IoT Prototypes | Design and manufacturing of IoT products
In the last few years, there has been a very significant uptick in the number of requests for IOT prototypes submitted by our clients, both by private inventors as well as by innovation teams of major companies.
What are IoT products used for?
IoT products allow for remote data control that reveals product behavior. In general, IoT products allow cost savings associated with control and maintenance tasks, while also enabling the definition of legal responsibilities when linking IoT products with blockchain.
At Let´s Prototype, we have been developing IoT prototypes for over 10 years, during which we have been able to manufacture more than 50 IoT prototypes, making us one of the leading IoT companies in Europe and the United States.
Let’s talk about your project
We’re aware of the importance of protecting information. It is for that reason that we only ask you for superficial and basic details that will allow us to assign your project in-house.
IoT products developed
The list of IoT products developed in our laboratory is quite extensive. Here are some IoT projects that will surely help you understand the definition of IoT as well as the benefits that can be derived from these prototypes.
Vending Machines IoT - IoT Control Layer Development
The vending machine sector has experienced significant commercial development internationally. Information about the need for maintenance, product restocking, status of coin deposits, and security systems are some of the most relevant aspects to be controlled by their owners. At Let´s Prototype, we have manufactured functional IoT prototypes that have represented a very significant step for the development of vending machines. With the IoT control layer developed, the resulting prototype allows vending machine manufacturers to:
Controlling the quality of power supply to prevent potential breakdowns.
Issue security alerts in cases of vandalism, identified by unwanted or abnormal movements in the IoT vending machine.
Monitor the level of money deposits in the IoT vending machine itself.
Controlar el nivel de stock de la máquina de vending en la distancia y solicitar la orden de reposición precisa.
Monitor critical processes of the vending machine and issue alerts when it is necessary to fix breakdowns or simply perform maintenance on the IoT product.
IoT Home Appliance - Manufacturing IoT Prototype for Home
Users are increasingly concerned and informed about the quality of the food products they consume. Water and its quality are not exempt from this great concern and control by families. In response to this scenario of growing concern and information, at Let´s Prototype, we have designed and manufactured a prototype, consisting of an appliance capable of purifying and remineralizing water, so that the user, with an intelligent system and very easy-to-use interfaces, can customize the quality of the water they consume.
Due to the rigor derived from the agri-food industry, prototypes in this sector must be very safe and subject to very strict standards. In order to add control and security to this innovative product, once the functional requirements of the prototype were achieved, it was necessary to add a layer of remote control, in other words, convert the appliance into an IoT product.
Through the IOT features included in the prototype, the machine manufacturer could not only control the security parameters but also monitor consumption data, which translates into very valuable information to maximize the success of the iot prototype in the market.
Road Safety System - Development of IoT Prototypes for Outdoor Use
IoT prototypes do not have to be inside a factory or home, where it is easier to achieve device connectivity or data transmission to the cloud through the IoT prototype and Wi-Fi connection. It is possible and, in fact, very common, to manufacture IoT products that allow control of outdoor situations.
One of the challenges undertaken by our IOT laboratory in Madrid was to convert a rear lighting product for cyclists into a road safety product. Through the device, using a mathematical model, accident situations are identified. It was also possible to interconnect this IOT prototype with other devices carried by motor vehicles to alert them to dangerous situations.
The development of this IoT prototype posed a great challenge as it was necessary to achieve a level of data transmission over long distances while in adverse weather conditions. This learning has been very useful for the development of other examples of IoT prototypes developed by our team of IoT experts.
Smart Agriculture with IoT Systems - IoT Prototypes for Agriculture
The agricultural sector has been one of the major beneficiaries of IOT technologies. As we have already stated, IOT prototypes streamline processes, but above all, they control costs in remote monitoring tasks. The monitoring of crops in large areas is not outside the wide range of opportunities that arise from the democratization of IOT solutions.
In our IOT company, we have not been left out of this great revolution in the development of technological products for agriculture:
Aeroponics IOT: Design and development of an IOT prototype, consisting of a cabinet whose interior was fully controlled by interconnected sensors, linked to a cloud-based data storage, capable of communicating such parameters to a mobile application that allows continuous monitoring of the data. Parameters like lighting, relative humidity, and conductivity are some of the most critical in smart agriculture using the aeroponics method in smart agriculture.
Data Variation in Crop Extensions through IoT Prototypes: Controlling the color at the base of lettuce during the evolution of these crops is a fundamental parameter to avoid late reaction in the addition of nutrients. Changes in coloration in this area indicate that the crop is not receiving the proper level of nutrients with irrigation. These variations require farmers to continuously check the crop at different points of its growth (large extensions) while adding nutrients to correct or prevent the risk of losing the crop.
Through an IoT prototype developed by Let´s Prototype, the experience of farmers has been followed, performing daily monitoring tasks. Once the critical points requiring continuous observation were identified, photometry sensors were installed, fully interconnected through an IoT protocol, so that the farmer was saved the continuous checking of the observation points in the crop. Additionally, an innovative device was created, capable of adding nutrients to the irrigation tanks, so that the IoT prototype not only saves crop surveillance but also automates corrective procedures that help maintain a healthy crop.
Let’s talk about your project
We’re aware of the importance of protecting information. It is for that reason that we only ask you for superficial and basic details that will allow us to assign your project in-house.
Sector impacted by IoT technologies
While the list of sectors positively affected by the new IoT products that have undoubtedly unleashed the fourth industrial revolution is extensive, we can identify some cases where IoT has represented a major change for the world.
