The circus of Artificial Intelligence.

At the latest tech events I've had the opportunity to attend, I've witnessed a phenomenon I can't call anything other than "the circus of artificial intelligence.

Go ahead that we value and take advantage of the basic principles of artificial intelligence. In Let's Prototype we have been working with inventors and entrepreneurs for many years, developing products that aim to automate the capture and management of data, as well as training neural networks that multiply the value proposition of these products in the market.

In the last forums of entrepreneurs and inventors that we have had the opportunity to attend, we have witnessed an inappropriate use of the terms and what is worse, entrepreneurs and inventors trying to convince that their businesses cannot generate income for long periods of time because the value is in the data.

Yes! But no. 

The lack of knowledge about the basic principles of artificial intelligence, the level of real complexity of a neural training process for a machine to make sound decisions, is not a matter of 4 days, nor is it cheap. Therefore, we should not rule out the launch of product versions that from the first moment add value to customers and therefore, intend to generate income immediately.

The very high forecasts of private investment that are expected for this year in products related to AI (Artificial Intelligence) cannot represent a brake on the launch of products that add value immediately. Something similar we have witnessed with the democratization of the IOT, it seemed that everything that did not have this capacity, was a bad business and in sight it is, it is not like that.

Inventors, artificial intelligence is a technological phenomenon that, without a doubt, can inspire you in the search for opportunities and evolution of your products, but at the same time, you must include in the formula the risks involved in its use. By its very nature, the need for time for machine learning will require a very investment-intensive capital raising process, which of course, everyone cannot reach.

In short, by the term "Circus of Artificial Intelligence" we mean the inclusion of artificial intelligence "shoehorned". That is, to justify the inability to sell your products until the precious data arrives.

With Paco's example, I'm sure you'll understand our message. 

Paco is a farmer and has been growing lettuce for more than 30 years. He has designed diverse solutions to optimize the most repetitive and effort-intensive processes: monitoring and irrigation of his crops. Today his son, without knowing very well how, has convinced him to invest in the development of a solution with artificial intelligence that, in addition to making his life easier, may represent a source of income that will multiply the business opportunities that for 30 years they have had selling their crops. with that premise, they have arrived at our doors in Let's Prototype.

Paco's problem

Every morning Paco travels kilometers to monitor the state of his lettuce. For 30 years he has learned to monitor the change in color of the lower part of the lettuce, concluding that, according to the shades of white of this surface, the crop needs a very specific type of nutrients, as well as a range of products that prevents the proliferation of bacteria that prevent nutrients from reaching the crops satisfactorily. 

Today, Paco, using his experience, is able to mix in the water he uses for irrigation, a group of products and nutrients based on what he observes in the more than 60 points of his crop. 

Blessed solution! Although it remains labor-intensive for Paco, it ensures satisfactory harvests.

Artificial intelligence at the service of Paco. 

Paco and his son have thought about the possibility of creating a product to automate this process. A product that is capable of replicating the dosages and mixtures that Paco made manually in the water, which at the same time, learned about the tones of colors to regulate those mixtures. This way they could sell the product to all lettuce farmers and who knows if to other farmers as well.

There is no doubt about the technical feasibility of the invention. With everything we have learned about artificial intelligence since 1950 until today, we can make a system learn to identify colors, calibrate, adapt it to each crop and reproduce the mixing and dosing process automatically. There is also no doubt about the great business opportunity that such a solution could represent for Paco's family.

Paco's family plan

After analyzing the solution with experts in Artificial Intelligence, the conformed plan includes a period of elaboration of the functional prototype of no less than 12 months. It is absolutely necessary to accumulate data necessary for training the system, especially the process of observing and identifying color changes of the lower surface of lettuce.

In this case, the initial plan of Paco's family goes through a continuous investment during those 12 months, in which they will be able to draw the first conclusions about the behavior of the color identification system and other parameters to be identified through digital observation. Twelve months in which they are willing not to get a single euro, despite the intelligence they have already accumulated, in this case, in Paco's mind.

A twist provided by Let's Prototype. 

Most Inventors have a horrible fear of bringing their products to market. Although it may seem paradoxical, inventors enjoy the process of creating their products much more than the commercial exploitation of them. That is why, at Let's Prototype, we not only help them manufacture their functional prototypes, but we also intervene in the planning of versions that allow the inventor to earn money as soon as possible for their creations. This case has been no different.

As a first step, we have valued Paco's experience, we have convinced him of the possibility of bringing a product to market that is based on his intelligence to gradually train the machine in a process in which they did not have to give up earning income. 

As usual, we divide the solution into "problems" or independent challenges. The first stage was useful to create a machine with an electromechanical system capable of making mixtures with the same accuracy that Paco performs manually. It was already a big step, Paco had to observe the crop and by identifying the changes of tonalities, from his own mobile, he could choose one of the 10 recipes of mixtures and manual work in the irrigation system was avoided. 

Once the operation of the 10 automated mixing recipes was validated, we decided to include a camera system in 100 points of the crop. We were already able to save Paco the trip to the crop and we gave him the opportunity to visualize, in real time, many more points than he got in his day-to-day work. 

Three months were enough to have the first marketable solution of the product. More than 54 farmers in the lettuce sector paid to install the recipe dosing machine on their crops, as well as the camera observation system. In this way, Paco from his home could observe what was happening with the crops of each client, including his own, and apply the appropriate recipes, already automated in the machine. 

Paco, with an investment 10 times less than planned in his first plan, has managed to start a profitable business. It has launched a product that is based on its own intelligence, but already represents an additional source of income to the business model of selling its crops. 

In the same way, without additional investments, it has managed to multiply the volume of data with which, within 10 months, we will have the opportunity to start training the machine to make mixing decisions automatically. 

If you have a complex solution that can solve a big problem in your customers, we can help you design versions that add enough value so that you can get revenue as soon as possible. As in the case of Paco, in Let's Prototype you will find an ally for the whole process, from the definition of the idea to its launch of your invention with Artificial Intent to the market.

If you want to know more details about inventions with Artificial Intelligence , or want to discuss with our support team Inventors, just book your first appointment HERE.