IoT Prototypes | Design and manufacturing of IoT products

Q: Is it possible to patent an IoT product?

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.

Q: What does IoT mean?

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 .

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.

The ability to interconnect devices, monitor their behavior from any location, and have the capability to control them remotely creates competitive advantages that have opened the doors to innovation.

What are IoT prototypes used for?

IoT prototypes are early versions of electronic devices capable of sharing data related to their surrounding environment. IoT prototypes demonstrate the value provided by data collected from the environment, the technical feasibility of the device, and the potential for a future business.

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.

IoT Product Development Laboratory

The list of IoT products developed in our laboratory is quite extensive. Below we share some IoT projects that will surely help you better understand the definition of IoT as well as the benefits that can be derived from these prototypes.

IoT Padel Courts

IoT padel courts have the capability to control match scoreboards, manage access to the courts, determine if lighting levels are adequate and adjust them if necessary, update the list of advertisements displayed on the court, among other functions made possible by the integrated IoT technology.

Vending Machines IoT - IoT Control Layer Development

The vending machine sector has experienced significant commercial growth internationally. Information regarding maintenance needs, product restocking, coin deposit status, and security systems are some of the most important aspects for owners to monitor.

At Let’s Prototype, we have built functional IoT prototypes that have represented a significant step forward in the development of vending machines. With the developed IoT control layer, 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.
Control the vending machine's stock level remotely and request precise restocking orders.
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 connected to each other and to a data storage cloud, capable of communicating these parameters to a mobile application that allows continuous monitoring of the data. Parameters such as lighting, relative humidity, and conductivity are some of the most critical in smart agriculture using the aeroponics method in smart agriculture.

Variation of data in crop extensions using IoT prototypes

Color control at the base of lettuce during the growth of these crops is a key parameter to avoid delayed reactions in nutrient addition. Changes in coloration in this area indicate that the crop is not receiving adequate nutrient levels through irrigation. These variations require farmers to continuously monitor the crop across different points of their fields (large extensions) while simultaneously adding nutrients to correct or prevent the risk of crop loss.

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.

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 IoT Thermostats

You probably already have an intelligent temperature control system in your home, even remotely, through an app. This simple invention is apparently one of the IoT prototypes that have radically changed the way people interact with this element within the home. I’m sure you can now think of many other IoT products for the home that you interact with daily.

IoT Voice Assistants

Home automation (domotics) has been greatly revolutionized by IoT technology. Widely accessible devices in the market, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, are based on the principles of IoT to interconnect devices and enable their control, in this case through apps but also voice commands.

Wearables IoT

The famous smartwatches and other devices useful for monitoring physical activity represent one of the major applications of IoT technologies. At Let’s Prototype, we have developed IoT prototypes that combine interconnectivity with data analysis, so athletes or users of certain sports receive in their mobile application fully structured information, diagnostics, and improvement possibilities that could impact their sports performance.

Precision agriculture with IoT

As we have exemplified before, smart agriculture has witnessed significant advances due to the emergence of IoT technologies. The savings in effort and direct costs in crop monitoring tasks have represented a new way of viewing 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 accountability transfer in supply chains. At Let’s Prototype, we have developed IoT prototypes capable of securely and tamper-proof monitoring in the cloud, data associated with the status of food products from their origin to destination warehouses, ensuring that information is shared at all times with all participants in the commercial activity. This data monitoring system, along with its immutability, has created a trusted environment where business participants can clearly assume and determine their responsibility for the product at every moment.

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.

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.

Not sure if your prototype belongs to the IoT prototype category?

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 manufacturing IOT prototypes, we take part in analyzing the problem if necessary, but, most importantly, we have the capabilities (in-house) required 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 solutions very quickly, without losing sight at any time of the client’s vision.

Basic information about an IoT project

Is it possible to patent an IoT product?

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.

How long does it take to develop an IoT product?

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.

What does IoT mean?

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.

How much does it cost to develop 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.

Who can develop an IoT project?

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.

What are the most common technologies in IoT?

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.

Do you want to turn your idea into a product?

The time to bring your ideas to life is now. We accompany you throughout the entire process: from idea to product.

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