Smart Thermostats IoT: Surely in your home you already have a smart system to control the temperature, even from a distance, through an app. This seemingly simple invention is one of the IoT prototypes that has radically changed the way we interact with this element in the home. I'm sure you can now think of many other IoT products for the home that you interact with on a daily basis.
Voice Assistants IoT: Home automation has been one of the major areas revolutionized by IoT technology. Devices that are now widely available on the market, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, are based on IoT principles to interconnect devices and achieve control over them, in this case, through apps but also via voice.
Wearables IoT: Smartwatches and other devices useful for monitoring physical activity represent one of the great applications of IoT technologies. At Let's Prototype, we have developed IoT prototypes that combine interconnectivity with data analysis, so that athletes or users of certain sports receive fully structured information, diagnoses, and improvement possibilities through their mobile application, which could impact their sports performance.
Precision Agriculture with IoT: As we have exemplified before, smart agriculture has witnessed very significant advances with the emergence of IoT technologies. The savings in effort and direct costs in crop monitoring tasks have represented a new way of looking at agriculture.
Supply Chain Management with IoT: The integration of IoT protocols with mathematical models and blockchain logic has undoubtedly represented a great opportunity for control and transfer of responsibilities in supply chains. At Let's Prototype, we have developed IoT prototypes capable of securely and incorruptibly monitoring, in the cloud, data associated with the state of food products from their origin to the destination warehouses, so that the information is shared with all stakeholders in the business activity at all times. This data monitoring system and its impossibility of being altered have created a reliable environment in which the stakeholders in the business can assume and determine their responsibility with the product at all times with absolute clarity.
IoT Technologies and Big Data: Relationship and Benefits
As expert developers in IoT technologies, at Let's Prototype, we have developed products that, in addition to having the ability to interconnect physical devices and share data in real time in a structured manner, we have managed to enable IoT machines or devices to make decisions based on logical evidence through custom mathematical models.
The sports and agriculture sectors have been the most addressed with custom mathematical models in our laboratory.
Let’s talk about your project
We’re aware of the importance of protecting information. It is for that reason that we only ask you for superficial and basic details that will allow us to assign your project in-house.
Sports Sector. Construction of Custom Mathematical Models
For a leading company in the construction of racquet sports facilities, we have been able to develop a smartwatch-like device capable of identifying, through a custom mathematical model, the different types of strokes executed by athletes. It compares these strokes with those executed by the top professionals in the sector and uses artificial intelligence to provide useful advice for improving their technical sports performance. The development of custom mathematical models is a fundamental capability for achieving the classification of movements and translating data streams into useful information for the user.
Don’t know if your prototype is classifiable as an IOT prototype?
The term IoT refers to the "Internet of Things," which in turn includes any logic for interconnecting devices via the internet, enabling a flow of key information for the development of multiple business models.
Let’s take the cigar humidor as an example, which has been traditionally used to maintain optimal temperature and relative humidity conditions so as to conserve special cigars. That same humidor could be made into an IOT prototype. We could outfit it with sensors allowing us to measure both indicators, connect the humidor to the Internet and obtain, via an app or a website, the information needed to monitor the humidity and temperature inside the humidor. Of course, we could incorporate mechanisms allowing us to proactively vary those parameters, likewise from our app.
Benefits of IoT Products
- Large companies that sell their products through RETAIL channels lose information about the customer-product relationship, so this type of interconnected devices could provide them with information they have never controlled.
- The continuous flow of information makes it possible to develop new business models, since providers will be informed about how their products are consumed.
- Based on IoT logics, multiple solutions applicable in any sector are developed, allowing decision-making and action on devices or systems. These actions usually result in increased efficiency, productivity, and cost optimization.
At Let's Prototype, we have extensive experience in manufacturing IoT prototypes. We participate in problem analysis if necessary, but most importantly, we have the necessary capabilities (in-house) to develop any IoT logic. The integration of capabilities such as design and manufacturing of parts, electronics, telecommunications, and software development allows us to iterate on solutions very quickly, without ever losing sight of the customer's vision.
Let’s talk about your project
Basic information about an IoT project
The cost of developing an IoT product ranges from $15,000 to $50,000 USD. However, the price of the IoT control layer can be reduced depending on the components intended for use. The variety in the cost of developing an IoT prototype can be determined by other factors, such as the complexity of mechanical systems to be operated or other decisions that the IoT product may need to make.
To develop an IoT product, you need experts in telecommunications, experts in microelectronics, and software developers. When we think about developing an IoT prototype, these disciplines are important to validate technical feasibility and achieve the main functions. However, based on our experience, it is also essential to have a design team and mechanical engineering team to develop an IoT prototype. These profiles will lead the development of the IoT product concept and ensure that the result is not only functional but also aesthetic and ergonomic.
To achieve a functional IoT prototype, you need: actuators and sensors, active and sufficient telecommunications networks, cloud computing, easy-to-access and stable IoT platforms capable of artificial intelligence and data analysis.
It's possible to patent IoT products. In our invention lab, we have experience patenting IoT products in Europe and the United States. The possibility of patenting a product is more related to how you innovate and improve existing solutions than to the telecommunication protocols you use.
The estimated development time for an innovative IoT prototype can be around 6 months. While it's true that designing an IoT prototype can take time, this analysis can be done once the functional requirements of each product are studied. For example, an IoT prototype that requires the development of a custom mathematical model will be conditioned, above all, by the time the inventors can dedicate to data collection to create the custom mathematical model and train the neural network.
When we talk about IoT, we are referring to a system of interconnection of hardware devices, capable of communicating or depositing in a cloud, data captured in their installation environment. For example, a system of photometry sensors that shares in the cloud the accurate information of the data captured in its observation point, is an IoT prototype.
