Smart Toy Train
1. Concept Ideation
The ideation of a Smart Toy Train arose from the CEO of Teton Private Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a toy that would appeal to today's children. The toy would be an IoT product, i.e. interface with smartphones to be remotely controlled and interact with activity blocks to perform various functions as well. This would serve an educational purpose as well, in terms of motor development and coordination of thoughts, color recognition, enhancement of cognitive and emotional intelligence, as well as social and creative skills.
2. Market Study
In times of a global pandemic, the market for sophisticated toys boomed. The need for children to play and develop their cognitive skills at home was of utmost importance. 60% of the worldwide toy sales are from North America and the other 30% are from China. In Bangladesh, this need was also growing. The figures below show the total revenue generated from children's toys and why this product had enormous potential.
3. Competitive Analysis
Toy trains have flooded the NA market for decades. LEGO had their Duplo 10874 toy train, just like BRIO and Intelino had their versions of smart toy trains. However, the Asian market was still developing. This proved an opportunity for Teton Private Ltd. to launch the Smart Toy Train as their flagship product.
4. Production Plan
Since the Smart Toy Train would be mass produced in Bangladesh, it provided a competitive edge against Lego, BRIO, and other large toy companies. The plastic parts of the Smart Toy Train could be injection-molded in China, as well as the small metal parts and components could be directly sourced through Alibaba. Once all the components arrived in Bangladesh, the Toy Train could be locally assembled, taking advantage of the relatively cheaper labor cost. The comparatively cheaper manufacturing cost provided the opportunity to sell the Toy Train at affordable prices, driving sales upwards. Meanwhile, the product would have to be top-notch in material and functional quality, aesthetics, and control.
5. Concept Design
The concept design followed the initial constraints:
1. Size similar to LEGO Duplo and BRIO's train and carriage length.
2. Tracks would make a large loop so a child can sit in the middle to play. Expansions packs would allow for an infinity-loop to be made.
3. The train must be colorful to catch the customer's eye, especially those of parents, since they would be the primary customer.
4. The main body has to house all electrical components and be inconvenient to open to prevent children from swallowing small components.
5. The toy must be lightweight to conserve battery power for a certainly long period of time.
6. The toy must have smooth rounded edges to be child-safe, with a glossy finish to have an outlook of good quality.
7. The rear wheels would be fixed with a free-moving gearbox, so the toy can be played without battery power like any regular toy car. The front wheels would be totally free.
6. Product Specification
The product specification of the Smart Toy Train is defined jointly by the team of Mechanical and Embedded Systems engineers. The specifications are stated as:
1. Push-and-Go feature that signals the train to move forwards.
2. Smartphone interface for remote control, like moving forward/backward.
3. Can sustain considerable impact and dropping force without coming apart or becoming dysfunctional.
4. Can sense colors on the track to perform various activities, such as change lights, play jingles, start/stop and accelerate/decelerate.
5. Can last at least 3 weeks on 4 AAA batteries without excessive power drain.
6. Is child-safe, made of non-toxic material and compliant to market toy standards.
7. Is bright, colorful and appealing to children, i.e. round edges, bright colors
7. CAD Modeling, Prototyping and Manufacturing
The process for the CAD Modeling, prototyping and manufacturing process is elaborately described in the report below.
8. QA and Packaging
The Smart Toy Train was put through accelerated life-cycle tests, fatigue and load tests, impact strength tests and drop tests. Once each unit passed all these QA tests, the engine body and carriage were carefully packaged into the LDPE plastic tray, along with the 10 tracks and 5 color blocks. The package boxes were shrink wrapped to prevent dust and moisture damage.
Smart Bath Scale
Concept Ideation
The concept of a Smart Bath Scale arose from the need to build a diversified product portfolio for Teton Private Ltd. The Smart Bath Scale would be an IoT device that connects to smartphones, allows users to keep track of their weight, BMI, and fitness.
2. Market Study
As more and more people are becoming concerned about their health and well-being, digital weight scales are becoming increasingly popular. The demand for Smart Scales have increased even further, as shown in the figures below.
3. Competitive Analysis
Electronic bath scales have been a must for not just health-conscious people, but for aged as well as the young population. They are easy to use and store away, with accurate measurements of weight and calculated BMI index, and even recommendations tailored towards each user which are generated on their cloud-based profiles. These bath scales have helped people gear towards a healthier lifestyle. The NA market is saturated with smart weight scales, kitchen scales and industrial scales, available in a wide range of prices - from $20 to $150. Brands like Garmin, Etekcity, Withings, have become popular from their bath scale sales alone. However, China still dominated the production of scales in Asia. This proved an opportunity for Teton Private Ltd. to gain brand value through their very own Smart Bath Scale.
4. Production Plan
The production of the Smart Bath Scale is made cheaper by negotiating the manufacturing cost with mold manufacturers and component suppliers down to a minimum. This was done parallel to designing and testing the prototype the Scale, to find areas of cost optimization. The appeal towards using a stainless steel top surface instead of tempered glass provided a unique feature that modern bath scales do not have as well as a more robust outlook. Injection-molding the plastic parts in China allowed a cost-efficient production plan, while the internal components, such as display, load cells, internal glass plate, were sourced in bulk, therefore with a relatively lower unit cost. The assembly would be done in-house to save labor cost, since the assembly process was not complicated.
5. Concept Design
The Smart Scale was modeled with the following design constraints:
1. Standard size with a sturdy, robust metal surface and lightweight body
2. Anti-slip top surface and anti-skid bottom surface
3. Bright and easily visible display
4. Display must be protected from external factors
5. Wires must be neatly and firmly guided throughout the internal frame.
6. No protruding edges.
6. Product Specification
The product specification of the Smart Bath Scale is defined jointly by the team of Mechanical and Embedded Systems engineers. The specifications are stated as:
1. Smartphone-interfacing capabilities through Bluetooth 5.0
2. Efficient power consumption on 4 1.5V AAA batteries
3. Easily visible segment-LCD display from all angles
4. Stainless steel surface offers anti-slip feature
5. Rubber pads on the bottom prevent skidding on wet and inclined surfaces
6. BMI calculations, detailed history on fitness and health to monitor through app by multiple users.
7. CAD Modeling, Prototyping and Manufacturing
The process for the CAD Modeling, prototyping and manufacturing process is elaborately described in the report below.
8. QA and Packaging
The Smart Bath Scale was put through accelerated life-cycle tests, fatigue and load tests, impact strength tests and drop tests. Once each unit passed all these QA tests, the assembled bath scale was carefully placed inside a CPE envelope with Styrofoam corner brackets for support. The package boxes were shrink wrapped to prevent dust and moisture damage.