Project Portfolio
Problems to Solutions
Explore a few of our past projects and see how Phase 1 helped move from an initial problem, to prototype, to production for a wide range of applications.
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PROJECTS
COOKTOP DISPLAY
Induction cooktops can offer many benefits: instant heat, highly efficient, and the ability to place a pan anywhere. However, users have little feedback: is the pan in the right place? Is it on? Is it heating? How much?
Our customer approached us with a unique solution: place a large TV screen under the pan and provide visual feedback at the pan. The problem remained: how to transfer thousands of watts of magnetic power through the TV without damaging it and how to locate the pan?
We delivered a patent-pending magnetics and drive design to solve both issues in record time. We delivered electronics for a CES prototype and delivered up to 6000W into the pan while operating the TV and not overheating it – while automatically locating the pan and delivering heat to the correct location.
Instant Trace™
When COVID struck in the spring of 2020, a new problem arose with many jumping to offer solutions: how do you provide contact tracing to help slow the spread of the virus? When someone becomes ill, how do you know whom they were in contact with five or even up to eight days earlier? Many solutions require the use of your cell phone, which brings privacy and security concerns, and GPS does not offer good location accuracy indoors.
One of our customers approached us with a unique solution to the contact tracing problem: a low-cost badge that can track your proximity to others wearing the badge. This allows medical facilities or businesses to issue badges on-site, without requiring personal cell phone use. And, the location information is limited only to the ID of a badge you’ve been in contact with – no location information is used.
We delivered a custom patent-pending RF protocol, hardware, and software to automatically track up to 12 neighboring badges using ultra-wideband radio with accuracy better than 1 inch – all in a compact, inexpensive form factor with 3-month battery life. The first thousand were off the line 6 weeks after our first conceptual discussion.
Bluetooth Low Energy
Often a product needs to be easily controlled and visualize resulting data. Mobile devices are ubiquitous, fitting the bill perfectly, and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication link can make it happen. However, there are regulatory barriers and hardware must work well to give a great user experience.
We delivered a low-power, high-performance data logger for sensing the suspension performance of extreme drag racing vehicles. We developed modules to configure industrial automation equipment remotely from a web app. We developed a miniature, low-cost sensor that runs for over a year on a single coin cell while broadcasting and logging its status. We helped this customer meet FCC requirements for a low-cost design using a discrete radio instead of a module. And, we delivered an extremely cost-efficient ruggedized asset tracker tag that runs for a decade. We deliver 4-5 products per year.
SATCOM Antenna
SATCOM links require a broad range of frequencies, a great pattern directed at the whole sky, ruggedness, and minimized size. Existing solutions were too large, typically the size of a 5-gallon bucket. They are cumbersome, cause a lot of drag on airplanes, and can easily break.
We overcame the challenge of placing an antenna close to a metal surface by using advanced modeling and simulation software to create a patent-pending design that met all of the functional requirements and shrank the height to less than 3 inches at the same time. This allows for use on aircraft wings and on top of command and communications vehicles due to its compact size.
Wireless Charging
No one likes wires – plugging things in takes time in our busy world. And, some environments prohibit exposed wires for safety reasons. But wireless charging is not plug-and-play: even Qi-certified products. When you need more power and range than a development board can provide there aren’t many options available.
We delivered a long-range wireless charge system that is inherently safe, efficient, and simple. It met our customer’s requirements easily and became a modular part they can reuse on future products. And, it doesn’t rely on 3rd-party software libraries, so our customer is in full control of their system.
Motor Control
Motors are everywhere and quickly replacing mechanical drives in vehicles. There is much room for improvement in cost, size, efficiency, and weight – key drivers in the automotive world. Our customer wanted an advantage against off-the-shelf brushless motor drives without needing to redesign their motor platform.
We delivered a demonstration platform with custom motor drive software that provided a substantial increase in available power delivery, extremely low-speed operation, reduced component size, and improved efficiency – all while costing less than the competitor’s products. We demonstrated this on a custom-built dynamometer. We’ve developed small, efficient drives to 800V, several kilowatt drives.
Pizza Chiller
Preparing pizza dough and sauce requires the right amount of water at the right temperature. Preparing lots of excellent pizzas means this must be done right – and quickly. Our customer wanted to fill this gap in the industry with a cost-effective temperature regulation and dispensing system but couldn’t find the right people to make it happen.
We delivered a low-cost UL-certified set of control electronics in record time that accurately and safely controls our customer’s water dispenser. It includes EOL and validation test modes, in-field diagnostics and firmware updates, an easy-to-use UI, and a bright future for pizza lovers everywhere.
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