Lean Start-up Management – See-Stick 1.

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEPLOYMENT OF

A WEARABLE ASSISTIVE DEVICE FOR THE
VISUALLY-IMPAIRED

Lean Start-up Management (MGT1022)

Project Report
by

J JAIVIGNESH (15BME2087)
SUSANTH KISHNA R (15BEM0055)
ANGAD SINGH (15BME0659)
NISHIGANDHA (15BBT0099)
AAKASH RAO (15BME0756)
PRASHANT MEDANI (15BME0579)
HRISHIKESH BEDEKAR (15BME0822)
SUHAS H G (15BPI0024)

School of Mechanical Engineering

Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
April 2018

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Table of Contents
Problem Statement .......................................................................................................... 7
Literature Review ............................................................................................................ 8
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 8
Currently Existing Technology ................................................................................. 10
1. Patented walking cane with sensors – Patent ID US6011481A.................... 10
Business Strategy .......................................................................................................... 10
Ideation ...................................................................................................................... 10
Innovation.................................................................................................................. 11
Reach ......................................................................................................................... 11
Development ............................................................................................................. 12
Marketing Strategy .................................................................................................... 13
1. Retail Optical Chains..................................................................................... 13
2. Eye Hospitals ................................................................................................. 14
3. Advertising and Promotion ........................................................................... 15
4. Social Media .................................................................................................. 16
5. Collaboration ................................................................................................. 16
6. Miscellaneous ................................................................................................ 17
Sales Potential ........................................................................................................... 18
1. Distribution Channels .................................................................................... 18
2. Estimation ...................................................................................................... 18
Potential Buyers ........................................................................................................ 19
Accessibility .............................................................................................................. 19
Management of Sales ................................................................................................ 20
Customer-Centric Approach ..................................................................................... 20
Customer Relationship Management ........................................................................ 21
Performance and Control .......................................................................................... 22
Customer Survey ....................................................................................................... 22
1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 22
2. Form .............................................................................................................. 23
3. Analysis ......................................................................................................... 23

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Technical Concept ......................................................................................................... 27

Electronic Components ............................................................................................. 27
1. Arduino Uno .................................................................................................. 27
2. Ultrasound Sensor ......................................................................................... 27
3. 5V Buzzer ...................................................................................................... 28
4. Breadboard .................................................................................................... 29
5. Jumper Wires ................................................................................................. 29
6. Assembly ....................................................................................................... 30
Coding ....................................................................................................................... 31
Optimization .............................................................................................................. 34
1. Arduino .......................................................................................................... 34
2. Ultrasound Sensor ......................................................................................... 34
3. Buzzer ............................................................................................................ 35
4. Miscellaneous ................................................................................................ 35
Image Processing ...................................................................................................... 35
Obstacle Detection .................................................................................................... 36
Machine Learning ..................................................................................................... 37
Mechanical Design ........................................................................................................ 38
Analysis of Housing .................................................................................................. 43
Management Concepts .................................................................................................. 47
Business Model ......................................................................................................... 47
Suppliers .................................................................................................................... 48
1. Ultrasonic Sensor .......................................................................................... 48
2. Microcontroller – Arduino Uno .................................................................... 48
3. Piezo electric buzzers .................................................................................... 48
4. Electric Push button switches ........................................................................ 48
5. Jumper connecting wires ............................................................................... 48
Pricing Strategy ......................................................................................................... 49
Key Performance Indicators...................................................................................... 50
1. Net MRR (monthly recurring revenue) Churn: ............................................. 51
2. Average Resolution Time .............................................................................. 51

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3. Customer satisfaction surveys ....................................................................... 52

Simulation of Demand .............................................................................................. 52
Production Workforce Management ......................................................................... 53
Operational Plan ........................................................................................................ 54
Activity Based Costing ............................................................................................. 55
Minimum Viable Product.......................................................................................... 56
Operations and Management..................................................................................... 56
Takt Time Calculation and Simulation ..................................................................... 57
Production Scheduling and Product Development Scheduling ................................ 58
Value Engineering ..................................................................................................... 59
Lean Principles .......................................................................................................... 60
1. 5S ................................................................................................................... 61
2. Single Minute Exchange of Dies ................................................................... 61
3. Muda and Muri .............................................................................................. 61
4. JIT .................................................................................................................. 61
Pareto Chart ............................................................................................................... 61
Patenting and Accreditation ...................................................................................... 62
1. BananaIP........................................................................................................ 63
2. IP Dome Strategic Advisors .......................................................................... 63
House of Quality ....................................................................................................... 64
Product Certification ................................................................................................. 65
Team Meetings .......................................................................................................... 65
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 66

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Optometric Statistics [National Programme for Control of Blindness] .......... 8

Figure 2: Visually-Impaired Population Statistics [World Bank] .................................. 9
Figure 3: Mock-up of Idea ............................................................................................ 10
Figure 4: Mode of Operation of an Ultrasonic Sensor .................................................. 11
Figure 5: Distribution of Retail Optical Chains in India .............................................. 13
Figure 6: Distribution of Eye Care Hospitals in India .................................................. 14
Figure 7: Aravind Hospitals - Camps ........................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Age Group ..................................................................................................... 23
Figure 9: Occupation Demographics ............................................................................ 23
Figure 10: Customer Targeting ..................................................................................... 24
Figure 11: Perception Measurement ............................................................................. 24
Figure 12: Concept Shortlisting .................................................................................... 24
Figure 13: Recommendation ......................................................................................... 25
Figure 14: Subjective Suggestions ................................................................................ 25
Figure 15: Arduino Uno ................................................................................................ 27
Figure 16: Ultrasonic Module ....................................................................................... 27
Figure 17: Working Specifications of the Ultrasound Sensor ...................................... 28
Figure 18: Specifications of a 5V Buzzer ..................................................................... 28
Figure 19: 5V Buzzer .................................................................................................... 29
Figure 20: Breadboard................................................................................................... 29
Figure 21: Jumper Wires ............................................................................................... 30
Figure 22: Preliminary Assembly ................................................................................. 30
Figure 23: Miniaturisation of Arduino .......................................................................... 34
Figure 24: Miniaturization of Sensors .......................................................................... 34
Figure 25: Miniaturization of a Buzzer ......................................................................... 35
Figure 26: Miniaturization of the breadboard ............................................................... 35
Figure 27: Image Processing ......................................................................................... 36
Figure 28: Vehicular Detection ..................................................................................... 36
Figure 29: Applications of Image Processing ............................................................... 37
Figure 30: The Machine Learning Process ................................................................... 38
Figure 31: Applications of Machine Learning .............................................................. 38
Figure 32: List of Items ................................................................................................. 38
Figure 33: Initial Prototype ........................................................................................... 39
Figure 34: SolidWorks Model....................................................................................... 40
Figure 35: Final Model (Stick) ...................................................................................... 40
Figure 36: Stress Analysis ............................................................................................. 41
Figure 37: Displacement Analysis ................................................................................ 41

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Figure 38: Strain Analysis ............................................................................................. 42

Figure 39: Final Design (Watch) .................................................................................. 43
Figure 40: Initial Model of Case ................................................................................... 43
Figure 41: Meshing ....................................................................................................... 44
Figure 42: Total Deformation ....................................................................................... 44
Figure 43: Von Meisis Stress ........................................................................................ 45
Figure 44: Equivalent Strain ......................................................................................... 45
Figure 45: Thermal Analysis ......................................................................................... 46
Figure 46: Force Variation ............................................................................................ 46
Figure 47: Business Model............................................................................................ 47
Figure 48: Bill of Materials ........................................................................................... 49
Figure 49: The Ansoff Matrix ....................................................................................... 50
Figure 50: Calculation of MRR Churn ......................................................................... 51
Figure 51: Production Planning and Control ................................................................ 52
Figure 52: Simulation for Operational Control ............................................................. 54
Figure 53: Materials vs Cumulative Percentage ........................................................... 55
Figure 54: Activity-Based Costing ............................................................................... 55
Figure 55: Layout .......................................................................................................... 57
Figure 56: Simulation in ARENA ................................................................................. 57
Figure 57: Further Iterations of Simulation .................................................................. 58
Figure 58: Gantt Chart .................................................................................................. 59
Figure 59: Value Engineering Chart (A)....................................................................... 59
Figure 60: Value Engineering Chart (B) ....................................................................... 60
Figure 61: Pareto Chart ................................................................................................. 62
Figure 62: Patenting Costs ............................................................................................ 62
Figure 63: BananaIP ...................................................................................................... 63
Figure 64: IP Dome ....................................................................................................... 63
Figure 65: House of Quality.......................................................................................... 64
Figure 66: List of Standards .......................................................................................... 65
Figure 68: Quality Circle Meetings .............................................................................. 65

