product design Archives

Product Safety Consultation

Last week, the Department for Business and Trade launched a product safety consultation, in a bid to reform the current regulatory framework for product safety. The consultation, open until 24th October, is being announced as part of the Government’s Smarter Regulation Programme.

This news came shortly after the announcement that the UKCA marking deadline was to be extended by a further two years

While we commend a review into the current framework around standards, we would question whether it is possible to make such reforms, when resources such as Trading Standards and Third-Party Test Houses are already overstretched. Derogation and e-labelling reforms are all well and good, so long as there are robust policies and organisations in place to ensure these are not exploited. Take for example the problems of cyber security we all encounter day by day with spurious websites and hacking, let alone the lies told as supposed facts.

Dodgy products are a scourge to our collective safety, and we would like greater scrutiny of any product coming in from offshore, not less. In all honesty we must expect unscrupulous manufacturers and importers to take every advantage, and to exploit every vulnerability and loop- hole they can. Being offshore is a great way to hide things, especially if an e-certificate says it is compliant. The earlier point about cyber security should ring alarm bells.

Back to the marking of products. It would be ideal if all territories could come on board with this proposal within a unified framework agreement. The proposal does not mention the problems of products carrying multiple territory compliance markings and how to accommodate different languages.

The consultation document includes several questions, and it urges us to respond to these via the online survey. This is not something you can do during a quick break. It is a big survey to do correctly, and the submission of proof will put many people off. Rather than kick the issues of deadlines down the road and tie business up in consultations they don’t have time to deal with, might we offer two suggestions for HM Gov to think about.

Get to grips with UKCA and get on with it or bin it within the term of this parliament because the UK needs to know one way or the other and not watch the can being kicked down the road to land in someone else’s back yard to deal with.

Level the playing field for UK businesses who are making good products by getting tough on those who evade their compliance responsibility.

These suggestions will clarify the situation post Brexit and give the UK a robust mechanism to deter products coming onto the market that have no right to be there.

Let’s create something great together

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Here be Monsters!

In the quest for high power batteries to provide us with more convenience in our electrical devices, humanity has embarked on a high-speed journey, pushing off the tarmac, onto the tracks and now careering over unmarked territory. Like the seafaring charts of old, the empty places are filled with depictions of horrible beasts and warnings, stating “here be monsters”.

Let’s explain this further….

Irrespective of where we derive electrical energy, it must be stored if we cannot use it immediately. Batteries are used for this purpose and there are many different types of battery that have been developed to meet the demands of their application. When a battery needs to be compact, offer high power, and be fast-charging, the designers generally turn to lithium battery technology. This type of battery is ubiquitous in disposable products -– power tools, EVs, mobile phones and far too many others to mention.

Because lithium chemistry batteries have a high-power density, even a partially charged battery has enormous potential to cause damage if that energy is uncontrollably released. Mechanical damage to the battery can initiate this so it is vital that products containing these batteries are disposed of correctly. Every day there are fires caused by batteries at recycling centres, in street rubbish bins and in refuse collection vehicles. The close proximity of other fuel items often leads to these fires becoming major incidents.

Another cause of battery fires occurs when the power within the battery is not safely managed, often because of due to it being incorrectly manufactured, installed or charged. When those safety measures fail or are absent, a battery effectively turns into a self-igniting incendiary. A lithium battery fire is very difficult to extinguish and the chemical breakdown results in huge clouds of dense toxic smoke being emitted instantaneously. The effects in a small space are very frightening and extremely dangerous.

Here be the monsters!

The battery or its chemistry is not actually the monster; it is the unscrupulous manufacturers of the batteries and the chargers saving a few pennies in the design of the monitoring circuitry, reducing the integrity of the mechanical protection, or quite frankly, not caring that they are making every penny of profit they can by ignoring both moral and legal requirements to provide safe products.

They are not the only monsters. There are the monsters who tear the planet apart and provide the raw materials to feed this frenzy of battery power. There are the monsters who turn a blind eye to the damage being done in the name of progress. There are the monsters who sell products, not fit for purpose, to those who feel they cannot do without them. There the are monsters who mark products with compliance symbols to deceive everyone else in to thinking products are as safe as they can be.

Sadly, this long list of monsters is ever increasing because the ways and means of trapping and neutralising them has not developed as quickly as the monsters have exploited the opportunity to thrive.

Some of these things we cannot do much about but there are some monsters we can be alert to, and keep out of our lives. These include:

– Challenging our trust that everything we buy is safe, especially if the item is suspiciously low value, is an unknown brand or comes from a drop-shipped source obtained online.

