One of the first steps for any startup team that is building a wearable device is prototyping. At StimScience, we’ve been hard at work on the development of our first prototype. We’re excited to have nearly completed our prototype and are almost ready to distribute it to our first “pilot” customers.
If you haven’t closely followed other consumer device projects, you might not be familiar with the prototyping process. Here are a few frequently asked questions about prototypes…
How are our prototypes different from the device we’re planning on launching in the future?
The prototypes we’re building now are functional prototypes -- they offer the same core functional benefit as our future device, but the design is very different. These prototypes will do most of the same things as our future device: they’ll use personalized, non-invasive brain stimulation to help pilot customers to improve their sleep; and will include features like a rechargeable battery, wireless connectivity to our app, and an EEG sensor for sleep-tracking. But in order to produce them as quickly as possible, we used mostly off-the-shelf components or rapidly produced 3D printed parts to assemble basic working units. The design of our future device will be much more comfortable, beautiful, and reliable than our initial prototype!
Why build a functional prototype instead of just building our future device?
The reason to build prototypes and run customer pilots is to learn. We can design and build a prototype in a fraction of the time that it would take to complete the design of a mass-producable wearable device. That allows us to more quickly learn what customers think about using our product in their homes, and to more quickly validate the neuroscience behind our technology.
We want to hear from you! If you would like to share your thoughts about sleep wearables or provide feedback on our product updates, simply send a note to aaron@stimscience.com. And if you want to help us on our mission, please check out our open roles.