Regarding idea #52 SoftBricks (Bricks that contain
software components that you can connect just like
lego pieces).
I had a very similar idea more than a decade ago.
I wrote a business plan and shopped (unsuccessfully)
for venture capital. Here's the title and first
paragraph from my plan of Nov. 18, 1998:
Proto-pliance: A concept plan for a company which designs,
manufactures, and sells hardware and software for rapid
prototyping or customization of electronic devices
The basis of this plan is developing electronic blocks or "bricks"
that can be used to build simple, useful, custom electronic devices
in as little time as half-an-hour to a few hours, with the help of a
person who can do light weight programming. No electrical engineering,
soldering, or firmware programming required. One proposed business
name, Proto-pliance, a blend of prototyping and appliance, is used in the
broadest sense. The "prototype" may be put to real uses; the "appliance"
may be any kind of electronic or electromechanical device. The business
designs, manufactures, and sells hardware (the bricks) and the required
software (development tools).
I suspect that hundreds of other people have had this
same idea (BugLabs and several others fit the bill),
but I'm disappointed to see that no one has managed to
make a big success out of this. This is a seemingly
really good idea but it hasn't panned out.
I had a very similar idea more than a decade ago. I wrote a business plan and shopped (unsuccessfully) for venture capital. Here's the title and first paragraph from my plan of Nov. 18, 1998:
Proto-pliance: A concept plan for a company which designs, manufactures, and sells hardware and software for rapid prototyping or customization of electronic devices
The basis of this plan is developing electronic blocks or "bricks" that can be used to build simple, useful, custom electronic devices in as little time as half-an-hour to a few hours, with the help of a person who can do light weight programming. No electrical engineering, soldering, or firmware programming required. One proposed business name, Proto-pliance, a blend of prototyping and appliance, is used in the broadest sense. The "prototype" may be put to real uses; the "appliance" may be any kind of electronic or electromechanical device. The business designs, manufactures, and sells hardware (the bricks) and the required software (development tools).
I suspect that hundreds of other people have had this same idea (BugLabs and several others fit the bill), but I'm disappointed to see that no one has managed to make a big success out of this. This is a seemingly really good idea but it hasn't panned out.