Not sure how much I can really say here, first of all because of confidentiality, and second of all because of privacy, but I guess I can say I work on space stuff. Hardware is extra hard when it needs a launch site.
Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
561–570 of 726 posts
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#562We're building a device to secure your most precious secrets. https://betrusted.io (project overview) and https://precursor.dev (details). It has the form factor of a screen-and-keyboard retro-phone. Our hardware is simple and Open so it is easier to verify. There is no "hard CPU" (it is all FPGA based) so you don't have to trust anyone about what's executing your code. The entire system runs on a pure-Rust OS (Xous)…
Hi Bunnie! Totally unrelated to Precursor/Betrusted, but could you ever do a post-mortem for the Novena? I always liked the quirky form factor and the modularity of it (the Peek Array, the suggestion to use an eink screen if you're on a long trip with no chance to plug it in, etc). Do you think current projects like Framework and Pine64 could adapt/adopt some of the design principles you had in mind back then?
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#563Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess I would say that subcontractors are more like hourly workers (who are time tracked meticulously in almost all industries) - not salaried like software engineers, who would deserve the respect and absence of tracking.
So to clarify: as long as a worker is hourly, they don't deserve any privacy or respect, and can be surveilled at will. That's pretty incredible.
Hourly means “paid by the hour,” so verifying time on the job is directly related to salary. “Punching in” on remote worksites is the problem being solved with this solution.
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#564Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know it’s easy to be critical, but I want to provide feedback. That placement into the base looks difficult and frustrating. I see two main issues. 1. That clearly requires the installer to apply non-trivial force to lock it into place. Beyond it being awkward, a Graco Keyfit is a drop in, no force install. Amazing. 2. In most vehicles, fire-aft distance is a huge, limiting factor. It seems difficult, if not imposs…
Feedback is always welcome. Thanks for checking it out! I may botch the response to your points, but I'll give it a try below. Force > To use the base, yes some force is required. In our opinion, you want force to prevent false-positives on latching. False positives are a big problem with bases, as people perceive latching to have occurred when it actually has not. Visual latching indictors are not sufficient, in my…
> "fire-aft distance"
Sorry, darn auto-correct on my phone.
"Fore-aft" distance is what I meant. Essentially, the distance from the back of the child's seat to the driver's seat. In nearly all vehicles we own (including mid-sized SUVs), it's a close fit to install a baby carrier. In some cases, the front seats will be pressing against the carrier (unavoidable in some cases). With a full base, it's very obvious when the carrier is being pushed up too far by the contact and we need to adjust.
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#565We make a camera system for construction sites. Using computer vision, we can identify when and for how long subcontractors show up as well as notify our customers of unwanted behavior on site. https://bedrockwireless.com/ Fun fact, we probably have the best port-o-potty detector in the world.
Intresting but I dont see something disruptive here, it may work in some specific places but in other countries like Mexico (where I live), someone could easily destroy or damage it, also the connectivity issue in rural areas (where a lot of the building market is interested) should be an issue... maybe it has a business niche but I cant see the mass adoption and innovation here
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#566Building the future of appliances at upliance.ai. Started from the kitchen with a smart cooking assistant - gets recipes all the time, heats-cuts-stirs-chops - and helps make great dishes. We're here - https://www.upliance.ai
(and we've been selling for a few months at this point. 50% cooks are men, and the median user is cooking on weekdays and weekends)
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#567Earlier quoted context omitted.
Feedback is always welcome. Thanks for checking it out! I may botch the response to your points, but I'll give it a try below. Force > To use the base, yes some force is required. In our opinion, you want force to prevent false-positives on latching. False positives are a big problem with bases, as people perceive latching to have occurred when it actually has not. Visual latching indictors are not sufficient, in my…
> "fire-aft distance" Sorry, darn auto-correct on my phone. "Fore-aft" distance is what I meant. Essentially, the distance from the back of the child's seat to the driver's seat. In nearly all vehicles we own (including mid-sized SUVs), it's a close fit to install a baby carrier. In some cases, the front seats will be pressing against the carrier (unavoidable in some cases). With a full base, it's very obvious when t…
Ah, ok, and thanks for clarifying. The Kioma base is low profile (vertical height), and only 1/2 inch out from the passenger seat upright face (your "fore-aft" distance). It does not extend out past the seating face of the passenger seat, or otherwise hang off the passenger seat. Low and slim generally results in a shorter moment arm from the anchorage point (where the latch/isofix mount points are), so reduces the collision forces for the seat/baby.
The Kioma seat is about a standard length, and the width is narrower than competing seats while fitting the same size baby.
Fun fact: the International Standards Organization (ISO) helpfully defined several envelope sizes (r1, r2, etc) to help with baby car seat standardization, and the EU crash regs (see UN r129) even have a test bar that represents the back of a driver's seat.
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#568We did (and still do) indoor localization (essentially GPS for indoor spaces). We started off building our own hardware and during the prototyping phase, we built a quad-channel software defined radio: https://github.com/fzliu/osdr-q10 My 2¢: don't do a hardware startup. Iteration cycles are long and expensive, funding is minimal, and if you're successful you'll be squeezed out of the market by giants such as Intel.
Alternate pov: hardware lacks the kind of off-the-shelf tooling that software has developed, so engineers/founders feel like they have to develop a lot of non-critical things in-house. I'd argue most startups would be better off ruthlessly prioritising requirements and using poorer, off-the-shelf components, and building their advantage at the software-hardware intersection
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#569Earlier quoted context omitted.
The price is insane man. The best of the best car seat according to lots of reviews(Cybex Anoris-T) is "only" £599, your thing is significantly more and I don't see why it's any better. Edit: sorry, let me rephrase that - not insane, just hard to justify.
Thanks, though, for taking a look! I used to know some of the Cybex people (it was a European company), and they congratulated us on beating their best safety scores at the time. Now Cybex is owned by an Asian conglomerate (Goodbaby). The Kioma difference in materials quality and performance is both quantifiable and qualitative. We have to charge a price that covers our work in design and production costs. But I comp…
As a parent - the only way I’d buy this is if I knew I could resell it later and it’d hold its value.
What is the “expiration date” on your seat?
Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?
#570We're building a device to secure your most precious secrets. https://betrusted.io (project overview) and https://precursor.dev (details). It has the form factor of a screen-and-keyboard retro-phone. Our hardware is simple and Open so it is easier to verify. There is no "hard CPU" (it is all FPGA based) so you don't have to trust anyone about what's executing your code. The entire system runs on a pure-Rust OS (Xous)…
Cool! I'd considered buying something like this, but for personal journaling.