– Considering the reasons behind the rules and regulations we are asked to comply with. Although these can appear frustrating, some regulations really do make sense, especially about recycling and those in user guides.

– Correctly disposing of battery powered products at recycling centres or drop off points.

– Only charging battery products while you can monitor them.

If we all follow these simple rules, these monsters become far less dangerous to us and our planet.

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Coffee & Sex Robots

Over the years we have rejected quite a few design concepts presented to us. Some were dangerous, some were copies of other products and a few were just too far off in the future. Over a cup of coffee we got talking about some of these and very soon got onto comparing how some of the old wish lists we had read for anthropomorphic sex robots compared to what we now know is possible. It surprised us to learn that a fully featured doll is still a little way off but there are some parts of the wish list we could tick off.

Conversational dolls responding directly to the user. ✓ using ChatGPT or one of its variants with a bit of programming and specific response preferences would fulfill that.
Animated face. ✓ using micro servos and actuators synchronised to speech resulting in a lifelike look and with expressions is already possible.
Feedback. ✓ movement and pressure sensors integrated into ‘touchable areas’ and synchronized with verbal and facial output is practical. Adding localised stimulations of tightness, vibration, heat and pulsing begins to close the feedback loop.
Companionship. ✓ a life sized, human replicant can be built with any body type and appearance. They can be dressed to suit and the parameters of the conversation delivered through AI can be set to suit the user’s preference.
What else? Hmmm, let’s see.

That could include the capability of complex movement so a robot can share the dynamics and active space of humans by engaging with us when walking, exercising, and caring for us, just as though they too were human. If we consider that companies like General Dynamics, Hanson Robotics and Honda, to name but a few, are making huge advances in this area, then we should conclude this capability is not far away. Sex doll creators are pushing these same limits all the time so whether the human-like sex robot market is fulfilled by the robotics companies, the adult toy industry or a collaboration, is somewhat irrelevant because in the long term we are sure it will happen.

With our coffee cups almost empty we predicted that quite soon we are going to see robots indistinguishable from ourselves and able to do “more than” the ironing or washing up. Would those same robots have autonomy and decision making? The answer is, at some point, it will be crude to begin with and will then develop exponentially through learning. Free will is something we all cherish but possibly not something that would be a part of the makeup for a sex robot, especially when the point of a sex robot is to say yes to everything and to actively play its role.

Smug with our coffee time prediction it then went quiet as the enormity of what we had concluded was possible dawned on us. Just because something can be done, it should not always be done. Who would set the moral and ethical code that controlled what these new ‘beings’ were designed to represent and be configured for? It’s a much bigger topic than can be covered in a coffee break and one that left us pondering over empty cups.

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Funding Your New Product Development

April sees the start of a new financial year for most businesses. Once the year end is out of the way, it’s a good time to start planning your future activity and look at any new product development opportunities you might have been considering for a while.

Taking a great product to manufacture takes time and money, however there are funding opportunities in existence to help with this process. In this article we’ll look at ways of supporting and funding fledgling businesses.

The Business Support Finder and Find a Grant platforms are really useful for identifying any possible sources of Government funding for your business. There are also companies out there like Fund Onion and Fin point who run business finance platforms that match small business owners to their most suitable lenders for free. You can also make use of Grant Writers, like Grant Up to help you plan and write your application.

However, you can investigate and apply for funding yourself and if you fit the criteria, you can use these grants to help you on your way to getting your product manufactured whether you are an individual or a business.

Below are a few options to help point you in the right direction:

Barclays Eagle Labs
The Eagle Labs can help whether you are a start up or scale up business. The Digital Growth Grant will fund training resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs, including a Learning Management System providing virtual training to over 10,000 businesses and training modules created for young people to inspire the next generation of UK entrepreneurs.

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is designed to help small, early-stage companies raise equity finance by offering tax reliefs to individual investors who purchase new shares in those companies. Businesses can receive up to £150,000 through the scheme.

British Design Fund
The British Design Fund is an early stage investment fund that specifically invests in, and provides support for early stage UK product design and manufacturing companies.

Syndicate Room
Syndicate Room is an organisation that enables members of the public to invest in the same projects as professional “lead” investors, while providing everyone with the same economic terms and legal protections. Lead investors will conduct their own valuations and due diligence before investing, and members of the public will benefit from the reassurance that their money is being invested in a promising project.

South West Enterprise Fund (SWEF)
If you are aged between 18-30 and based in the South West region, this fund offers start up businesses grants up to £2,000 to start or grow your new business venture.

Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding has revolutionised the way businesses and projects are funded, allowing small start-ups to use the power of the internet, social media and engagement to raise funds from a number of investors.
You can read Hillside Product Design’s Crowdfunding article to find out more detail about how to best utilise these platforms.

Sated Design have further financial advice partners to get you set-up from the outset and help you fund getting your product to market. Just contact us for the most up to date information.
Please reference Sated Design and/or Hillside Product Design Limited if you contact any of these parties.

And then when you’re ready, we can help to make your new product idea a reality!

One final tip is to check with HMRC or an Accountant that you are doing things in the right order. For example, a start-up company would need to consider things like VAT and R&D tax credits but if these aren’t done at the right time, you might find that you are not able to claim everything you are entitled to.

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Designing for availability

The march of digitalisation continues but like an army which can only march on its stomach, can digitalisation sustain itself? We are learning of more restrictions placed on microchip exports. These are only adding to the shortage problem that has been affecting the electronics industry for some time.

Even before the covid pandemic, a global shortage of semiconductors was making life difficult for those of us involved in new product development, never mind everyone else in manufacturing!

Semiconductors are used in everything from mobile phones to military equipment; essentially any digital product requires semiconductors. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated this problem and created the perfect storm with the closure of factories and the demand for technology increasing massively due to more people home working and home educating. Now everyone is catching up and those with deeper pockets are, quite frankly, being selfish and buying out everything they can get their hands on.

The result of this perfect storm has affected the availability of other components as well and created huge supply chain disruptions for manufacturers and new challenges within new product development.

It’s not all doom and gloom. At Sated Design we will work with electronics designers to consider the use of alternative components and then facilitate a clean implementation. By looking again at a product specification and asking the right questions it is possible to move forward and in some cases have increased functionality for the end user.

At Sated Design we have the knowledge and experience to support you as you adapt to an unstable parts market and help you make the best of a difficult situation. If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help, please get in touch.

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A New Year, A New Idea

Welcome to 2023! It’s a New Year full of opportunity and that often results in many of us looking to make something of that great idea we have been thinking about. At this time of year we always receive an increase in enquiries from Private Inventors. The ‘new year, new start’ mentality often spurs people on but it is easy to be swept up in the excitement and to count those chickens before they hatch so it might be interesting to share the way we approach these enquiries.

We work on the premise that every idea is a good idea until we learn otherwise. We know that most private inventors are unfamiliar with the process of turning an idea in to a product and we support them in an honest and fair way to manage their expectations and set out the journey they need to undertake along with the risks for their hard-earned money. Success is never guaranteed but the chances of success are higher if you understand the snakes and ladders of the ‘game’. With over a thousand products designed and millions of products successfully manufactured we have played and won the ‘game’ a few times now!

Here are 4 ways in which working with us can help:

Feasibility Studies & Risk Assessments
It is a really good idea to determine if your idea is do-able. A risk assessment allows you to demonstrate that you have fulfilled your obligation to sell a safe product. A feasibility study can help you define your product design specification and identify commercial factors that are key to every product such as standards and conformity.
Protecting your idea
Any initial discussions about your idea must be protected with Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA). Crucially your ideas and claims should be protected as Intellectual Property (IP). We have excellent links with trusted and experienced IP Attorneys in several specialisms who work with us to advise you and to help you establish the IP landscape around your claims before securing the right protection.
Developing a Prototype
Prototypes are an intrinsic part of the development process. They enable testing of the design, market activity and consumer feedback before you make big financial commitments. We have experience of a huge range of prototyping techniques, many of which can be offered through our own in-house workshop, helping to manage your costs and protect IP.
Manufacturing
Whatever your budgets we will work very closely with you and the manufacturing partners to determine the optimum manufacturing solutions to deliver your project.

Contact us today and start your new year, new idea journey!

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Carbon Neutrality & Net Zero in Adult Toy Design

Last week, we questioned in an article whether a product should always be designed, even if it serves little or no purpose? The answer, at least from this camp, is a resounding no!

A core part of the ethos of Sated Design is to question from the outset of any new project, is this adult toy product right? Will it serve its purpose? Will it be made with the right materials? Naturally these questions will help lead us to consider becoming Carbon Neutral and reaching Net Zero.

We are all hearing about the importance of being carbon neutral and meeting the target for net zero emissions but in order to understand and to implement strategies effectively we need to know what these terms actually mean. Designers in all disciplines have a critical role to play in the journey to becoming a Net Zero society.

So what can we do?

We have created a new video presentation to consider Carbon Neutrality and Net Zero in adult toy design to help consider this question. This includes 10 practical steps, we as a business, our clients and colleagues can take towards achieving Net Zero.