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Problem Statement

In a world that’s rapidly moving to technology and innovation, it is imperative that we

use the same to solve the real-world problems and give back to society. One of the
biggest problems that plague the visually-impaired section of our society is lack of
environmental awareness. This is a huge issue because of the fact that the human beings,
just like other animals, use their awareness and interpretation of their environment as a
survival tactic. This should not be limited to just a quasi-social problem as this is part
of a grander version of a universal design concept that’s geared at solving critical issues
that plague a significant portion of our population.
At the moment, the most probable method of overcoming this issue is by them
requesting assistance from the people around them. This is often embarrassing and
undignified for many. Hence, we attempt to build a device using the currently prevalent
technology to solve this issue. We understand that the assisted semi-automatic
interpretation of the environment makes it exponentially easier for the visually-impaired
sector of our population to go about their lives in a dignified and effective manner. This
can be used to aid in navigation

KEYWORDS: Glove, Stick, Ultrasonic, Wearable Technology, Startup

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Literature Review
Introduction
In India, there are around 15 million visually challenged people. They are constantly
facing drudgeries because products available in the market are not tuned to their needs.
Due to the absence of sensor facilities; absence of multiple functionalities in a single
machine, available product in the market did not cater the needs of visually impaired
people. Here, innovator came up with a product, which can truly assist them in their
daily chores. Precisely, the neglected section can bank it on, as equal opportunity seeker
tool to get them into the workforce.

Figure 1: Optometric Statistics [National Programme for Control of Blindness]

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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines blindness as the visual sharpness of less
than 3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10 degrees in the better eye,
even with the best possible spectacle correction. The National Program for Control of
Blindness (NPCB) in India, on the other hand, defines blindness as a vision of 6/60 or
less and a visual field loss of 20 degrees or less in the better eye, after spectacle
correction. India currently has around 12 million blind people against 39 million
globally -- which makes India home to one-third of the world’s blind population.

Figure 2: Visually-Impaired Population Statistics [World Bank]

The above figure shows that close to 15% our population requires visual assistance in
order to go about their day-to-day activities. Survey results show there are
approximately 800 retail optical chain outlets, 1312 speciality eye hospitals, and 164
optometry institutes in India. The above statistics show that there is a huge difference
between the target and achieved surgeries for cataract. The consumer may have not
opted for cataract for various personal reasons, like ignorance or not enough money to
do so. These people are one part of our target customers. The consumers who could not
currently afford a cataract surgery, but have their vision being impaired day by day, will
be looking for a cost-effective product to help them with their daily chores. Our product
bridges the gap between consumer need and company’s target market.

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Currently Existing Technology

1. Patented walking cane with sensors – Patent ID US6011481A
The present invention is an improvement over existing walking canes to be used by
people with physical impairments that require them to have additional support while
walking. The present invention provides a means by which an imbalance in the weight
distribution among the multiple legs of the cane is sensed and transmitted to the user.
The walking cane with sensors comprises a handle, a vertical shaft and multiple legs or
feet. Each of the legs is equipped with electronic stress or load sensors which are
coupled to an electronic processing module. The processing module evaluates the input
from the cane legs and activates a warning to the user in the event that the load sensors
on the legs detect a load distribution indicative of an approaching unstable situation.
The user can then stop and probe with the cane until a stable position is found.
Therefore, this product identifies the stability of the multiple legs of the cane to support
the user and its functionality does not overlap with our product which is more of an
obstacle identifying the product. These two products have two different functions
though having the same objective – making life easier for visually challenged people.

Business Strategy
Ideation

Figure 3: Mock-up of Idea

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We try to integrate state-of-the-art ultrasonic sensors into walking sticks and gloves in
an attempt to assist the visually-impaired. This is a simple, yet novel solution as this
provides haptic and audio-based feedback to alert the users of obstacles in their path.

Innovation
We will be using ultrasonic sensors that use the time-of-flight principle to detect
obstacles in the path of the user. This is superior to visual or optical sensors as this is
unaffected by target materials, colours, dust, or water. This also has a higher measuring
range.

Figure 4: Mode of Operation of an Ultrasonic Sensor

Prototypes may be modified through various design and manufacturing stages in order
to come up with a finished product that consumers will want to buy. Taking feedback
from the customer can help us in improving the product from time to time. All the
branding strategy are tested and applied at this stage.

Reach
There is 15% of the total populations who are in need of visual assistance, so we have a
large pool of targeted customer. Market demand for our product will be high as there
are no competitors for our product. Suppliers for various components need to be
identified so that raw materials are available to us at low cost. Other important things
that are involved in business strategy will be product profitability, branding strategy,
cost of the product, patient, breakeven point. We need to upgrade our product from to
time to make it more user-friendly and accurate according to the need of the market.

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Before releasing the product on the market, good publicity of the product could improve
the sale. Eye hospital and optical stores are a potential markets for our product.
Collaborating with them would help us in increasing the awareness of the target
customers about our product. We can also distribute a free sample of our products to the
children in blind school, or among poor as these people would not be able to afford our
product.
The final stage in a product development process is commercialization.
Commercialization means introducing a new product into the market. At this point, the
highest costs are incurred: the company may need to build or rent a manufacturing
facility. Large amounts may be spent on advertising, sales promotion and other
marketing efforts in the first year.

Factors should be considered before the product is commercialized:

• Introduction place. Where to launch the new product? Should it be launched in a

single location, a region, the national market, or the international market?
• We can launch our product in the local region and if we incur success then it can
be introduced on a bigger scale.
• In all of these steps of the new product development process, the most important
focus is on creating superior customer value. Only then, the product can become
a success in the market.

Development
We can test our product with a small group of actual customers. This will help to make
sure that we have a viable product that will be profitable. Getting Feedback from
consumer testing will enable us to make any necessary changes to the product and will
also help us in launching it to the market. With information from real consumers, they
will be able to make a number of strategic decisions that will be crucial to the product’s
success, including what price to sell at and how the product will be marketed.
Review of the new product process efficiency and look for continued improvements.
Most new products are introduced with introductory pricing, in which final prices are
nailed down after consumers have ‘gotten in’. In this final stage, we will gauge overall
value relevant to COGS (cost of goods sold), making sure internal costs aren’t
overshadowing new product profits.
We have to continuously differentiate consumer needs as your products age, forecast
profits and improve delivery process whether physical or digital, products are being
perpetuated.

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Marketing Strategy
1. Retail Optical Chains
Optical retail chain outlets in India dispense spectacles, contact lenses and sunglasses
as per the requirement of the patients. The optical outlets either have their own
optometrist or dispense glasses based on the prescriptions. Our research shows that
approximately. There are approximately 800 optical retail chain outlets in India
according to the experts in that particular field
15% optical retail chains belong to the: Lawrence & Mayo, Bon Ton opticals, GKB
opticals, Titan eye plus, Himalaya opticals, Vision Express and Ben Franklin. The retail
sector is fragmented and 85% of the outlets are mostly stand-alone, small shops in the
local shopping centre. Presence of retail chain is found to be greater in Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and West Bengal and least in Meghalaya,
Mizoram and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Figure 5: Distribution of Retail Optical Chains in India

According to the latest report by Euromonitor International, India is touted to be THE

leader in top-ten fastest growing eyewear market during 2016 to 2021 fiscal followed
by UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, China and others. Despite the dominance of leading
eyewear brands in the organized fragment, the market is largely driven by the revenue
of a huge number of manufacturers in the unorganized segment. Companies like Ray-
Ban, Fastrack and Oakley got a tremendous response in the late 2012 and this was the
inception of a well-defined eyewear market in the country.

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As per a survey, six out of ten people in today’s time wear spectacle, contact lenses or
have undergone corrective eye surgery. So, as per our customer target, after trying to
capture the consumers at the hospitals, the next best place to do our marketing is the
eyewear stores, where people go lenses, spectacles change and purchase. For people
who use Lasik surgery, they are not supposed to open their eyes for next 12 hours,
followed by wearing black glasses for next 2 days. Our product can be sold at retail
stores for purchase if they didn’t get a chance to buy it in the eye hospitals.

