Eco E-Scooter

by John Lim

Ability to travel 1000 km on a single charge.

Weight of the e-scooter is only 5kg.

Resources needed
Technical team members; Seeking mentors

Systems and Methods for Analysing Human Emotions for Product Launches (P150107)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Infotech, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence

DESCRIPTION:
Solutions related to novel inventions that through the analysis of consumers' emotions anticipate market success or failure when companies launch their products. Solutions must help consumer product companies, especially food and beverage companies, elucidate the true emotions a taster/consumer has for a test product. Solutions should be non-invasive. Measurement instruments are not allowed to touch the body.

Solutions may be any or combination of the below approaches to automated Facial Action Coding System (FACS):
o Detection of subtle AUs and emotions.
o Detection and interpreting of micro-expressions.
o More robust real-time systems for face acquisition, facial data extraction and representation, and facial expression recognition to handle head motion (both in-plane and out-of-plane), occlusion, lighting change, and low intensity expressions, all of which are common in spontaneous facial behaviour in naturalistic environments
o New 3D sensors such as structure light cameras or time-of-flight cameras for real-time segmentation.
o Fully FACS coded databases with natural occurring behaviour.
o Compound facial expressions.

Combining FACS with other non-invasive modes of emotion measurement such as colour analysis of skin changes, voice, and gestures in order to increase the accuracy of emotional measurements is also of interest.

This project may be done by individual inventor or as a group.

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-150107_specs.png

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our client
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Resources needed
Inventors

Solutions for Monetising Big Data from Fleet Logistics (P160108)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Infotech, Sensors

DESCRIPTION:
Solutions related to novel inventions that monetise big data from fleet vehicles. Specifically, inventions are needed that provide new technologies or systems embedded, integrated, or tethered with the vehicle systems, together with cameras, GPS, sensors, etc., to exploit: i) The delivery truck as whole; ii) The environment surrounding the truck en route or at the destination; iii) Other vehicles in the same fleet network; iv) Vehicles outside of the fleet network; and v) Driver behavior, as means for gathering information that could be monetized.

Solutions may include, but are not limited to, the following areas of innovation:
1. Monitor overall vehicle performance and operation and detect wear and tear and environmental impact on the vehicle;
2. Perform more useful diagnostics or prognostics; 3. Test new systems in controlled environments, such as semi-autonomous or autonomous enablement, etc.
3. Novel methods that allow the trucks to be used for advertising or marketing – such as supporting a completely new type of marketing campaign or paradigm shift.
4. New methods of capturing demographic data (especially in real-time) for use in infotainment and related fields, using fleet-acquired data.
5. New methods of data collection that could be used by government agencies to help with urban development, road maintenance and planning, crime prevention, environmental impact, air and water testing, etc.
6. New techniques to enhance vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. New methods to monitor human and vehicle interaction in urban settings. Preferred solutions: a) are compatible with specifically a SG & US based fleet, and/or b) leveraged on a highly recognizable and “trusted” fleet brand.

Areas that should be considered out of scope:
1. New methods to optimize routes, delivery routines, or other operational aspects of fleet logistics planning.
2. Inventions focusing on autonomous vehicle technology without consideration for data monetization.

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-160108_specs.png

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Resources needed
Inventors

Novel Susceptors for Microwaves (P160107)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Material Science, Engineering

DESCRIPTION
Solutions related to novel inventions that new and improved microwave susceptors. The primary objective is to design a superior susceptor that can enable microwave cooking to achieve results that are similar to conventional oven, while requiring less cooking time.

Successful inventions must consider the following: (a) Temperature regulation (b) Uniformity of energy absorption and heating (c) Compartmental/directional heating (d) Low cost.

On a package level, the susceptor should have a well behaved temperature dependent absorption, transmission, and reflective property, preferable at a fixed percentage. Usability and convenience are desirable characteristics of the microwave package as well.

New susceptor architectures including the use of sensors and temperature control techniques can be useful:
1. New susceptor designs/architectures that offer preferential or focused heating (with temperature control) of specific components and/or portions of the food surface, and uniform heating of internal components with temperature control could help deliver the best quality of a multi-texture product.
2. Architectures that take advantage of new microwave technologies, including the use of energy harvesting and wireless power transfer technology concepts and the application of metamaterials principles, for innovative susceptor design.
3. Product specific susceptors for different categories of food: frozen, fresh, and shelf-safe.
4. New and low cost sensor technology – such as low cost MEMS technology for temperature sensing and control.
5. New manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing, for low cost susceptors are also an area of interest.

Metamaterials can be explored for susceptor applications. Metamaterials built of nonmagnetic metals can have interesting magnetic and other microwave absorption and reflection properties (e.g. by the use of surface plasmon and magnetic polariton resonances) that can be harvested for susceptor applications. Active power management has not been an active area of exploration due to cost reasons. But due to the rapid development of low cost sensors and MEMS based actuators, and the decreases in integrated circuit costs, including the development in such fields as printable electronics, the cost of susceptors including active sensors and power management functions may soon be acceptable and may justify the investment in this area.

Finally, smart microwave food packaging for internet of things (IoT) may be interesting, including susceptors with sensors and communication capabilities that can communicate to the consumer for an enhanced microwave cooking experience.

Areas out of scope for this project include: New microwave design, other appliances or devices.

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-160107_specs.png

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Resources needed
Inventors

Novel Methods for Improving Food and Beverage Safety (P160103)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Foodtech, Biotech

DESCRIPTION
Solutions related to novel inventions that improve the food and beverage safety through the detection of microbes - spoilage and pathogenic.

