09.09.2014 14:34

The idea is the start, but there is a lot of work ahead to make that idea a reality. One key to success is to leverage the expertise of others as much as possible and thereby reduce risk. When equipment requires the use of sensors, far too often we see start-up companies struggle to select the right sensor. It is rare that a company’s engineering team, whether in-house or a contract design house, has enough sensor expertise to select the ideal sensor. Often, engineers will search online distributors and choose a sensor based on a few specifications. The process often goes like this: buy a sensor, test, find issues in the application, learn, buy another sensor, and repeat until something works. In addition, the sensor selection process tends to be squeezed into the latter part of the design process, putting further time pressure on finding something that will work.

A better approach is to find a sensor company with broad experience serving medical equipment companies and work with that company early in the design cycle. Why not leverage their application knowledge and sensor expertise? This can save a lot of time and reduce the risk of failure. Be diligent in finding the expertise needed to minimize the development risk for your new venture. 

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