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Vishnu Vasudev

Ms. Kelli Secord

ISM I

08 April 2022

Final Product Set Up & Completion Summary

Introduction

For my original work, I created a business plan to serve as a roadmap for my company.

For my final product, I decided to create my company and bring it to the point where I am ready

to sell to customers. My final product proposal contained the following tasks:

First, I would complete all necessary legal tasks to make my company official. I wanted

my company to legally exist and be able to do business, which meant I had to register my

assumed name with the county clerk, obtain a sales tax permit from the state, and eventually file

tax returns with the IRS. Then, I would have to make my device more user-friendly so that I

could actually put it up for sale, or even just present it to potential customers. To actually sell my

product, I wouldn’t just need a market-ready product, but also a store. I also believed that I

should finish my company website and online store as part of my final product as this would be

an important part of my company fully existing. After completing all the previously outlined

tasks, I would have a company ready to sell my product. I would then start acting on my growth

strategy, introducing my device to stroke survivors through meetings with stroke advocacy

groups.

Review of Skills and Research

Creating my final product required me to know and apply a wide range of skills. First, I

had to understand the legal tasks necessary to start a business. This required research, but also
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familiarization with how businesses are regulated. I had to determine what forms I needed to fill

out, which helped me understand the legal aspects of starting a business. To develop the

commercializable prototype (v3.0) of my device, I needed to understand the engineering design

process. I also needed to know a variety of technical skills. To create my circuit, I needed

knowledge of electronics, making circuit diagrams, designing PCBs, soldering, and

programming microcontrollers. To make my thread-to-wire connectors and electronics enclosure,

I needed to be able to use CAD software and 3D printing. To make my glove itself, I needed to

have knowledge of sewing, machine embroidery, and conductive textiles. To make my website, I

needed to have knowledge of web design, while spreading the word about my device required

me to use social skills I’ve developed throughout the year.

Methodology

Materials

For the components of my final product other than the engineering task, I mostly dealt

with documents and computer software. To develop v3.0 of my device, I needed a wide

assortment of materials.

Procedures

To create my product, I completed tasks in the following order: First, I worked on all

necessary legal tasks as these take time to be fully processed. Then, I worked on developing my

device, so that I could have pictures and other representations of it on the online store, which I

completed third. The last component I worked on was my marketing portion, which I started

recently.

Higher-Order Thinking Skills Used

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In the process of creating my final product , I used multiple higher-order thinking skills.

The most evident of these is synthesis, where learners create some sort of product. By creating

my final product, I took the information I have learned to create a new product. However, I am

not directly translating the information I have learned through research into a product. Rather, I

had to first analyze this information to determine how to best apply it to my particular situation.

Only then could I actually create a product. I also used the skill of evaluation, as the particular

specifications and design of my final product that I determined are all reflective of my opinions.

I made these choices based on my evaluation of the results of my analysis. Using these 3

higher-order thinking skills allowed me to create a professional and significant final product that

best reflected my knowledge and passions.

Results

I have successfully filed for the assumed name CommuniGlove, which means that I can

do business under this name. The state sales tax permit has a multiple week waiting period from

between filing and granting, so I do not technically have the permit yet. Once I have this permit,

I will be able to legally sell products under the name CommuniGlove.

The largest component of my work has been developing my commercializable prototype.

I had an idea of what my design should be like going into this project, but I greatly developed it

before I started making my product. Going into my final product, I had come up with the idea of

an all-textile design using a cloth glove, conductive thread, and squares of conductive fabric. I

had also thought of a different way to approach my circuit that would allow it to have a

significantly smaller footprint. After discussions with my mentor, I added an opening on the side

that is held together by velcro and can be used to put the glove on one-handedly. This is an

important concern for stroke survivors with reduced function in one hand. The velcro system is
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combined with a desk/table with a piece of velcro on it. After bringing the two pieces of velcro

together, the table holds the glove for insertion just as a second hand would. I also made a small

change to how I would construct my glove - from one piece of fabric, not two, that allowed me

to make a similarly small modification to how my conductive thread would be placed, with the

thread originating from the palmar side wrapping around the thumb and not the fingers. These,

along with replacing conductive fabric squares with a concentration of conductive thread,

enabled me to be able to sew all the “wires” of the glove fully automatically using an embroidery

machine. The other options were the incredibly impractical hand-sewing, or making a custom

machine for my product, which is similarly impractical. These small changes don’t affect the

function of the glove, but they make a tremendous difference in simplifying its manufacturing.

