Category: Blog

ING Robotic Aviation Read for Takeoff

ING Robotic Aviation Read for Takeoff

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What happens when you combine robotics, airplanes and a dash of aesthetic mechanical innovation?

Well, with the right team and experience you may end up re-inventing aviation with unmanned aircraft that deliver airborne sensing solutions in the fields of surveying, environmental monitoring, and critical infrastructure inspecting.

ING Robotic Aviation’s Serenity UAV

ING Robotic Aviation is a Design 1st client whose disruptive aviation technology is shaking up industries and forcing operational change across the globe. The company has found the right mix of innovation, sensing solutions and aesthetic design that has allowed them to put the right information, into the right hands, at the right time. ING’s fixed-wing Serenity Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft was recently purchased by IFMS, a Chilean company to help fight forest fires. While ING’s rotary-wing, “Responder” UAV was purchased last week by a client for surveillance operations in East Africa.

ING Robotic Aviation’s Team with Responder UAV

To find out more about ING Robotic Aviation and how their technology is being used in multiple industries across the globe, checkout their webpage at www.ingrobotic.com.

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Published on: July 20, 2023

Ottawa Personal Trainer with a Product Idea

Ottawa Personal Trainer with a Product Idea

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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After meeting Guy Murray for the first time you’re guaranteed to hear at least one product idea. ThOttawa personal trainer embodies the definition of an inventor and has used his ingenuity to create several products over the years.

In early 2010, Guy came up with one product idea he knew would take more than elbow grease to bring to life. After contacting several machine shops, engineers and prototype outfits he stumbled across Design 1st online.  Quickly a meeting was set up, budget identified and a team put in place. Over the next six months the design team moved Guy from Idea through to engineering and prototyping.

The results following the early stages of product development were a finalized concept, detailed design and a  CAD rendered video showcasing the new benchpress revolution called PowerPress:

This followed with a low volume production run of the PowerPress and various product trials. The most popular trial was at the 100% Raw Bench Press Provincials in Ottawa where the PowerPress was tried out by dozens of conditioned Powerlifters. The consensus — they loved it, PowerPress was a hit.

After product trials Guy took the feedback and put together a professional commercial video detailing the mechanics, technology and benefits of the PowerPress.

Now moving into 2014 Guy is nearing the end of the product design process and is preparing to sell and distribute the PowerPress. While currently a hit at his private gym, Studio Elite Fitness – Guy  is hoping other gyms’ will have a chance to reap the benefits of his innovation.

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Published on: July 20, 2023

Nuvyyo – Client News Update

Nuvyyo – Client News Update

27 Years Experience

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1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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Recently named a 2014 Startup to Watch by the Ottawa Business Journal, Nuvyyo – one of our clients based here in the Ottawa area, are re-inventing the way we enjoy our tablet devices, by allowing people to stream their photos, videos, TV shows and movies on their personal devices no matter where they may be.

Nuvvyo was recently featured on CBC news to showcase to viewers how they are helping people everywhere cut the cord that ties us to local cable and satellite providers.

“It’s not just about the TV these days,” says NuvyyoCEO Grant Hall. “It’s really about whatever device you have and wherever you are, enabling you to enjoy that live and recorded programming wherever you want to.”

With our help, along with a few other suppliers, the Tablo is now testing over 60 units in Canada and the United States. Pre-Sales are soaring and the Tablo is set to ship next week to eagerly awaiting Cord Cutters.

Tablo is a system that plugs into an antenna and lets customers watch and record high-definition programming on their television or tablet – for free, so you can enjoy what you want, where you want, without being tied into contracts and spending the thousands of dollars most of us spend a year already on cable and/or satellite services.

Check-out this Video to see why the Tablo is attracting so much attention:

CEO Grant Hall says that Nuvyyo will likely focus its initial efforts on online retail sales before branching out to traditional retail shops. But with consumers continuing to drop their cable and satellite TV subscriptions in record the numbers the Tablo may be showing up on the shelves of Big Box stores sooner than later.

Nuvyyo was founded in 2010 and currently employs eleven full-time employees,  and three part-time, and are located in Kanata, Ontario.

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Published on: July 20, 2023

Epiphan Systems Launches Cutting-Edge Video Technology

Epiphan Systems Launches Cutting-Edge Video Technology

27 Years Experience

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1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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We’ve had the pleasure of working alongside the world leader in high resolution audio/video capture, recording and streaming products – Epiphan Systems over the past year.