While the current food tests described below can successfully accomplish their goals, the known drawbacks include: (a) Testing is destructive (b) Sampling errors affect results (c) Testing time is too long (d) Micro-organism viability may be compromised.

There are a number of solutions that could improve food safety testing.
1. Non-invasive/non-destructive testing – example technologies could be spectral/hyperspectral imaging.
2. Improved sampling – new techniques or equipment to obtain samples more likely to have microbes.
3. Rapidity – new techniques or technologies to perform tests more rapidly and in greater batch sizes.
4. Swab tests – new swab tests that measure microbe count rather than a proxy.

For culture media: Additional solutions may be technologies that accelerate bacterial growth, thus, making the testing time shorter. For example, growth of some bacteria reacts well to low-level magnetic fields.

For parasites and viruses: Solutions that allow for better detection in the field or during processing are of interests. These technologies could include methods such as new cell lines that allow viruses and parasites to quickly grow.

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-160103_specs.png

Resources needed
Inventors

Food Packaging Technology involving Bio-related Composite Films (P160102)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Material Science, Chemistry

DESCRIPTION
Solutions related to novel inventions that enable improved or new composite films and methods for their preparation. Technological approaches that inventors can consider::

Biofillers:
B1. Dispersion methods for bio-based, hydrophilic fillers to prevent agglomeration, such as: (a) Compounding, and (b) Compatibilization.
B2. Methods to preventing moisture sensitivity of cellulosic fillers.
B3. Methods to preventing thermal degradation of cellulosic fillers during extensive processing.
B4. Methods to prevent the dark color and odor of the films from bio-based fillers.

Processing of Bio-Based Polymers with Biofillers, and Conversion of Materials into Films:
P1. Improved methods for converting bio-based composites into films for flexible packaging, such as: (a) Better methods for cast film extrusion, (b) Better methods for blown film extrusion.
P2. Methods to improve rheology with high filler loadings.

New Features for Biofillers:
Features that facilitate processing without degradation, agglomeration, increased viscosity, etc. Methods that allow for:
N1. Barrier enhancement.
N2. Compostability enhancements.
N3. Sensing.

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-160102_specs.png

Resources needed
Inventors

Methods and Systems that Identify, Track and Monitor Livestock (P160101)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Sensors, IoT

DESCRIPTION
Solutions related to novel inventions that enables animal identifies, tracks and monitors livestock with tamper-proof features. The solution should be conceived with the following general requirements in mind: (a) Track animals from birth to death (b) Simple application and removal (c) Significantly improve device retention (d) Cost effective.

New livestock identification and tracking technology that met the above requirements would provide an incremental solution. However, a new technology should ideally be a transformational solution. Along with improved food safety and disease prevention, a transformational livestock identification system would provide a seamless connection from provenance to the consumer, direct financial benefits to the producer, and improved animal welfare. The goals of a transformational solution are as follows:
1. Track animals from birth to table – An ideal system would start at birth and have seamless integration with abattoir tracking systems. This would provide tracking and tracing throughout the supply chain and is the most important aspect of creating a “farm to fork” connection.
2. Passive – A system that requires low to no labor would greatly reduce the financial burden for producers. Ideally, the system would simply start at birth with no human interaction.
3. Provide continuous monitoring – Continuous or regular on-farm tracking could offer data for improved herd management, genetic evaluation, animal heath monitoring, calving productivity, and mortality statistics. This would provide direct monetary benefits to the producer, especially for large-scale operations.

A truly transformational identification solution would be one that self-activates at the birth of the animal and uploads data automatically, despite location, to provide continuous tracking and tracing throughout the life of the animal. While there still may be a handoff at the abattoir, the ability to trace the meat beyond the grading point would be very interesting as part of an integrated solution. New business models in supply and maintenance of a new overall system, such as subscription based models, may also be considered as useful. Also, it is possible that the best solution will offers multiple “tiers” of service. The cost of production in the cattle industry can be highly variable. For more extensive or advanced monitoring and tracking features, only higher value cattle producers may get a return on investment.

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$7,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-160101_specs.png

Resources needed
Inventors

Superior Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles (P150116)

by Dr. Yeap

CATEGORY
Material Science, Chemistry

DESCRIPTION
Solutions related to novel inventions that improve Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and/or its manufacturing processes. Good approaches that inventors can consider:
1. May include new chemical formulations and/or molding processes
2. Chemical formulations should have a lower density than PET, or allow a thinner bottle thickness to result in a lower overall weight bottle that still maintains sufficient barrier and containment properties, mechanical stiffness, crystallinity, and recyclability.
3. New molding processes should form finished bottles from PET resin in a single step without proceeding through a preform intermediate.
4. Molding processes that use existing install base of molding equipment are more attractive than ones that require space consuming and capital intensive new equipment. Any capital expenditure required must have a reasonable time for return on investment, such as not more than one year.
5. The large-scale manufacturing costs of a bottle made from the new formulations or processes should be no more expensive than currently produced bottles.
6. Alternative bottle designs or neck/lid designs intended to reduce the weight of the bottle are outside the scope of this project.
7. Alternative chemical formulations with better barrier and containment properties but that result in heavier, thicker, and/or more expensive bottles are outside the scope of this project.

COMPENSATION PLAN
1. S$8,500 for each invention disclosure that are accepted by our clients
2. 30% future royalties from the commercialisation of the accepted invention disclosure
3. Terms of payment: Within 30 days

Formal project specification here: http://invcapital.com/pub/ic/Prj-150116_specs.png

Resources needed
Inventors