What I realized when talking with my mentor was that I needed my electronics enclosure to be

removable (velcro), so that the gloves could be washed/eventually replaced without needing to

replace the expensive electronics each time. This required me to have a connector that could be

opened & closed to separate and reconnect the conductive threads from the circuit board. Unable

to find such connectors, I designed my own and 3D printed them. I also realized I have to spray

the conductive thread with a sealer except for at each “key” to prevent accidental shorts. Other

than coming up with these new ideas, I also put my initial ones into practice. I designed the new

circuit on a PCB that allowed it to have a footprint of 50 mm x 65 mm (2 in x 2.5 in), completing

this component. I wrote a new code for this circuit, as its principle of operation was different and

I was using a different microcontroller. I spent the first few weeks of my mentorship developing

the design for my device with my mentor. I’ve spent the past few weeks making my device.

Overall, I was able to make all the parts of my device described above except for embroidering

the conductive thread. My problem is a combination of not being able to find a conductive thread
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suitable for embroidering and not having access to an embroidery machine. I have shown my

design to professional embroiderers, who have expressed concern over whether they will be able

to do it (the concern is the conductive thread), and have also asked for impractically high fees.

As such, I have not yet gotten my glove embroidered. The “wiring” that I have done so far for

testing was done manually using a normal sewing machine, which is not a practical solution for

manufacturing my device at any scale. Despite this, I have been able to complete a considerable

amount of work in developing my product and am not far from having a commercializable

prototype.

I have created a basic website for my company currently using the subdomain

communiglove.weebly.com. The domain name communiglove.com is available, and I intend to

purchase this soon. My website presents my product so that people can view it on there. As I

have not fully finished developing my product, I haven’t been able to include a complete

description of my device. My website currently does not include a demonstration, as I cannot

record this without having a fully functional device. I have a recorded demonstration of me

operating the old prototype of my device, which I can show people when necessary, but I don’t

want to put this on my website as it does not match with the device I describe on my website. My

website also has a “store” page where visitors to the site can express interest about the product.

Initially, I was going to have a pre-order form, but I switched to an interest form because I cannot

yet determine how much my device will cost to manufacture.

The final part of my final product proposal was to start marketing my device by showing

it to stroke survivor groups. My mentor recently showed my device to a group of doctors who

work in rehab. I am in the process of scheduling a meeting with one of them, likely for the
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upcoming week. Therefore, I would consider myself to have started spreading word about my

device.

Conclusions

While I have not been able to complete everything that I outlined in my proposal, I am on

track to complete all of them. I need to wait for my sales tax permit to be processed, and I have

not yet figured out how to get my device embroidered. With time, I believe that both of these

will be completed. At that point, I will be able to open my website to pre-orders and start more

intensively promoting my product.

Through this experience, I have learned a great deal - not only about starting a business,

but even about engineering and technology as I have continued to develop my product. Overall, I

am quite happy with how this has turned out. Even though I’m a little behind where I wanted to

be, I have learned things I never imagined I would.

Application

My device has reached a stage where I can talk about it to doctors and stroke survivors.

Through these interactions, my ideas about this device’s potential to impact stroke survivors’

lives has been confirmed. My goal is to empower stroke survivors to be able to communicate

easily and richly, and thus enjoy a better quality of life. I believe that my company is certainly on

track to do that and hope to impact many people in the future.