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Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

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Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#171

Post by jagtstronaut »

remote_phone wrote: post #144
foooorsyth wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of couples stair-step their kids. It’s not 18 months for a lot of families. It’s 4-6 years with hand-me-downs.

Baby seats have expiration dates and it’s scary how many parents fall for the emotional manipulation around that. It makes the used car seat market dead as well as hand-me-downs

I wouldn't care about an expiration date, but I avoid the hand-me-down car seat market for the wreck reason. The carseats are only designed to be in one. I personally wouldn't know how to definitively say it had never been in one.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#172

Post by bombcar »

konschubert wrote: post #20

I am making and selling an eink smart screen. It can display a google calendar. You can also point it to any url that serves an image. Is it okay to post a link? https://shop.invisible-computers.com/products/invisible-cale... I am planning to release more applications for it and I am opening the platform for 3rd party applications.

If you can document how to make this show a calendar from Office 365 that would get you so many sales.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#173

Post by evntdrvn »

cactacea wrote: post #121

Just a one man show for now but this is my current side project: https://www.tesotaoverland.com/product/apds The idea is that this replaces a many of the components you'd normally use to build out a 12V electrical system for a van or 4wd truck. Just plug everything in to the WAGO connectors, no bus bars, fuse blocks or difficult crimp connections required.

Nifty!! Good luck :)

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#174

Post by nickpinkston »

algas wrote: post #168
nickpinkston wrote: post #82

We're building Volition [1] to organize the world's mechanical components for MechEs, roboticists, mfg. techs, and beyond. Imagine McMaster-like UI quality, but ultimately across every good OEM / distributor. I previously built Plethora (automated CNC machining) and am happy to help all hardware / manufacturing startup folks. Please feel free to reach out. [1] https://govolition.com/

This looks fantastic. It would be really great to have some proper competition to McMaster in terms of making part information accessible. I'll keep this in mind for future products, good luck bringing it fully to market!

Thank you! Would welcome any and all feedback you've got!

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#175

Post by aquaphile »

huskyperv wrote: post #125
esalman wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a bit skeptical dad but damn these look nice! The price is justifiable, although personally I'd hesitate because the seat is only good for about 2 years, and the seat seems to weigh higher than Nuna products which we got.

More like 18 months or less based on the height and weight limit, completely impractical pricing

Sizing > Realistically, the seat fits average kids up to 3 years. At the 95% percentile on height most kids will outgrow a rear-facing car seat at 18 months (the growth of the torso is the limiting factor). From a labeling perspective we have to be careful, though, because the US regs on sizing are really terrible. Keep in mind the regs were written in the 1970s when we were still teaching Americans to wear seat belts. So there are 2 "options" in the US regs: 22 lbs 12-month test dummy, and 39 lbs 3-yr old test dummy. Lots of manufacturers claim their seats fit the 39 lbs mark, but they squash the test dummy's legs into an unrealistic position for a child (passes the test by the letter of the law, but misses the spirit of the law). Basically, we designed this seat to fit kids until they are ready for a front-facing seat.

Pricing > It isn't for everyone. The Kioma seat is like a Maserati, but some people prefer a Ford Taurus. We have to charge a price to cover our production and design costs, and there is a quantitative and qualitative difference in the materials and performance of a Kioma car seat.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#176

Post by fsckboy »

huskyperv wrote: post #125
esalman wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a bit skeptical dad but damn these look nice! The price is justifiable, although personally I'd hesitate because the seat is only good for about 2 years, and the seat seems to weigh higher than Nuna products which we got.

More like 18 months or less based on the height and weight limit, completely impractical pricing

$1000 is too much for Target and Walmart, but for Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, etc. that's nothing. If your living room has space for a Peleton bike, this will fit right in.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#177

Post by arandr0x »

DDickson wrote: post #21
StephenSmith wrote: post #8

We 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.

If this were a camera that identified when and for how long a software engineer showed up to the office and notified their employer of "unwanted behavior", how long would it take for that story to end up on the front page of this site and torn apart as invasive and infantilizing?

Software engineers have full-time managers (which are a lot more overhead to pay for but kinda serve that purpose from the client perspective) and are paid well enough and consistently enough to usually only work one job on a given day. Subcontractors sometimes do decide not to show up to your job site because another employer offered them a bonus to do theirs that day instead. The point isn't (only) to humiliate or do a show of power to the workers, it's to counter an economic incentive they have.

That said, for a lot of subcontractor trades, it's so hard to find anyone that I'd worry about the reverse: you get known as "the freaks with the cameras" and no one good bids on your stuff anymore, and then the delivery is even more delayed.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#178

Post by bombcar »

cactacea wrote: post #121

Just a one man show for now but this is my current side project: https://www.tesotaoverland.com/product/apds The idea is that this replaces a many of the components you'd normally use to build out a 12V electrical system for a van or 4wd truck. Just plug everything in to the WAGO connectors, no bus bars, fuse blocks or difficult crimp connections required.

Something that can handle those kinds of amps and had a simple low-voltage cut off would be amazing (I'm thinking using them for abuse of power tool batteries, which normally don't have a cutoff in them).

There are weird adjustable ones on eBay but they're not terribly reliable and seem to not handle larger amperages.

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#179

Post by jebarker »

aquaphile wrote: post #23

We make the world's best baby car seats. https://www.kioma.us Fatherly Magazine calls it "The Car Seat of the Future". It's been crash tested, flight inversion tested, flammability tested and mom tested. It is full of patented innovations to make kids safer and parenting more enjoyable. It required lots of material science, production techniques, supply chain adjustments, and a surprising amount of software (to model…

"Mom tested" might not be the best thing to say if you want moms to buy your product

Re: Ask HN: Any hardware startups here?

#180

Post by aquaphile »

the_svd_doctor wrote: post #29
aquaphile wrote: post #23

We make the world's best baby car seats. https://www.kioma.us Fatherly Magazine calls it "The Car Seat of the Future". It's been crash tested, flight inversion tested, flammability tested and mom tested. It is full of patented innovations to make kids safer and parenting more enjoyable. It required lots of material science, production techniques, supply chain adjustments, and a surprising amount of software (to model…

Looks nice and easy to clean. I don't know why the regular "Target car seats" have so many creases and folded layers, it's a major PITA to clean :)

Thanks! All the cushions are removable (velcro) so you can hit it with a hose and separately wash the cushions. The interior chassis surface is smooth, which is a big point of pride for us as it is easier to clean.
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