14. Invention, Intellectual Property, and Income

This week’s assignment is exclusively about the final project. The objective is to decide how to disseminate the project, what business plan could emerge from it, and prepare drafts for the presentation.

Presentation draft

Here is a draft of the presentation slide (presentation.png):

I should of course update it with real pictures once it is built. For now, I am using my Blender 3D preview, as I described during the Applications and implications week.

I also prepared an early draft of the presentation video, mainly rendered using that same Blender file:

In the coming weeks, I will add footage of the fabrication process.

Dissemination plan

Inspired by the story of Josef Prusa and his Prusa i3 3D printer, I want to start by making all design files open source. For this purpose, I can distribute the files under the MIT or fab license. In my view, this machine will be a first iteration as part of a longer design process. The open source philosophy allow other people to give me feedback and/or help me improve the machine by modifying the source files.

In a second stage, I can decide to prepare construction kits with all needed parts. As this 3D scanner is a specialized product, I could start with FabLabs in Europe and get their feedback. With positive results, I could target a wider audience such as 3D artists or academic environments.