Today our hard work culminated with the launch of Epiphan’s flagship video device Pearl – the first of its kind that can stream and record multiple HD audio-video sources simultaneously.

“This is the most advanced and flexible capture, streaming, and recording platform ever produced by Epiphan,” said David Kirk, director of product management. “Pearl will be a very appealing solution to our customers in education, healthcare, security, worship, business, and industry. It’s also a complementary component for other companies’ video content management systems.”

Design 1st was responsible for the physical product design of the Pearl which features a sleek brushed metal finish, user friend LCD touch screen and multiple input ports.

The Pearl along with several of Epiphan’s other cutting broadcast technologies were being shown and demonstrated for the first time at  Infocomm  2014 tradeshow in Las Vegas – June 18-20.

You can check-out  Epiphan’s booth setup #N1821  below – if you’re at Infocomm, we recommend dropping by and taking the Pearl for a test drive!

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Published on: July 19, 2023

Keep the James Webb Space Telescope Launch on Track

Keep the James Webb Space Telescope Launch on Track

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In a crunch, COM DEV, the company responsible for a key guidance system component of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, relied on a member of Design 1st’s electronics engineering team to troubleshoot and repair a crippling control system problem.

In October 2018, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency are set to launch the James Webb Space Telescope.

Billed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, Webb will be the most complex and powerful telescope ever built. It will be able to see through dust clouds which absorb visible light, helping scientists to see further back in time.

Orbiting a million miles from the Earth and using a viewing area that is seven times larger than Hubble, JWST will capture the infrared signals from the first stars and galaxies over 13.5 billion years ago.

Crucial to Webb’s success is a Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), a means of positioning the telescope that will orient it for target acquisition and provide image stabilization during scientific observations. COM DEV International Ltd. was contracted in 2001 to begin development of the hardware and software for Webb’s FGS.

COM DEV had experience contributing to over 950 satellite projects, but this was still an enormous task, and a failure to deliver would set back the entire Webb project.

Late-stage space simulation tests uncover a crippling problem.

Unfortunately, late-stage tests in 2013 uncovered serious problems with the FGS’ control system. When the hardware was tested in space-simulating conditions (these were as cold as -240°C), some scenarios caused the system to lock up and behave inconsistently.

The problem was critical and it threatened to delay the entire launch of the JWST.

The software inconsistencies had to be quickly diagnosed and fixed, written into new Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) integrated circuits, and then re-installed into the FGS system. System verification testing would also have to be redone, costing over $1M and slowing down the parallel development of other systems.

And if replacing the FGPAs caused any damage to the host circuit boards, it would create delays which would be disastrous for the whole JWST program.

In searching for a solution, COM DEV engaged Design 1st. VP of electronics Peter Cottreau to troubleshoot the issue and recommend a solution. Acting quickly, Peter:

  • Diagnosed the problem and proposed changes to 3,000 lines of FPGA code
  • Convinced NASA the changes would completely resolve all issues
  • Created a test framework to verify the changes were effective

As of March 6, 2016, with successful completion of instrument testing, the telescope is officially optically complete.

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people who have been working for many, many years,” said Jamie Dunn, NASA’s Integrated Science Instrument Module Manager. “This final test was phenomenal, everything is working spectacularly well.”

The James Webb Space Telescope is currently scheduled to launch from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket in October 2018.

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Published on: July 19, 2023

New Medical Device Receives Health Canada Approval

New Medical Device Receives Health Canada Approval

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Often the hardest part of medical product development, is not the tough technical challenges but the nail-biting wait for licensing and certification of your product. Luckily, for our client Joylux, the wait is over.

Last week, Health Canada released their approval of Joylux’s vSculpt product as a licensed medical device.

About vSculpt:

vSculpt is the world’s first over-the-counter handheld medical device utilizing LED (light-emitting diode) technology to help treat the millions of women who suffer from pelvic floor disorders (PFDs).

Users can download a compatible mobile app to assist in tracking treatment time and accessing product instructions and useful tips. Used three times per week for ten minutes per session over 60 days, vSculpt has delivered impressive results.

 

After kicking off the launch of vSculpt at CES 2016, Joylux has built a steady stream of awareness for their vSculpt product, including recent media mentions in both Inc. and Huffington Post.

Now with their Health Canada approval in hand, vSculpt has officially launched in Canada as well.