2. Eye Hospitals
Eye hospitals in India are spreading their services across the urban and rural belt. Similar
to optical outlets, the eye hospitals in India are found to have a varied pattern in
distribution. The hospitals are either set up as part of a chain, as an individual private
clinic or as subspecialty in a multispecialty hospital. India has approximately 1280 eye
hospitals as found through our online research, including the major chains. Most of the
major hospitals are found to be in the urban belt.
While there are many eye hospitals in urban India, primary eye care is not well-
established in rural parts of the country. Though the secondary and tertiary eye care
facilities have come up in several cities, there is a vacuum existing due to the lack of
organized primary eye care sector in rural India.

Figure 6: Distribution of Eye Care Hospitals in India

Our main target customers, is not only visually impaired people but also old people with
glaucoma and cataracts having problems with vision. Any new product being launched

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in the market requires a brand of marketing where the product has to be experienced by
the consumer so that the person can procure it. There is no better place than the hospitals
to market our product, the consumer visits for his monthly check-up, or for surgeries,
in-patient staying after surgeries. Even if one in 5 patients get to use our sample product
in the hospitals, and purchase it, the advantages of the product being purchased by that
consumer can be advertised to the remaining 4 consumers to buy it.

3. Advertising and Promotion

Best way to cover the sales market is to sell it through optical stores and eye hospitals.
With the various selling points of replacing the need of a physical stick with a wearable
device, recommended by doctors and hospitals for temporary use for patients with
cataract and other eye surgeries and then for the blind people through blind associations
and trust backed by private sectors such as eye camps. Collective data of eye camps
organized by Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai.

Figure 7: Aravind Hospitals - Camps

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4. Social Media
Social media monitoring is an act of using the tool to understand listen to what is being
said about your brand, product or service on the internet. It just not means to monitor
media from traditional publishers but also on millions of social sites too.
There are various social media monitoring tools available in the market like Keyhole,
Addict-o-Matic, CyberAlert, Sysomos and so on. Below are the various activities that
are included in social media monitoring:
• Online Analytics: Social media analytics tools collect data from social
networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter, blogs, comment pages and news
feeds on media sites.
• Buzz Analysis: Buzz monitoring engages the analysis and checking of myriad
online sources like internet forums, social networks and blogs.
• Social Media Intelligence: Social media intelligence SMI refers to the various
tools and solutions that allow the companies to monitor social media channels
and interactions. Social media intelligence permits to collect intelligence
gatherings from social media sites, using both intrusive and non-intrusive means,
from open and closed social networks.
First, the best place to advertise a start-up product is TECH INSIDER.
TheTechInsider.ORG was formed in 2016, they specialize in technology, gaming and
cryptocurrency. They have a 13M active following Facebook page and a YouTube page
with 1,464,077 subscribers. The most popular posts are also shared in their affiliate
pages like Business Insider and Insider. The tech insider page has been the main start-
up funding promotion page that seeks to deliver innovative product ideas to the world.
This can use as a platform for us to utilize.

5. Collaboration
The following can be used as a plan-of-action in order to effectively collaborate with
Non-Governmental Organizations in order to promote the sales of the product,
• Tie up with NGOs to help recognize potential customer and promote the stick
through NGO.
• Tie-ups with government health care ministry to join hands with them and gain
access to government hospitals.
• Collaborate with doctors to recommend stick to their patient.
• Collaborate Youth organization by the workshop and sensitize them to blind
people

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• Can collaborate with blind stick selling start-up such as Handisco develops a
walking stick to help visually impaired people navigate around their communities
and secured funding from investors
• Can collaborate with young technological entrepreneurs help blind people
navigate city streets safely and with confidence and independence.
• Collaboration with a local newspaper as you contained the readers’ attention
while they held that physical product, you have to have strategies that have the
best content your company produces to keep their attention.
• Collaboration with magazine owner, various pamphlets owners in order to
popularise our product. this type of collaboration is offline collaboration.
• Collaboration with online sites such as Amazon, Flipkart, eBay etc can show ads
on their sites in order to increase our products demand and create awareness about
our product. this is online collaboration.

6. Miscellaneous
The following miscellaneous strategies can be used in order to boost sales as well,
• Live demonstration of usage of the stick at hospitals and public places to promote
the product and its usage.
• Free camps to be organised for blind people to make them have a feel of
advantages of using a blind stick.
• Convince doctors to recommend stick to their patient.
• Tie-ups with government health care ministry to join hands with them and gain
access to government hospitals.
• Tie up with NGOs to help recognize potential customer and promote the stick
through NGO.
• Selling to low-income group with the help of government subsidies.
• Involve Youth by the workshop and sensitize them to blind people.
• Will make them do community service for blind people and also, we would
promote our product through them.
• Promotion of the stick at public forums by sponsoring and discussing its
advantages at public forums.
• Hire a portion of employees who are blind to make them use our product free of
cost and ask them to spread word or reviews about the effectiveness of the stick.

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Sales Potential
1. Distribution Channels
We will buy a product from Module-123 Electronic retailer which is our supplier. Being
an OEM (original equipment manufacturer), the product would be sold to offline and
online retailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, Alibaba, Vijay Sales etc. When
business is successful and stable it will start its own personal franchise and sell it to the
customer at price cheaper than the retailer to remove our competition from the market.
We will then we will start selling our products to retailers such as Amazon, eBay, Vijay
Sales as mentioned earlier etc. and then we will have enough potential to start our own
franchise and sell products at cheaper price than the retailer so that first with the help of
retailers to create awareness about our product and increase our franchise productivity
and then remove our competition from the market.

2. Estimation
Estimating the sales potential for a business is critical in evaluating its viability and
provides an estimate of the maximum total sales potential for a given market. Once the
estimated Sales potential has been calculated, it is possible to determine if the market is
large enough to sustain your proposed business or sustain an additional competitor in
the marketplace. It is important to remember that the estimated sales potential sets an
upper boundary on the market size and can be expressed in either unit and/or sales.
Unless there are no direct or indirect competitors, a business will capture a share of the
total estimated market potential not all of it. The key steps in estimating the sales
potential,
• Define your target sale and sale segments.
• Define the geographic boundaries of your sale.
• Derive an average selling price.
• Determine the average annual consumption.
As with estimating the sales potential for any business, estimating the retail trade area
sales potential requires specific information on the number of people or potential buyers,
an average expenditure figure for the retail category, area and state income figures, and
an estimate of market share. Once this information has been collected, it can be plugged
into the following formula to derive the estimated retail trade area sales potential.
N=S/P+T(S/P)
N=S/P(1+T)
Where,

• N = Number of salesperson
• S = Forecasted sales volume
• P = Estimated sales productivity of one person
• T = Rate of turnover

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Potential Buyers
A serious buyer would have done some critical thinking about the type of business they
want and why they want it, as well as the size of the business. If they say they are looking
at all types of businesses or if your business falls outside of their range, then this is a
potential warning sign that they may not be serious. If you have a timeframe for delivery
of your product, then there will be no urgency. If there is no time frame, they will rush
you for information and then you will be left waiting. If this is the case, it would be a
good idea to set some very clear expectations for your potential buyers.
The main application of our device would, of course, be to help people with impaired
vision navigate indoors, but our device also has potential benefit outdoors, where the
same principles apply. Additionally, our device might even be used to help people
without vision impairment to navigate in places with little to no light. It may even have
a military application, for scenarios where producing light would be dangerous.

