I-Corps: Shape-Morphing Objects - A Platform for Innovation

该项目的主要思想是评估各种创新的变形结构的商业潜力。这些形状变换的物体会经历形状的变化，如缩小和扩张，这将使形状更好地发挥其功能。形状变化的结构可能会增加现有产品的价值，也可能会产生新的产品。例如，变形的汽车保险杠在车祸中可能会更好。这些保险杠将提高汽车的耐用性，因为损坏可以立即由司机修复，从而降低或根本不需要更换成本。在发生小事故时，使用变形保险杠可以避免更换整个保险杠。这将使汽车行业变得更有效率，因为报废汽车和零部件更少。此外，修理汽车的较低成本、时间和精力将提高客户满意度。另一种可能性可能是住宅的变形建筑设计。特别是，可变的屋顶高度可以设计成适应季节变化。在夏天，屋顶可以扩大以增加空气流通；而在冬天，较低的天花板可以最大限度地提高热效率。该项目将有助于更好地了解如何使建议的技术适应特定客户的需求和期望。该项目将涉及至少100次对潜在客户和合作伙伴的采访。这支i-Corps团队将识别变形结构的潜在客户，并详细了解他们的具体需求和需求，从而准确了解团队可以为客户提供的价值主张。这项活动将提高团队对交付渠道以及如何培养客户关系的理解。该团队还将学习如何接近潜在客户，并开发满足他们特定需求的定制产品。I-Corps培训将帮助团队在现实世界的挑战和机遇中为他们的新技术奠定基础。因为这个团队既有长期目标，也有短期目标，团队将遵循杠铃方法，他们将把50%的资源和采访集中到单个短期产品的开发上，该产品似乎风险很低，而且可能立即具有生存能力。与此同时，该团队将把50%的资源投入到与一系列长期、风险更高、或许更有利可图的应用程序相关的访谈和客户发现上。

This project's main idea is to assess the commercial potential of a variety of innovative shape-transforming structures. These shape-transforming objects go through changes in shape, such as shrinking and expanding, which would make the shape better at performing its function. Shape-changing structures may add value to existing products and may enable new ones. As an example, a shape-transforming car bumper may be better in car crashes. These bumpers would increase the durability of car, because damage would be immediately fixable by the driver, giving lower or no replacement costs. In the event of a small accident, using a shape-changing bumper could avoid having to replace the whole bumper. This would make the automotive industry more efficient due to fewer junked cars and parts. Furthermore, the lower cost, time, and effort of fixing a car would increase customer satisfaction. Another possibility may be shape-transforming architectural design of homes. In particular, changeable roof heights can be designed to adapt to seasonal changes. In the summer, roofs could expand to increase airflow; whereas, a lower ceiling would maximize heat efficiency during the winter. This project will help better understand how to adapt the proposed technologies to specific customer's needs and expectations. The project will involve at least 100 interviews with potential customers and partners. This I-Corps team will identify potential customers for the shape-morphing structures and learn in detail their specific needs and wants, so as to have an accurate understanding of the value proposition that the team can provide its customers. This activity will improve the team's understanding of delivery channels and how to cultivate customer relationships. The team will also learn how to approach potential customers, and to develop custom products that meet their specific needs. The I-Corps training will help the team ground their new technology in real-world challenges and opportunities. Because this team has both long and short term objectives, the team will follow a barbell approach in which they target 50% of resources and interviews towards the development of a single short-term product that seems to be low risk and could have immediate viability. Simultaneously, the team would invest 50% of its resources on interviews and customer discovery related to a diverse array of longer term, riskier and perhaps more profitable applications.