You can learn more and purchase vSculpt at: www.vsculpt.com

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Published on: July 19, 2023

Bath and Play: From Idea to Kickstarter

Bath and Play: From Idea to Kickstarter

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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Ottawa inventor Jay Conohan walked into the Design 1st office in January 2013 with a product idea and the enthusiasm to dive headfirst into the product development process. Now 10 months later, he has a working prototype, Kickstarter campaign and is preparing for the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas to showcase his product. Here’s a quick summary of Jay’s journey and how he re-invented toddler bath time.

The Product Idea

Like many inventors, Jay stumbled across the “Bath and Play” product idea by accident; literally, his son Ronyn fell in the bathtub while trying to standup. After an online search for a product that would allow Ronyn to safely stand and explore the bathtub came up empty Jay decided to invent one.

The first step was meeting with the Design 1st team and fleshing out possible design concepts, various concept sketches are shown below:

Detailed Design and Prototyping

After several design discussions with Jay, a product concept was chosen that met all the design requirements including:

  • Fit in any standard size bathtub
  • Foldable and light weight design for easy storage
  • Waterproof, durable and safe mate
  • Accommodate various accessories

The next step was building the finalized design concept and all its custom parts in Solidworks, a 3D CAD program. This step involved defining the geometry, features and function that would bring the product idea to life. Once complete, a fabricator was sourced to build a durable foam prototype using the 3D CAD files as shown below:

Kickstarter Campaign

With a working prototype, design files and pricing information on manufacturing costs, Jay was ready to start the next leg of his journey on Kickstarter. The goal of the Kickstarter Campaign was to raise $30K to offset the tooling costs in preparation for high volume and quality manufacturing – an expensive process. The Kickstarter campaign would also offer the opportunity for new parents to be the first to own a “Bath and Play” along with creative minds to design accessories for it.

Launched on September 30, the Kickstarter campaign got off to a great start reaching 20% of the funding goal with 20 Backers. To get look at how it all came together check-out Jay’s Kickstarter video below:

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Published on: July 18, 2023

Medical Hardware Startup Joylux Granted Two U.S. Patents

Medical Hardware Startup Joylux Granted Two U.S. Patents

27 Years Experience

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1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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Design 1st is excited to announce that long-standing Seattle based client Joylux was granted two US patents for their revolutionary female health device vSculpt.

Joylux Inc. CEO Colette Courtion holding U.S. patents

Design 1st has been working with Joylux for over four years to bring the vSculpt device from concept idea to prototyping, manufacturing, Health Canada approval, and into new markets, including Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia.

The recent patent news comes on the heels of a $5-million Series A funding round Joylux closed in 2018 along with dozens of media mentions including Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.

Moving into 2019 vSculpt is seeking to expand their United States footprint with FDA approval and market efforts to educate females on pelvic floor health.

Learn more: https://www.vsculpt.com/

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Published on: July 18, 2023

Cloud 9 Raises $17.5m in Series B Funding

Cloud 9 Raises $17.5m in Series B Funding

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1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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New York City-based client Cloud 9 raises $17.5 Million Series B funding round to expand operations. Design 1st helps Cloud 9 design, engineer and manufacture their industry-leading hardware platform devices enabling wall street brokerages to provide ultra-fast virtual environments for their traders.

Since March 2020, Cloud9 has seen new business increase by over 50% as top global banks and financial institutions adopt remote working environments.

“Whether it’s working from an office or from home, traders and financial institutions want optionality and that’s what we’re providing. The transition to a virtual, cloud-based trading floor is accelerating as the industry recognizes the importance of a more flexible and intelligent voice communications model.”
– Jerry Starr, Chief Executive Officer at Cloud9

Cloud9 Hardware Communication Platform Shown Below:

Read Full Cloud9 Case Study

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Published on: July 17, 2023

Epiphan Launches Pearl Nano

Epiphan Launches Pearl Nano

27 Years Experience

75+ Design Awards

1,000+ Manufactured Products

From Idea to Prototype in as Little as Six Weeks!

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Design 1st client, Epiphan has launched its next-generation video production device, the Pearl Nano. A lightweight, portable 4K Live Video Streaming and Production device for audio-video professionals.

Epiphan’s new hardware device is the second product Design 1st has helped design and manufacture. The first product was the Epiphan Pearl, which featured an eye-catching brush metal finish and intuitive user interface.

The all-new Pearl Nano focuses on portability with a lightweight smaller footprint and range of new features for professionals on-the-go.

The Pearl Nano focuses on portability with a lightweight small footprint and a range of new features that make capturing, editing, and processing live video easier than ever.

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Published on: July 17, 2023