Accessibility
The extent to which a consumer or user can obtain a good or service at the time it is
needed. People can incorporate their products online on sites like Amazon, Flipkart,
eBay etc. People who are above 50 and 60 are assumed to have no smartphones so for
them people can propagate the product offline by trading magazines, pamphlets, the
seller can propagate door to door service for creating awareness about their product.
Prior to the technology revolution, there were primarily three methods for the customer
to interact with product/service providers – voice (phone), face to face or snail mail.
Advances in technology over the years have added at least five additional channels to
the list – email, web chat, SMS, phone apps and social media.
Customer satisfaction with social media interactions is currently low as companies have
yet to fully develop and integrate business practices for this channel. Web chat has
increased in popularity with customers. Older adults make up a diverse group in many
ways. Their one certain commonality is that they will experience at least some
physiological and cognitive changes and, perhaps, disability as they age. Whether older
adults have disabilities or not, they benefit from accessible features and customer
service practices in stores, museums, restaurants, printed publications, and online
shopping, among others. Accessibility makes a visit to the grocery store, a theatre
performance, and an internet search easier and more enjoyable for people who
experience limitations in vision, hearing, mobility, or memory. Many older adults,
whether they have disabilities or not, are often unwilling to be categorized as “old” or
in need of “special services.” Seamless accessibility - access that blends cleanly into
customer service practices and building and product design - works best for everyone.

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Web accessibility or e-commerce accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect

access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and
neurological disabilities.

Management of Sales
The following strategy will be utilized in order to manage the sales of the product,
• Website of the company: will contain our product information with its advantages
and uses.
• Franchise sale: Blind Stick manufactured by us and sold by retailers.
• Government tie up: Using platforms of government to distribute and sell the
product.
• Agents of our company at all distribution channel who would be responsible for
selling, distributing and after-sale service of the stick.
• Planning: this involves forecasting demand, personal selling and promotional
efforts.
• Organizing: our agents will organize promotional events of our product to create
awareness of our product and to increase productivity.
• Direction: this involves leadership motivation, communication and promotional
steps including door to door selling of our product.

Customer-Centric Approach
The following strategy will be deployed in order to follow a customer-centric approach
to the product.
• Entrenching customer -centricity via training cum internalization.
• Training involves communicating effectively and identifying and exploiting
opportunities.
• Obtain customer’s pulse and involve the customer and implement customer-
focused changes and respond to their queries.
• Developing customer-centric culture by putting employees in the customer shoes.
• Study the behaviour, attitude and demographics of your customer.
• Empower employees, particularly customer-facing staff for proactive relationship
building.
• Set clear goals for achieving a defined state of customer- centricity by a certain
point in time.
• Encourage and seek to create customer loyalty.

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• Communicate and engage all the stakeholders in the process.

A customer-centric company is more than a company that offers good service. Both
Amazon and Zappos are prime examples of brands that are customer-centric and have
spent years creating a culture around the customer and their needs. Their commitment
to delivering customer value is genuine – In fact, Zappos is happy to fire employees if
they do not fit into their customer-centric culture.
Customer centricity is not just about offering great customer service, it means offering
a great experience from the awareness stage, through the purchasing process and finally
through the post-purchase process. It’s a strategy that’s based on putting your customer
first, and at the core of your business. By being customer-centric, you will want to
anticipate customers’ needs and delight them with products and services they may not
have thought of, but will immediately fall in love with (i.e., Apple’s iPhone or iPad).
The four best practices that stand out regarding customer-centricity are:
• Brands that are committed to customer centricity are passionate, and truly believe
the customer comes first. They believe that without the customer, they cannot
succeed in business (which is true) and want to see the world through the
customer’s eyes. Marketers inside customer-centric organizations understand
what customers want and use customer data to capture customer insights and
share this across the organization.
• Brands that are committed to customer centricity focus on what the customer
wants and needs and develop products and services around that.
• Brands that are committed to customer centricity focus on building relationships
designed to maximize the customer’s product and service experience.
• Brands that are committed to customer centricity analyze, plan and implement a
carefully formulated customer strategy that focuses on creating and keeping a
profitable and loyal customer.

Customer Relationship Management

Customer relationship management (CRM) will be an ultimate priority in managing a
company's interaction with current and potential customers. It uses data analysis about
customers' history with a company to improve business relationships with customers,
specifically focusing on customer retention and ultimately driving sales growth. One
important aspect of the CRM approach is the systems of CRM that compile data from a
range of different communication channels, including a company's website, telephone,
email, live chat, marketing materials, and more recently, social media. Through the

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CRM approach and the systems used to facilitate it, businesses learn more about their
target audiences and how to best cater to their needs.

Performance and Control

The following strategy will be deployed in order to optimize the performance control of
the product.
• Procure High-quality sensor to ensure the effectiveness of the stick and also to
reduce costs and returns.
• Follow company objectives which aim at improving lives of the blind people.
• Strive to be a leader in technological front and constantly introduce new features
in the stick to maintain the position.
• Increasing customer satisfaction by assuring best service and fast resolution of
customer grievances.
• Constantly strive to expand distribution channel to give good service and have a
wider span of access.
• RFID tags in the stick to keep a record of repairs and issues on each stick
individually. this also will keep track of customer and stick history and help in
the faster resolution of an issue.

Customer Survey
1. Introduction
We conducted a survey for our product through google and circulated it among the
different age groups. The main motto of the survey was to know the value of our product
and people’s opinion about it. In the google form, we gave the detailed description of
our product See-Stick for a clear understanding of it. A total of 53 people participated
in the survey, which was deployed over a span of one week.

We decided to work on the sensor-equipped stick. In the google form, we added three
choices regarding the type of product to see people’s choice of the most preferred one.

Three choices were

• Sensor-equipped glove
• Sensor-equipped stick
• Sensor-equipped wheelchair

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2. Form
The survey form consisted of following questions,
• Name
• Age
• Occupation
• Does anyone in your family or friend visually impaired
• Is sensor stick a better assistive device for blinds
• Which would be the better choice of the product?
• Will you prefer buying sensor stick for a blind in their family?
• Do you think of any other changes that could help in improving our product?

3. Analysis

Figure 8: Age Group

Figure 9: Occupation Demographics

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Figure 10: Customer Targeting

Figure 11: Perception Measurement

Figure 12: Concept Shortlisting

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Figure 13: Recommendation

Figure 14: Subjective Suggestions

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From the above, we have reached the following inferences,

• Approx. 21% of people know someone in their family or friend who has a vision
problem. This data infers that we have a good market for our product good market
for our product.
• According to the choices given in survey, there was a close competition between
sensor-equipped glove and sensor-equipped stick but the majority was with
sensor-equipped glove. Sensor-equipped glove will be compact and easy to
handle as compared to stick (in case the person forgets where he kept his stick).
11.3% people also choose sensor equipped wheelchair as it would be better in
case of an old person who is blind.
• From total no of people who participated in our survey 71.7% thinks that our
product would be useful to blind people. 26.4% people were not sure about it may
be because they didn’t properly understand the idea.
• As we initially decided to work with sensor-equipped stick, so we decided to
continue with the same.
• 96.2% of participants agreed to recommend this product to blind people, so we
can get a high market demand for our product and as there are no competitors for
our product we can get a good profit.

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Technical Concept
Electronic Components
After carefully deciding the functionality of the product to be created, the following
components were selected to form the basis of the prototype. The components had to be
checked for compatibility and the limits of their functionality to be deemed suitable for
the application.
1. Arduino Uno
Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P (datasheet). It has
14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analogue inputs,
a 16 MHz quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset
button.

Figure 15: Arduino Uno

2. Ultrasound Sensor
The ultrasonic sensor also is known as distance measuring sensor provides 2cm to
400cm of non-contact measurement functionality with a ranging accuracy that can reach
up to 3mm.Each HC-SR04 module includes an ultrasonic transmitter, a receiver and a
control circuit.

Figure 16: Ultrasonic Module

The basic principle of work:

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• Using IO trigger for at least 10µs high-level signal,

• The Module automatically sends eight 40 kHz and detect whether there is a pulse
signal back.
• If the signal back, through high level, time of high output IO duration is the time
from sending ultrasonic to return.
• Test distance = (high level time × velocity of sound (340M/S) / 2.

Figure 17: Working Specifications of the Ultrasound Sensor

3. 5V Buzzer
A buzzer or beeper is an audio signalling device, which may be mechanical,
electromechanical, or piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm
devices, timers and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke.

Figure 18: Specifications of a 5V Buzzer

The buzzer is an integrated structure of electronic transducers, DC power supply, widely

used in computers, printers, automotive electronic equipment, telephones, timers and
other electronic products for sound devices. Active buzzer 5V Rated power can be

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directly connected to a continuous sound, this section dedicated sensor expansion

module and the board in combination, can complete a simple circuit design.

