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.

该项目涉及客户发现一项技术，该技术可在电子设备上提供触摸感觉，并向用户生成反馈。该技术有潜力用于虚拟现实应用、远程人机交互和自然人机界面。它还具有改变许多行业的潜力，从工业平台到消费品。应用程序的多样性给小团队的市场转化带来了挑战。 所提出的技术基于超声相控阵和基于预测/学习的算法，创建可由人体触摸传感器感知的高分辨率气压场，使 VR 系统的用户能够交互和感知虚拟对象。所提出的解决方案使用高密度压电换能器阵列来创建高分辨率超声波图案来创建 3D 对象。换能器阵列和算法可实现复杂的高分辨率模式，同时使用更少的功耗和占地面积。将触觉引入人们的日常生活可能会产生巨大的影响。触觉是人类生活中极其重要的感觉。由于目标市场规模庞大、应用种类繁多（游戏、娱乐、社交等），以及VR场景对无缝触觉的需求，该项目的解决方案可以在快速发展的虚拟现实领域产生显着的商业影响。拟议的工作将使用精益创业方法来研究和优先考虑提供触觉的电子设备的潜在商业应用。通过加速客户发现流程，该 I-Corps 团队计划快速创建业务模型假设，通过访谈对其进行验证，并迭代开发集成的业务模型。参与 I-Corps 计划将使该团队能够有效地开发一种能够在市场上快速发展的商业模式。