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How do I make a product?
(lemm.ee)
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this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
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Asklemmy
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Thanks for all the advice and responses. Sounds like anything coming to fruition is pretty unlikely, as I don't have $100k to work with. The product was a programmable wall/ceiling mounted laser pointer for cats. Could map your space, design patterns, and maybe have some tracking to keep the laser in front of your pets and avoid it shining in their eyes. The controller app would connect via Bluetooth so it'd be local and no personal data like video or mapping would get stored, as I wanted to emphasize privacy.
Maybe someone more qualified can do something with it. Or Amazon will build it. Idc, it's just something I'd like and thought it was a pretty good idea. One that, admittedly, I probably won't do the work required to actually make.
I’d also like to add that even if something isn't super feasible to build out as a product, this could be an amazing opportunity for you to create something and learn some new skills. There are electronics platforms like arduino that are easy and approachable for you to design your own hobbyist level circuitry. I used it when building out a company more than a decade ago, and it got us through our proof of concept phase.
Writing apps is also getting more approachable, and you could potentially build something yourself and learn a bunch of new stuff, and you might be a bit more prepared when the next idea strikes. 🙂
I'm not part of the target audience as I don't have a cat, but I don't see the value in this over a cheap red laser pointer. Automatizing play with your pet sounds super dehumanizing, like, you can't even be bothered to spend 5 minutes entertaining your pet?
And this is the method of play that requires the least amount of effort since you only need to press a button and flick your wrist around.
That said I might buy something like this just because I like to nerd out on electronics like this.
I can, but we're gone at work all day. Having something that can engage them when they want would be very useful. We play with them, but I think it's a bit of a generalization to say it's dehumanizing or we can't make the time. There's nothing wrong with wanting an additional thing besides myself to enrich my pets lives.
Edit: also, the angles. Our home is narrow and so to give them a good workout it requires a lot of moving around and holding the laser pointer over my head to get a good angle on it. Clearly you don't have a cat, cause it's 20-30 minutes when I bust it out, not 5. They fucking love the thing. Having something that knows the bounds of the space and can move through it smoother and more consistently than I can would be great.
FYI
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8388446/
Yes, I've seen this before. Well not this specific article, but the idea that the laser pointer doesn't give them that tactile satisfaction. Again, we do play with our cats with lots of touch toys. Just thought this may be a fun other toy.
The biggest issue with the idea is power. Needing a bunch of batteries or a wall plug to keep this thing spinning a few different motors, and possibly a camera with a computer running depending on features mentioned here. This would likely only run for a few hours on battery.
Yeah, that's something I've been trying to work out. I was thinking it would be plugged in and included those wall covering tracks in the package, but ultimately that's no solution. And if it's mounted getting it down to charge or replace batteries doesn't make much sense.
Most niche/novelty electronic devices like this give you a USB port and a 1M USB cable and make you figure the rest out on your own.