Figure 19: 5V Buzzer

4. Breadboard
A breadboard is an a solderless device for a temporary prototype with electronics and
test circuit designs. Most electronic components in electronic circuits can be
interconnected by inserting their leads or terminals into the holes and then making
connections through wires where appropriate.

Figure 20: Breadboard

5. Jumper Wires
A jump wire (also known as jumper, jumper wire, jumper cable, DuPont wire, or DuPont
cable – named for one manufacturer of them) is an electrical wire or group of them in a
cable with a connector or pin at each end (or sometimes without them – simply
"tinned"), which is normally used to interconnect the components of a breadboard or
other prototype or test circuit, internally or with other equipment or components,
without soldering. Individual jump wires are fitted by inserting their "end connectors"

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into the slots provided in a breadboard, the header connector of a circuit board, or a
piece of test equipment.

Figure 21: Jumper Wires

6. Assembly

Figure 22: Preliminary Assembly

The assembly of the model is as shown above,

• The ultrasound sensor is connected to pin no. 9 and 10 of the Arduino for trigger pin
and echo pin.
• The buzzer is connected to pin no. 11 of the Arduino.

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Coding
After designing the electronics of the product, we moved on to the programming of the
microcontroller for the product. This is the preliminary stage comprises of writing the
basic structure of the code to be implemented,
1. //define pin numbers
2. const int origin = 9;
3. const int echoPin = 10;
4.
5. // defines variables
6. long duration;
7. int distance;
8. void setup() {
9. pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output
10. pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input
11. Serial.begin(9600); // Starts the serial communication
12. }
13.
14. void loop() {
15. // Clears the trigPin
16. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
17. delayMicroseconds(2);
18.
19. // Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds
20. digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
21. delayMicroseconds(10);
22. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
23.
24. // Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds
25. duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
26.
27. // Calculating the distance
28. distance= duration*0.034/2;
29.
30. // Prints the distance on the Serial Monitor
31. Serial.print("Distance: ");
32. Serial.println(distance);
33. }

The above code helps gauge the distance of the ultrasound sensor by printing the
distance on the serial monitor. This lets us calibrate the ultrasound sensor for the
required distance for this particular application.
This is the modified code from the previous preliminary code in the sense that it
incorporates the buzzer to tell when the object is closer that the minimum distance
specified in the code. The code is as follows:

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1. // defines pins numbers

2. const int trigPin = 9;
3. const int echoPin = 10;
4. const int buzzer = 11;
5. // defines variables
6. long duration;
7. int distance;
8. void setup() {
9. pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output
10. pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input
11. pinMode(buzzer, OUTPUT); // Sets the buzzer as an Input
12. Serial.begin(9600); // Starts the serial communication
13. }
14. void loop() {
15. int temp=0;
16. // Clears the trigPin
17. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
18. delayMicroseconds(2);
19. // Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds
20. digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
21. delayMicroseconds(10);
22. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
23. // Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds
24. duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
25. // Calculating the distance
26. distance= duration*0.034/2;
27. // Prints the distance on the Serial Monitor
28. Serial.print("Distance: ");
29. Serial.println(distance);
30. If ( distance < 30.00)
31. {
32. while(i>5)
33. {
34. tone(buzzer, 1000, 100);
35. i++;
36. }
37. }
38. }

The third and final version of the code for now incorporate a Bluetooth sensor in order
to locate the product in case the user forgets where it has been placed or it has been lost.
This feature sets of a beeping alarm in the product when a trigger is given either through
an application or a physical button. Its Arduino code is:
1. const int trigPin = 9;
2. const int echoPin = 10;
3. const int buzzer = 12;

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4. // defines variables
5. long duration;
6. int distance;
7. char data = 0;
8. void setup() {
9. pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); //trigPin-Output
10. pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);// echoPin-Input
11. pinMode(7,OUTPUT);
12. pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
13. Serial.begin(9600);
14. }
15. void loop() {
16. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
17. delayMicroseconds(2);
18. digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);// initial-trigpin high
19. delayMicroseconds(10);
20. digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
21. duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);// Read echoPin, return time in microseconds
22. distance= duration*0.034/2; // Calculate distance
23. Serial.print("Distance: "); // Print distance on Serial Monitor
24. Serial.println(distance);
25. if (distance < 100)
26. {
27. //digitalWrite(7,HIGH);
28. //delay (2000);
29. int q=1;
30. while(q>0){
31. tone(buzzer, 1000); // Send 1KHz sound signal...
32. delay(1000); // ...for 1 sec
33. noTone(buzzer); // Stop sound...
34. delay(10);
35. q--;
36. }
37. }
38. //delay(1000);
39. digitalWrite(7,LOW );
40. // Bluetooth buzzer to find location of device
41. if(Serial.available() > 0)
42. {
43. data = Serial.read(); //Read and store incoming data into var data
44. //Serial.print(data); //Print Value inside data in Serial monitor
45. //Serial.print("\n");
46. if(data == '1') // Checks whether value of data is equal to 1
47. {
48. int q=3;
49. while(q>0)
50. {
51. tone(buzzer, 1000); // Send 1KHz sound signal...
52. delay(1000); // ...for 1 sec
53. noTone(buzzer); // Stop sound...

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54. delay(1000);
55. q--;
56. }
57. }
58. delay(1000); // ...for 1sec
59. }
60. }

Optimization
Now that the code and electronics have been completed and integrated, we started
planning for how they can be improved in the near future in order to transform the
product from a prototype to a complete product.
One of the methods is to reduce the size of each and every component:
1. Arduino

Figure 23: Miniaturisation of Arduino

The microcontroller surely occupies a large space which can be substantially reduced
by using alternate small size microcontroller. This reduces the redundancy by keeping
only the necessary pins on the microcontroller without reducing its capability.
2. Ultrasound Sensor

Figure 24: Miniaturization of Sensors

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Another large component is the ultrasound sensor which can be reduced to a large scale
due to the availability of MEMS sensors in the market.
3. Buzzer

Figure 25: Miniaturization of a Buzzer

The buzzer used in our prototype is particularly large as compared to the ones used in
the industry. So, the size of the buzzer can also be reduced to create a more compact
product.
4. Miscellaneous

Figure 26: Miniaturization of the breadboard

The other ways to reduce the size of the product is by creating a PCB (printed circuit
board) which reduces the randomness that comes with using jumper wires as well as
reduces space and is more practical when it comes to mass production.

Image Processing
The future prospects of the product are considerably large as it can be made to include
various other ongoing research and recent development in the various fields. Two of
them are image processing and machine vision.

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Figure 27: Image Processing

Digital image processing is the use of computer algorithms to perform image processing
on digital images. As a subcategory or field of digital signal processing, digital image
processing has many advantages. It allows a much wider range of algorithms to be
applied to the input data and can avoid problems such as the build-up of noise and signal
distortion during processing. Image processing can be easily performed on well-known
software such as MATLAB, Python, etc.
Obstacle Detection

Figure 28: Vehicular Detection

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One of the ways to use image processing in the current scenario is, if it is possible to
detect an object with a predefined dimension, for instance, a human, the average height
is about 175 cm. Taking the height of that detected object as a reference to approximate
the distance between the object and the camera and use this information to approximate
the dimensions of other objects. Image processing, if done right can give a surprisingly
huge upgrade to our product as shown above.

Figure 29: Applications of Image Processing

Using the current product to detect objects is not as far-fetched as it seems since the
algorithms for the same are already available and being developed by people all over
the world. Going a step further the objects detected can also be used to classify the
images and be played as audio for the visually impaired. This will give a whole new
perspective to the product and will go way beyond being used as an accessory for the
visually impaired but can then be used for numerous other purposes from being attached
to robots and other machines as well as on construction sites for safety purposes. As we
see it the product we have started to develop has a huge scope for development and
evolution way beyond from its inception to a product which will help in creating a better
and safer world.

Machine Learning
In order to implement the object detection successfully and to keep the product updated
and alive in the competitions to come, it needs to continuously keep evolving. The only
way to do this is by implementing machine learning into the code. Machine learning is
defined as being a field of computer science that uses statistical techniques to give
computer systems the ability to "learn" (i.e., progressively improve performance on a
specific task) with data, without being explicitly programmed.