WATCH IT NOW

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Should a product always be designed?

We receive all sorts of requests for assistance from potential clients looking to develop new products. The majority of these are clearly considered and well thought out, but just occasionally we get inappropriate ideas for new products and a handful that have been truly alarming and quite dangerous to contemplate!

At least we, as responsible product designers, can filter those out but our world is littered with examples of products that should never exist. Pointless products, unsafe products, irresponsible products and badly conceived products. The list is endless but at some point there was a designer and manufacturer who was part of the process. It’s tempting to think that those involved cannot have looked at anything other than the profit they would have made by bringing these to market.

We are all plagued by products becoming obsolete. Some of this is necessary but much of it is deliberately planned to force a new purchase. This inevitably results in huge amounts of resources going to waste and new resources being consumed to continue the merry go around.

How can it be fair on all of us and the planet to squander such valuable resources?

It seems to us that quite often a good idea is not always a good idea if it gets challenged using real world values.

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UKCA – Countdown to compliance

The UKCA mark applies to most goods that previously required a CE mark. In April last year, our sister company Hillside Product Design published an article about the new UKCA mark which came into effect on 1st January 2021. According to Government requirements, many businesses would still be able to use the CE marking until 1st January 2022 to allow them time to adjust to the new UKCA.

At the start of 2022 the UKCA marking must be present at least as a label affixed to the product or an accompanying document. From 1st Jan 2023 UKCA marking must comply with specific regulations that apply to the product.

This all sounds pretty straightforward; you would think, however concerningly, there appears to be a lack of understanding, or even knowledge of this requirement with many of the UK-based manufacturers we are speaking to. This suggests that come next year this is potentially going to be a problem for any who did not comply.

The new UKCA is a legal compliance, therefore markings must be appropriately displayed with newly manufactured products by the start of next year. With a deadline of less than 8 months away this could easily catch many manufacturers on their back foot.

UKCA marks must conform to certain size requirements. This means manufacturers will need to find space to integrate the new UKCA mark. As this is a compliance requirement, manufacturers have no choice but to do this and yet potentially this is going to cost a lot of money and, even more worryingly, a lot of time and inconvenience to implement.

There is frustration at this new legislation with some questioning whether the new UKCA is really necessary. Our position is that this is a regulation and will therefore need to be adhered to. Our advice is to address this early on and make adjustments that meet requirements.

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World IP Day

Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) legally identifies the originator and owner of your idea and gives you exclusive rights to exploit it. In the simplest terms, if you are unable to legally protect your new product or choose not to protect it, then competitors could not be prevented from copying all your hard work!

The adult toy industry is notorious for unscrupulously copying great ideas. Both securing effective IPP and taking swift and aggressive action to stomp out copy cats are both crucial to maintaining your competitive edge.

Tuesday 26th April marks World IP Day so in celebration of this fact, we have compiled a list of our Top 5 Tips for protecting your New Product Development (NPD).

Keep the secret
It is important that the early stages of a project are kept as secret as possible, until you have suitable Intellectual Property (IP) measures in place. Releasing details of your idea into the public domain (which includes your friends) without protection may jeopardise the chances of your IPP applications being granted.
Non-Disclosure
If you need to discuss your idea with anyone, such as a supplier, use a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) document to ensure that all parties understand their obligations to keep the discussions secret.
Research, Research, Research
Research existing product and patents using internet search engines and patent databases. There are many free patent databases that you can use to carry out your own searching, but professional patent searches and patent attorneys who specialise in such services will almost certainly dig deeper and could find documents that are more relevant than those found by a novice searcher.
Utilise the expertise of others
A design consultancy team like Sated Design will help you explore the idea and identify where the novel elements of the design might be. The designers can help with providing descriptions of claims and supporting illustrations which will reduce your search and filing fees significantly.
Get professional help
When you are confident you have established what the main strengths of your idea are then you should investigate the best form of IPP. Attempting a DIY IPP is not the best approach and can do more harm than good. There are a number of ways to protect the intellectual property of your idea and we recommend that you speak with an IPP expert such as a Patent Attorney.

At Sated Design we have excellent links with trusted and experienced IP attorneys in several specialisms who can help you to gain the right protection. We have established clear working protocols that enable them to offer our clients favourable, fixed cost structures by keeping their involvement focused in key areas and at key stages in the NPD process. It has been our experience that even when allowing for the costs attributed to these services, our clients still save themselves time and money in the long run.

You can find out more in our company Information Pack. Contact us now to get your copy.

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