Would you buy this invention? Be honest.?
Question:My hubby has put some lights in the wall going up our stairs. They run from a sensor so as you pass the sensor at the bottom of the stairs the lights come on 1 at a time going up. If you pass it it the top of the stairs they come on 1 at a time coming down. It means we dont have to switch on the lights at night so dont wake the children.
It is also a bit of a toy.
We also have lights like this in the bathroom. They come on when you go in and turn off when you walk out. If someone walks in aftr you, the lights know that there are now 2 people in the bathroom and only turn off when the 2nd person walks.
He is thinking about marketing this but because of the PLC programming for the lights costs a fair bit... About £500 inclusive of labour. Would you go for it if you had the money?
Answers:
Its a very interesting idea, although if you havent patented it it's perhaps not the best idea to describe it in detail on a open web forum like this as it may count as "in the wild" and restrict your patent options.
You may wish to consider a different market for your product, £500 for a domestic lighting system ( which is basically a novelty idea) is not going to sell much, however as a energy saving system for installation in offices or communial stairwells in flats it is very cheap at £500.
there are similar systems available but most involve turning the light on at bottom of a stairwell and pressing a switch at every floor or the light goes out on a timer, your system would be more efficient and save money and electricity.
The government is dumping lots of money into funding new energy saving inititives and you will stand an excellent chance to havee this item funded if you apply quickly while energy efficiency is a hot political topic.
Sounds like a brilliant idea. Tell him to go on Dragons Den, they'll meet the marketing costs in return for shares in the company.
Sounds great. I think I'd go for it if I had the loot.
that sounds brill , i would buy it as it would save a small fourtune when you have kids that always leave the lights on. go for it.
if i had the money i would..unfortunatly i dont.
Good idea, but I wouldn't spend £500 on it!
cool idea yeah id buy em
wow that is a pretty neat invention tell your husband I say congratulations on that I will definitely want to buy it if i could.
That sounds really good, I like the bathroom one. Sounds like the future to me. If I had a house I was doing up, and the money to do it, £500 doesn't sound too bad. :)
It's actually a great idea, but I, for one would wait till the price came down. That is a fairly large chunk of change.
Now he needs to find a way for them to be cost effective for the common household.
sell the idea to the energy efficiency companies, make sure you get the patent first. I'd buy it but not at that price, I suspect they could offset cost with grants or have the funds to find a cheaper production method. Now u have put the idea out there, someone may usurp you and you won't make a penny, get the patent first!! You will probably make a tidy sum just selling the idea.
Yep it sounds great, price is a bit steep though. I understand it would cost yourselves a fair bit, but it would be out of most peoples price range. I think he needs to work on a way to keep prices down for yourselves first. maybe getting a backer would help, But well done its a great idea.
My husband is an absoloute gadget freak and would go nuts for something like this! I think he'd even spend £500 for it.
Good luck to you and your hubby - I like the Dragons Den idea too - why not??
I would suggest that firstly he get a patent ASAP for this product as now you've told the rest of the world about it, someone might beat you to it with the marketing!
I agree that it sounds like a great idea and with the current focus on energy saving it should be very popular if it's not too expensive to install.
I would certainly consider buying it if it went onto the market.
Good luck
I am pretty sure I have seen something similar already, but to be competitive you would need to take the production to China.
I am sure that it would be difficult to patent, unless there is something totally new compared to current pir designs.
You should push the 'environmentally good' side of the design because there are tons of grants from the Government and Universities for 'green' products.
If it was cheaper and easy to Do It Yourself, I would probably consider them, perhaps they could be 'prefabbed' into strips, which just need to be fixed on and plugged in?
Good luck...
Thats mint!
Could you make the lights IN the stairs so they light up when you step on them? like in 'Billie Jean'?
I've always said I would get that when I get a house!
why not It seems wonderful to me
I would - if they were easy to install and not too expensive. I particularly like the one for the bathroom - very good safety feature. I've seen similar things in some public toilets but I think they are on a timer - ie come on when you go in but if you are in too long they can go off on you !
Lol - love it and if I was dead rich and could easily afford them (and someone to fitit all in ) the yes I would...But rich is the word here1
Yeah, if I were him I would hurry up and get it in the market before someone beats him to it. There are always copycats and I would hate to see someone profit from his hard work. Good Luck! :o)
its great ..esp when the second person is involved..
A sure a lot of people would like to buy this buy not at the present cost..
Most wont be able to afford it.. He could try selling his idea to a manufacturer ..so it becomes more affordable..and he gets the recognition
It's an interesting idea, but not a significant improvement on what's already available. I'm extremely cost conscious and I wouldn't buy it...though many people would, I'm sure.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but you did ask for honesty.
Clever idea! Sounds like a great way to save electricity. I have 2 daughters that never shut of the walk in closet lights. I would love something like that for them!
I think it's a brilliant idea but unless my income went up ten fold could not afford it. I would definitely buy it though if it were more affordable. Your husband is a genius.
now that's a great idea!! If I had a little extra money I would definitely buy that for my stairs and or other rooms.I love the light on the stairs...it would brighten up my stairs and make it a little safer for my kids...good luck!!
You bet I would jump on this in a heart beat.. to bad your not here in Canada. There is a great show called the Dragons den that would help him out greatly to get this product off and running.
I noticed people said to have a timer added. It would be a great feature after all most houses don't require it to work during daylight. And with soring costs in Electricity and also tree huggers it would be alot more functional and practical.
People who buy improvements like this have the extra funds to buy the complete package. And dam well want it. I know I would. We have huge windows that light up the entire house.. Winter time of course daylight is at a min. Summer its light here till 11:00pm.
Remember the market you are going after, not everyone wants stuff like this working 24-7
I wouldn't go for it at the current price but like everything, if it can be mass produced it will be cheaper. If it is popular it will sell and the price will drop. Go for it I say and follow other answers for funding. Good Luck
we have this at work, in the morning I'm the first one in i walk along the corridor the lights above turn on, and when i walk out they turn off.
This is nothing new, try contacting lighting people to get a price for a large number units then patient the idea.
Work out what the cost would be with a 40% profit margin on top.
Then contact a major house builder to see about in corporating this in to new house developements.
Or contacting electrical distributors.
Good luck
I think that's a brilliant idea and i will hope to see it in the future because i would definitely buy them, i get so fed up of having to repeat myself over and over to family, friends and my partner to turn things off after them selves, your husband could also do follow ups with household goods it would save a hell of a lot of money on electricity bills and stuff.
More Related Questions & Answers...