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Figure 30: The Machine Learning Process

Figure 31: Applications of Machine Learning

This will help the program to keep growing as the data set it obtains from being used in
the real world keeps on increasing. With algorithms such as CNN (Convolutional neural
networks) coming in the picture, the visually impaired will not only get to know if there
is an obstacle but also know what it is and how far is it. This will bring a revolution to
the world and a joy to the faces of our customer, which as I see it is what any enterprise
would want after all.

Mechanical Design

Figure 32: List of Items

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We got the rough estimated price of our product as Rs.3900/- per piece
• Excluding the prices of power tools for an individual component, we got the
decreased price of Rs.1027/- per piece
• After discussion on the price while considering the machining costs at the industrial
level we came up to the approximate MRP of Rs.1500/-
We came to the conclusion with these 3 choices
• Sensors attached to the stick end
• Watch equipped with a sensor
• Wheelchair-equipped with sensors.
• For starters, we took on the sensor attached stick design as most of the
• visually impaired people usually use the stick for the guidance
• We started working on the designing of the stick model
• We started the designing of the model in solid works 2016 using some basic steps
• After a long discussion on what position should the casing be situated what it should
look like and how the design will help us in achieving maximum efficiency we came
to a final decision
We recalibrated the design and positioning after brainstorming with the team on where
and what should the orientation and layout of the sensors be in order to achieve
maximum range for object detection and strong receiving signals.

Figure 33: Initial Prototype

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Figure 34: SolidWorks Model

The changes needed were most in the optimizing and arrangement of the sensors in the
new casing
• The optimum range of objects detection for this model as such is as follows
• 3 transmitters- covering 180 degrees of the front view of the stick
• 2 recovers- for better efficiency and more number of signals that have been traced
back from the object
• Reset button- to reset and manage the range
• Range – 180-degree span with 2 meters of range for object detection
• Area swept for detection is 12.56 m2

Figure 35: Final Model (Stick)

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After successfully completing the design of the see stick I started research on the prefer
material to be used. We used Ansys for checking the static loading condition of the force
that may be applied.

Figure 36: Stress Analysis

Figure 37: Displacement Analysis

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Figure 38: Strain Analysis

Finalizing of certain things was done after review 2, such as

• The material we are going to use for casing- acrylic sheet/ aluminium sheet
• Colouring of the individual parts- as showed in the picture
• Circuit board that has to be made to remove Arduino setup.

The following changes were added to the model,

• The design and other parameters were finalized for the stick variant but the problems
with the visibility and range of ultrasonic sensors.
• We decided to go on with the glove/watch design.
• I conducted a research on the fabrication and parts needed for the watch model as
the glove model had its own demerits as well as difficult to design in solid works.
• The same stepwise procedure as followed for stick model was done again for the
watch model
• I discussed with AKASH RAO and SUHAS for the packing of sensors in such a
small compartment and the ideal place for the sensors to be placed on.
• The final place for the sensors after discussions was fixed on the side of watch facing
forward.
• In such a way that it takes on the maximum area for the coverage in the direction
pointed not in the conical section area giving false alarms.
• I started working on the designing for the watch model

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Figure 39: Final Design (Watch)

These have the following advantages,

• SMD integration
• Worn on hand
• Compact
• Wearable technology
• Haptic feedback
Analysis of Housing

Figure 40: Initial Model of Case

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Initially, since we used an Arduino Uno as a prototype we had to take its dimensions
with clearances and tolerance So an approximate model was made and this was
analyzed. All the components were also placed in this case to see if it would fit with the
right tolerances and the least weight as weight was a big constraint while designing this.
The material Specified was ABS Plastic. Whenever there was a need to add or remove
materials small topographical optimizations was done on the case. After the initial
modelling was done there was a need to validate the design and test it and do analysis
on the part. To check if it holds good and there is no problem to hold the component.
Also, to check if we can reduce material in any way possible several tests were done in
ANSYS the results are as shown in the following figures.

Figure 41: Meshing

Figure 42: Total Deformation

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Figure 43: Von Meisis Stress

This is to find where most of the stress is getting concentrated to find out which part of
the component is most likely to break under heavy usage condition. I was very happy to
find out that there was a huge safety factor of 6 for the product. Which helped us realize
that the case will withstand normal everyday usage. It was very important to have a
customer centric approach therefore we had to make sure that the product is reliable and
will not falter in the worst of the conditions.

Figure 44: Equivalent Strain

To find out the life expectancy of the case such that we can give a warranty on the
product as this is extremely important multiple iterations were done on this case.

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Figure 45: Thermal Analysis

To find out the need for cooling since there will be electrical components in the case it's
of high importance that there is cooling at least by natural convection. So, this was the
problem with this model no cooling ducts were present only ports were there.

Figure 46: Force Variation

After the numerous number of analysis which was done on the product it was time to
optimize it and come out with the final design which was both feasible, economical to
the company and which can take the heat constraints and structural abuse that people do
to it every day. Such that the case will always remain intact keeping the vital electronic
components inside safe and secure. Since we do not want anyone using or product to
ever have a problem with our product what so ever.

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Management Concepts
Business Model

Figure 47: Business Model

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Suppliers
The following are the list of suppliers that we can pursue in order to attain completion
of the project,
1. Ultrasonic Sensor
• Rajguru Electronics, Lamington Road, Mumbai – Rs 100/piece
• ClinchHub, NH 24, Delhi Road, Ghaziabad – Rs 95/piece
• Sheth Electronics, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru – Rs 70/piece
• Meltbook Convergence Private Limited Mayapuri Industrial Area, New Delhi – Rs
92/piece
• Bharathi Electronics, Kavundampalayam, Coimbatore – Rs 150/piece
• Macnet Technology,Grant Road, Mumbai – Rs 100/piece
2. Microcontroller – Arduino Uno
• ClinchHub,NH 24, Delhi Road, Ghaziabad – Rs 385/piece
• Meltbook Convergence Private Limited, Mayapuri Industrial Area, New Delhi – Rs
269/piece
• Bharathi Electronics, Kavundampalayam, Coimbatore – Rs 450/piece
• Makxenia Engineering Resource Private Limited, IT Park Road, Nagpur – Rs
380/piece
• Alpha Shope, Okhla, New Delhi – Rs 400/piece
• Adatronix Private Limited, Bengaluru – Rs 420/piece
3. Piezo electric buzzers
• Sheth Electronics, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru – Rs 7/piece
• Sheth Electronics, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru – Rs 6.1/piece
• Sunrise Semiconductor, Trimurti Building, Mumbai – Rs 7/unit
• Bafna Devices Private Limited, Shamrao Vithal Marg, Mumbai – Rs 6/piece
• Digjam Electronics, Bhayandar West, Mumbai – Rs 6.5/piece
4. Electric Push button switches
• Well Contacts Co., Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru – Rs 20/piece
• La Conceptz Infra Solutions, Choolai, Chennai – Rs 34/piece
• Madras Precision Components, Badri Garden Lane, Chennai – Rs 25/piece
• Gandhi Industrial Electricals, George Town, Chennai – Rs 15/piece
• Devansh Enterprises, Sahukar Pet, Chennai – Rs 10/piece
5. Jumper connecting wires

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• Goyal Electricals And Electronics, Chandni Chowk, Delhi – Rs 4.5/meter

• Five Star Cables, New Delhi – Rs 5/meter
• K. V. R. Enterprises, Chandni Chowk, Delhi – Rs 2.5/meter
• Techno Fibre Industries, Indrapuri, Bhopal – Rs 8/meter
• Manan Enterprises, Lamington Road, Mumbai – Rs 3/meter

Pricing Strategy

Figure 48: Bill of Materials

Based on the marketing strategy framed earlier and with the identification of the target
market with the market research coupled with the advertising strategy, the purchasing
power of the individual and finally with no one to compete us on this product, we will
be maintaining status-quo in the industry. Now, the pricing should be made is such a
way, we seek price stabilization in order to avoid new competitors and maintain a
moderate and stable level of profit. We have to adopt penetration pricing by maximizing
the product sales quantity in a reasonable prize, to avoid the threat of impeding
competition.
To set the specific price that achieves the pricing objective, there are other methods such
as:
• Cost-plus pricing
• Target return pricing
• Value-based pricing
• Psychological pricing

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For a start-up company like ours, we have to adopt for cost-plus pricing margin. This is
because other companies have not previously invaded the market. Also, since the
product we are selling is a one-time sellable product, and we don’t expect multiple
purchases for a single customer, it is uncertain as the market reaction due to wandering
into shallow depths. We can’t opt for other pricing methods without identifying the
customer psychology. Also, since the customer doesn’t have a relative to the alternative
product, value-based pricing is not possible.

