR系统的用户能够交互并感知虚拟对象。所提出的解决方案使用高密度的压电电换能器来创建高分辨率超声模式以创建3D对象。传感器阵列和算法在使用较少的功率和足迹的同时，可以实现复杂的高分辨率模式。引入触觉对人们日常生活的影响可能很重要。接触感是人类生活中极为重要的感觉。由于目标市场的规模很大，应用程序（游戏，娱乐，社交互动等）的种类繁多，并且需要在VR场景中对无缝接触感，该项目的解决方案在快速增长的虚拟现实领域中可能会产生明显的商业影响。拟议的工作将使用精益创业方法来调查和优先考虑电子设备的潜在商业应用，从而提供触摸感。通过加速的客户发现过程，这个I-Corps团队计划快速创建业务模型假设，通过访谈验证它们，并迭代以开发综合的业务模型。参加I-Corps计划将使该团队能够有效开发一种可以在市场上快速吸引的业务模型。