Triple Point Robotics was a fast moving lean startup that failed as a business, but excelled as a learning opportunity. As the founder, I led a small team exploring the business case for several products based on robotics and related technologies.
The most promising was simply too expensive to build for a cost that the average consumer would have paid, which led us to shelve the company until such time as it became feasible. We've been enthused to see other companies take on this idea in recent years; two unsuccessful, and one struggling along but with enough backing to make it if it survives long enough. We wish them luck!
A few of our other ideas are shown below - free for the taking if you think you can pull them off.
The most promising was simply too expensive to build for a cost that the average consumer would have paid, which led us to shelve the company until such time as it became feasible. We've been enthused to see other companies take on this idea in recent years; two unsuccessful, and one struggling along but with enough backing to make it if it survives long enough. We wish them luck!
A few of our other ideas are shown below - free for the taking if you think you can pull them off.
The Magic Torch
This project is an attempt to combine several off the shelf devices into a unique handheld augmented reality projector. The Magic Torch combines three main components:
There are many potential applications for this technology, ranging from as simple as stabilised handheld projection, to as complex as real-time remote assistance. Back when I first tried it, the key problem was that the feature tracking required strong bright lighting, while simultaneously the laser project was a mere 15 lumens that was close to invisible in anything beyond near darkness. As laser projectors get better and devices like Google's Project Tango improve our ability to localise in adverse conditions, the operating region for this technology will only grow.
- a portable laser projector, which provides always in focus video projection,
- a front facing video camera, which provides feedback about what is being projected, and the background around it,
- and an inertial measurement unit, which provides details about the orientation of the device and the accelerations it is subjected to
There are many potential applications for this technology, ranging from as simple as stabilised handheld projection, to as complex as real-time remote assistance. Back when I first tried it, the key problem was that the feature tracking required strong bright lighting, while simultaneously the laser project was a mere 15 lumens that was close to invisible in anything beyond near darkness. As laser projectors get better and devices like Google's Project Tango improve our ability to localise in adverse conditions, the operating region for this technology will only grow.
SynchroBoard
SynchroBoard is a Collaboration and Version Control Solution for Whiteboards.
In step one, we point a high resolution camera at an existing whiteboard, and record everything that's ever drawn or placed upon it without you pressing a single button. This means more than just what you can write or sketch with a pen - stick a photo, poster, or post-it note to the board, and we'll capture that too. Your data is encrypted and stored in our cloud, where it can be accessed using a web application, or with a native application for your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device. You can see a slideshow of every major change to the whiteboard, or even have all the writing turned into a report automatically, with easy options to share any of it with your colleagues.
In step two, we combine a projector with the camera. Now you can let the cleaning staff rub out anything without fear, because we can redraw it instantly. Want to revisit last month's meeting minutes? You can project documents, pictures, or anything you've ever drawn on this board, and then annotate it further. Again, it's all backed up seamlessly without any effort on your part, and we make it easy to see how your ideas branched off and evolved over time.
In step three, we hope you love Synchroboard so much that you buy another one for your second office. Now you can share a whiteboard in real-time with one or more other locations. It's as if you and your colleagues are writing on the same whiteboard. Leave notes for people, brainstorm with the international team, collaboratively update a design sketch without leaving the whiteboard - we think the possibilities are amazing and endless. Everybody's input is saved in the cloud, and you can easily view the bits by a particular team, or selectively edit, delete, or rearrange the content.
Unlike competing products, you don't need to learn anything new. It's just your usual whiteboard. It's just your usual pen. There's no lag when drawing, no inaccurate writing, no expensive touchscreen, no batteries, no calibration, no complex software to learn - no worries!
In step one, we point a high resolution camera at an existing whiteboard, and record everything that's ever drawn or placed upon it without you pressing a single button. This means more than just what you can write or sketch with a pen - stick a photo, poster, or post-it note to the board, and we'll capture that too. Your data is encrypted and stored in our cloud, where it can be accessed using a web application, or with a native application for your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device. You can see a slideshow of every major change to the whiteboard, or even have all the writing turned into a report automatically, with easy options to share any of it with your colleagues.
In step two, we combine a projector with the camera. Now you can let the cleaning staff rub out anything without fear, because we can redraw it instantly. Want to revisit last month's meeting minutes? You can project documents, pictures, or anything you've ever drawn on this board, and then annotate it further. Again, it's all backed up seamlessly without any effort on your part, and we make it easy to see how your ideas branched off and evolved over time.
In step three, we hope you love Synchroboard so much that you buy another one for your second office. Now you can share a whiteboard in real-time with one or more other locations. It's as if you and your colleagues are writing on the same whiteboard. Leave notes for people, brainstorm with the international team, collaboratively update a design sketch without leaving the whiteboard - we think the possibilities are amazing and endless. Everybody's input is saved in the cloud, and you can easily view the bits by a particular team, or selectively edit, delete, or rearrange the content.
Unlike competing products, you don't need to learn anything new. It's just your usual whiteboard. It's just your usual pen. There's no lag when drawing, no inaccurate writing, no expensive touchscreen, no batteries, no calibration, no complex software to learn - no worries!