More Than Just a Hobby: 3 Tips for Tech Inventors
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Posted By: Dixie Somers on February 28, 2019 Inventing a new piece of technology involves a lot of planning, revisions, and testing. Some issues aren't obvious from the drawing board, but you need to try—and learn from failure—as much as possible before landing on a great final product. As you build, new technologies and new concerns can creep up seemingly out of nowhere. Here are a 3 concepts to keep in mind as you design your tech invention. Do You Have A Security Plan?Today's tech is usually connected to the internet at some point. Whether your invention will connect once or twice just to update itself or maintains constant updates over the internet, you need to have a security plan. One of the biggest tech areas is the Internet of Things or the IoT. This industry describes devices other than standard desktops, laptops, mobile devices, servers, and networking devices that connect to the internet. A few IoT devices at the front of the industry include video cameras, smart thermostats, smart and home locks. While these devices all have great features delivered by internet access, they're also potential hacking points. There was an entire shadow industry of looking at other people's webcams that was mostly neutralized, but still an issue for people with poor security practices. An unsecured smart lock system is basically asking to be hacked. Make sure that if your tech idea uses the internet, it also has strong security. Many inventors who are good at conceptualizing products, but know nothing about the smaller parts they put together have made silly mistakes such as leaving the password for their products as “password”, or left their devices unable to update, or patch security flaws as needed. Due diligence is necessary. If you use internet-based tech, make sure that an internet-based security update system is available for your future customers. Can 5G Help Or Hurt Your Invention?The new cellular communications standard 5G is rolling out, and it's making waves for the world. Faster mobile data downloads is just scratching the surface of the potential benefits. 5G allows devices to communicate with fewer delays, meaning that a lot of technology that relies on wireless communication can work more accurately. Virtual Reality (VR) systems are a good example because great VR will depend on fewer delays on how users experience the virtual world. 5G reduces the delays, or “lag”, between wireless components, and being separate from wireless routers means that people can enjoy faster VR communication without being tethered to a specific room or location. Figure out if the increased speeds of 5G are relevant for your idea. If your idea can be used with other systems and needs to be compatible with 5G, you may want to create a modular way to upgrade your device's cellular radio or wait until 5G is affordable. Early adoption is a risky balance between capturing the market first and overpaying for a broken product. You may want to see how other businesses implement 5G to figure out if the newest 5G options are helpful, or make today the beginning of your 5G testing. How Does Your Idea Manage Power?Charger cables, battery packs, and solar power. The world of mobile computing has made everyone even more conscious of power consumption than ever. A few people still complain about how short a smartphone's battery life is compared to old flip or brick phones. Will your device suffer the same complaints? Be sure to look at modern battery technology. New batteries with better storage options, temperature ranges, and replacement options are being developed every day. Figure out if you want the battery or power storage to be removable or permanent. Creating a permanent battery ensures that battery performance--and battery safety--is uniform and set by your standards. Allowing third party batteries means understanding that some people will pick up bad batteries, but you may be able to handle complaints with a disclaimer. Open source versus a strict, native experience is the argument here. You either force people into using only what you've specified, or allow people to modify your invention easier. Customized printed circuit boards (PCBs) make it easier to manage power while shaping your invention. If you already have a design in mind, think about how a PCB can be built to allow 3rd party batteries, and consider how rough adding and removal of new batteries could affect the PCB's position. If in doubt, contact a tech design professional to discuss other parts of turning your idea into a reality. Putting in the time, resources, and effort into a top notch product is better than quickly pumping out a product that doesn’t work or has huge design flaws. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Dixie Somers
Freelance Writer, Self Employed Other College... class of 2004 Member Since November 2016 |
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