Figure 49: The Ansoff Matrix

We have fixed the final price of our product to Rs.1500 (exclusive of GST 12%).

Key Performance Indicators

It is crucial for the organization to measure the customer service success. Without
measuring the level of the customer service, it is not possible to understand workflow
and progress.
There are various metrics which help you measure the level of customer service. The
metrics are also known as KPI or Key Performance Indicators. Here are some of those:

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1. Net MRR (monthly recurring revenue) Churn:

Figure 50: Calculation of MRR Churn

• MRR Churn: Revenue lost from customers who cancel.

• Contraction (downgrade): Revenue lost from paying customers who downgrade
to a lower-paying plan or receive a discount. Counter-intuitively, this also
includes people who switch from a monthly to a yearly plan, since yearly plans
are often discounted.
• Expansion (upsell): Revenue gained from paying customers who upgrade to a
higher-paying plan or when a discount expires.
• Reactivation: Revenue gained from customers who jumped ship that you’re able
to pull back on board.
• MRR: Monthly recurring revenue at the beginning of the period–month, quarter,
year, whatever makes sense for your business.
A negative churn implies high growth. It takes good retention strategies and carefully
targeted upscales. If we’re consistently hitting <1% net MRR churn, we’re on the right
track.

2. Average Resolution Time

Resolution time is also known as time-to-resolution (TTR). It assists companies to track
the average time spent on resolving customer complaints and issues. TR is normally
measured in hours or in days. It depends on the nature of the system or product or system
being supported and is calculated from the time the request is logged till the time the
request is closed. It should be the goal of every support executive or team leader to keep
the TTR as short as possible. Therefore, extra efforts and strategies are formed to keep
the TTR minimal.

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3. Customer satisfaction surveys

It is 6-7 times more expensive to obtain a new customer than it is to keep an existing
one. Normally, an effective survey consists, 5 to 10 questions that are related to
customer experience, service delivery and overall satisfaction. The main motive of
customer satisfaction survey is to measure how satisfied your customers are. A satisfied
customer considered the asset for the company.
With surveys, you get the ground level and realistic scenario of customer satisfaction.
Once you know how satisfied your customers are and what bothers them about your
brand, there is always chance you can try to enhance their customer experience.
Experiences are rated as follows:

• Extremely helpful
• Very helpful
• Somewhat helpful
• Not very helpful
• Not at all helpful
We can send email to the customer with attached survey form or directly insert your
survey in the email itself. We can add 5 to 10 questions regarding their experience with
your product, service or brand. Also, we will establish a hotline for customer calls and
queries. The hotline will also handle the services and guidance of customers.

Simulation of Demand

Figure 51: Production Planning and Control

The above simulation represents the screening process of potential buyers in the market.
Though the simulation cannot exactly estimate responses from the market, it has proven

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to be an efficient tool in industries to predict uncertainties. The term used for

uncertainties is stochastic. The above simulation was created on a platform known as
ARENA by Rockwell used in Production and Manufacturing Planning simulations.
These simulations are not entirely random and are governed by boundary values known
to the Production planning department. Although exact estimates are not obtained a
‘what if’ scenario can be presented. A what-if the scenario is when the software catches
the system by surprise and a worst-case scenario is analyzed. This helps the planner in
equipping the industry in a better manner and to be prepared for unforeseen
circumstances.

The above scenario represents the eligibility of people ‘in thousands’ according to the
income of people considered above and below the poverty line. As it can be seen, around
a total of 150,000 people facing visual impairment under innate or age-related
circumstances, only 12000 can afford the product which has been decided in the first
phase of manufacturing. The major market of 138000 remains out of reach due to the
same reasons. This brought major concerns and further iterations are being carried out
to increase market scope by decreasing the price of the product below its current price
which is 1500INR.

Production Workforce Management

Hiring and Firing of employees is an important aspect of Production planning and
Control. The variation of profits occurs due to 3 different regimes:
• Changing inventory
• Hiring and Firing employees
• Backordering and Subcontracting
Out of these 3 regimes, it is important that the area of workforce management is
considered to run the organization according to its values and visions. As Firing cannot
be predicted before the business is actually set up, a general requirement of hiring and
general employee requirement can be estimated. Considering the most basic scenario
before price reduction with 12000 customers demanding or requiring products above
the poverty line and an assumed number of 1000 customer being served by a single
employee annually,
By using C/S=P, we get P=12 employees.
Mostly these employees would be involved in the field of sales required to reach the
people in need of service. With a basic annual salary of 120000INR, the total capital
spent on employees and hiring = 12*120000=14,40,000INR annually.

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Operational Plan

Figure 52: Simulation for Operational Control

Flow Process diagram is an important phase in the manufacturing of any product. The
process might be changed due to various reasons such as demand, waste reduction,
profit margin escalation etc. However, a good product has to have a sound Production
flow sequence for its manufacturing for the first time. Only then can it be reciprocated
into flexibility to be able to continuously improve the process over time according to
the lean principles using Kaizen or continuous improvement. The above diagram is a
process flow diagram for the development of the first prototype with a high lead time=15
days.
• Firstly, the process begins with raw material procurement or ordering taking
3-4 days.
• Secondly, the process and product are designed respectively taking 2-3 days
including optimization.
• Fabrication of the product requires 1 day during which a code is developed
simultaneously in 1 day.
• Synchronizing it with a remote control enabling the visually impaired people
to locate their misplaced see-stick module takes 1 day.
• Product testing and clearance take 2 separate days.
• The total lead time is hence summed up to be 15 days with the remaining 5
days given to rectification and repairing of the failed product and further
research and development.

Though this process takes a high lead time of production, it can be further optimized
and reduced by implementing the same in a recursive production cycle where all the
steps would have been finalized with the translation of the prototype into a final decision
and distinguished product. The lead time can be reduced to as less as 2-3 days from 15
days i.e. 1/5th of current development time. Moreover, the simulation also yields a result

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suggesting that 2 of the 15 products fail in the process and are to be repaired suggesting
a reliability of 86.77%.

Activity Based Costing

Figure 53: Materials vs Cumulative Percentage

ABC Analysis of the bill of materials will classify materials according to the kind of
control they will require depending on cost. For example, there are raw materials and
products which are more in number and hold less value and some products are less in
number and hold more value. Therefore, products holding higher value and that are less
in number require rigorous planning and inventory control and inspection.

Figure 54: Activity-Based Costing

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Therefore, it can be inferred that,

• Angle grinder and Soldering iron belong to category A – They require serious
inspection due to their high value
• The three materials mentioned below belong to category B and require
moderate inspection are microcontroller, ultrasound sensor, and wire cutter
PVC pipe, resistor, rubber grip, buzzer, switch, bolts, soldering wires, clips, connecting
wires, tape form category 3 and require occasional inspection under inventory control.

Minimum Viable Product

According to the economic time, a minimum viable product is one that gets the attention
of consumers with the most basic features. At times the minimum viable product could
also be credited with the least number of features to grab the attention of consumers. An
MVP is essential to assess the areas of strengths and weaknesses of the product and
helps continuously improve the service and product quality delivered to the customers.
Moreover, it also helps an organization build a sound and strong clientele.
In the case of the product see-stick, a survey was conducted to understand the public
demand better and to know the most basic features required to provide service as per
customer standards or expectations. The following survey results exhibit that a majority
of 47.2 consumers would prefer ‘See-Stick’s’ equipped with a glove or watch or
anything that could be mounted on a forearm. After assessing these basic demands, it
can be inferred that this is to be provided at the least possible cost reaping a significant
profit by keeping in mind the calculations related to profit margins after tax deduction.
Secondly, a feedback would be taken with the help of a feedback form to understand the
functionality of the product in the market with customers for further improvements in
the products to be launched in the future. Lastly, benefits such as free service-repair or
maintenance, free module mounts are some of the offers that could be launched to keep
the consumers happy. According to the Economic Times, the above-explained points
summarize the basic requisites of an MVP to provide better service to customers. Hence
it can be inferred that a hand mounted Vision guide has to be developed and made ready
for production as an MVP.

Operations and Management

Electricity expenses:
• Angle grinder and cutting tools consumption = 670 W/H used for an hour in a
day Soldering iron consumption = 18 W/H Used for 5 hours
• Rs.3430 per day
Capital requirements:

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• Cost of operations per day 4830INR

• Cost of goods for 1 product = 3887-1500-1200-150= 1037, because Angle
grinder wire cutter and solder are single time investments
• Therefore 1037*33= 34221 is the total material cost per day
• Therefore, annual working capital = (34221+4830) *365 = 1,42,53,615INR

Profit Margin:

Capital recovery after sales = 1,80,00,000INR Annual Profit margin of = 37,46,385 INR

Takt Time Calculation and Simulation

Figure 55: Layout

Figure 56: Simulation in ARENA

The simulation shown above is executed in ARENA and calculates the takt time
required in producing one unit.

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Figure 57: Further Iterations of Simulation

• The demand for 1000 units monthly

• Roughly 33 units produced per day
• Assuming an 8-hour working day shift,
• 33/8= 4.125 or 4 units produced in an hour
• After deduction of lunch breaks etc., time available=400 minutes

Production Scheduling and Product Development Scheduling

The Gantt chart prepared above is an important tool in assessing the various activities
and their scheduling in the ‘New Product Development’ phase. Furthermore, it shows
the lead time in days for the development of a working prototype of a system assisting
visually impaired. The total lead time for developing a first working prototype = 60
days. Several efforts have been taken to reduce the lead time, also in further discussion,

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a Takt time approach has been suggested. The entire development process for the
prototype consists of the following stages:
• Market Survey = 3 days
• Design and Optimization =17 days
• Implementation of Ergonomics to the prototype = 14 days
• Group discussion and Meeting to discuss and finalize design = 2 days
• Fabrication and Manufacturing = 14 days
• Beta testing = 3 days
• Testing = 7 days

Figure 58: Gantt Chart

Value Engineering
Value = Quality / Cost

Figure 59: Value Engineering Chart (A)

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Therefore, the value of a product can either be increased by reducing the cost of a
product at the same quality level or increased quality or by increasing the quality at
same or reduced costs. More specifically, value determines the way in which a product
impacts the lives of the customer using it. Value addition is, therefore, an emerging field
involving a lot of research and new methods of calculating value. The graph below
shows the change in value after reducing the cost of a product from Rs.2100 to Rs.1500.
A significant difference of 0.06 or increase of value by 6% can be observed by reducing
its price. Moreover, this change in value will not impact the profit margin hugely as it
will play a major role in capturing new markets and introduction to new clientele
fostering business expansion.

Figure 60: Value Engineering Chart (B)

This graph shows the change in value at the reduced cost of 1500INR by improving
factors affecting the reliability of the product. Several tests such as chi-square,
autocorrelation was performed to determine the reliability of the product. Therefore, a
difference of 0.011 can be noted by improving quality of reliability. Though the change
might seem insignificant, it has increased the shelf life of the product.

Lean Principles
A number of lean principles have been implemented to justify the venture as a lean
startup. The manner and patterns of production have changed and are still changing day
by day. A clear transition from mass producing activities to Just-in-Time activities based
on demand can be observed. To use the resources responsibly and to impact profits by
reducing waste in activities defines the beginning of the new era with careful and
sustainable development being the ‘need of the hour’.
Therefore, some of the lean principles implemented are,

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1. 5S
To maintain decorum and hygienic working conditions, 5S is an excellent way to reduce
the 7 Muda and Muri or wastes. The workplace is organized so that time is not wasted
in searching for tools or products. The Gemba or shop floor is kept clean and shiny or
appealing. The principle of KAIZEN to continuously improve greatly impacts the
performance of the company.
2. Single Minute Exchange of Dies
To efficiently keep operations running without unnecessary delay, an arrangement of
dies, tools, jigs and fixtures can be designed in such a way that all necessary operations
for a single product occur in a fixed time interval without delay or a compromise in
quality. As the name suggests in certain cases such as the pit crew of a formula 1 racing
team, the tie is under a minute.
3. Muda and Muri
The removal of wastes such as overproduction, over-processing, delay, transport, the
holding of excess inventory etc. form the main wastes. In addition to these away has
been devised wherein the electronic waste can be recycled or segregated for safe
disposal. This not only escalates the profit margin but also improves sustainability.
4. JIT
Just in Time production has been implemented to keep low inventory values to reduce
wastes and undue damaging of the product. Moreover, the production by analyzing
demands helps serve the customers better and solve individual problems efficiently.
Production in order helps reduce waste and avoid overall confusion while updating or
changing methods.

Pareto Chart
A Pareto chart is of vital importance to a company to get to know what the current
problem areas we are having and where do we have to focus most of our research and
effort.
The reasons we use the Pareto chart are as given.
• When analyzing data about the frequency of problems or causes in a process.
• When there are many problems or causes and you want to focus on the most
significant.
• When analyzing broad causes by looking at their specific components.
• When communicating with others about your data.

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Figure 61: Pareto Chart

So clearly from this graph, we can come to a conclusion that the need of the hour is
manufacturing the Product with the least time and money. This was where we had to
put most of the time and effort. The Second major trend we noticed from this is there
was a lot of optimization which had to be done based on the coding front. As the product
could only detect obstacles to a very small distance and not a large distance.

Patenting and Accreditation

Cost

Pre Filing First Action Patent Maintenance

Figure 62: Patenting Costs

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We figured that there were the following costs related to patenting and accreditation.
• Pre-filing cost - $920 to $1530
• First-action cost - $2300
• Patent maintenance cost - $2200
• Total - $6000
Since we are a startup, we cannot afford to spend so much money on such activities.
We came up with two solutions for the aforementioned issue in order to solve it in a
cost-effective manner.

1. BananaIP

Figure 63: BananaIP

This is advantageous because of the following factors,

• Firm bears expenses of patent filing for start-ups
• Assists with product certification
• Exchange for equity in company
• Registration with the Indian Patent Office under the Startup India initiative

2. IP Dome Strategic Advisors

Figure 64: IP Dome

This is advantageous because of the following factors,

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• Law Firm – IP Dome Strategy Advisors, Chennai

• Total cost - $25
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) – International protection
• 30 months coverage

House of Quality
So, these were the prime requirements and based on the customer’s needs we needed to
make the product since this is a small but niche market that we have therefore it is very
important that we get a hold of the market share since there are very fewer competitors
currently operating in the same field as us.

Figure 65: House of Quality

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Product Certification
We will be pursuing certification of our product according to the Bureau of Indian
Standards (ISO/ IEC Guide – 17065) - Group – Electronic equipment. A consulting firm
such as the above will be utilized in order to streamline the procedure.

Figure 66: List of Standards

Team Meetings

Figure 67: Quality Circle Meetings

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Conclusion
It is worth mentioning at this point that the aim shows great potential in aiding people
of a smart walking See-Stick for the blind has been fully achieved. The See-Stick acts
as a basic platform for the coming generation of more aiding devices to help the visually
impaired to navigate safely both indoor and outdoor. It is effective and affordable.
With the proposed system, if developed with at most accuracy, the blind people will
able to move from one place to another without others help. If such a system is
developed, it will act as a basic platform for the generation of more such devices for the
visually impaired in the future which will be cost effective. It leads to good results in
detecting the obstacles on the path of the user in a range of three meters. This system
offers a low-cost, reliable, portable, low power consumption and robust solution for
navigation with obvious short response time.
Though the system is hard-wired with sensors and other components, it's light in weight.
Further aspects of this system can be improved via wireless connectivity between the
system components, thus, increasing the range of the ultrasonic sensor and
implementing a technology for determining the speed of approaching obstacles. While
developing such an empowering solution, visually impaired and blind people in all
developing countries were on top of our priorities. The device constructed in this work
is only capable of detecting obstacles. Holes cannot be detected using this device nor
the nature of obstacle. Therefore, a better device can be constructed using ultrasonic
sensors, and other devices that employ audio commands to alert the user of what is in
his path of movement. A vibrator may also be added for ease of use and convenience.
As far as the localization is concerned it will be able to provide accurate details of the
location of the blind if in case they lost with help from the GPS. It will be a real boon
the blind. The developed prototype gives good results in detecting obstacles paced at
distance in front of the user.

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