InvenTABLE

Inspiration

The idea for InvenTABLE emerged during a studio course in my master's program, where the semester-long project focused on addressing a problem in the education sector. Conversations with educators revealed their strong belief in the importance of teaching children the design process, as it enables them to apply classroom learning to real-world situations, fosters empathy, and encourages self-sufficiency. When I started working with kids to teach them the design process, I ran into an interesting pain point. In our program, we use cardboard almost exclusively for our rapid prototyping, yet when I reached this stage with kids I learned that they strongly disliked using the material, primarily due to the frustrating, inefficient tools available.

What it does

InvenTABLE is a kid-safe power tool designed to teach valuable STEM skills by giving kids the ability to cut through cardboard and build 3D models with ease. The cutting tool is encased in metal with a gap just wide enough to cut standard cardboard, but too small for little fingers to touch. There is nothing sharp on the tool, and its design enables kids to cut through cardboard with minimal force, making it easy to create complex shapes.

The first project kids would complete when they receive their InvenTABLE is turning the cardboard box that it comes in into their very own workstation. This intro project would show them how 2D cardboard pieces can join together into something 3D, how cardboard packaging can be reworked into something functional, and the scale that their inventions can take.

They would then open up their workbooks that teach them how to plan their own 3-dimensional project ideas in 2D using engineering drawings.

Finally, to keep them engaged, kids would have access to a monthly subscription of downloadable cardboard projects and challenges that meet specific STEM learning goals and a community of other kid makers to share their inventions with.

How we built it

After developing a rough prototype for my final project (held together by about a pound of duct tape) and receiving positive feedback from professors and parents, I decided to pursue the idea further. I then teamed up with Max, a talented engineer who I knew as the guy always tinkering in the makerspace with toys for his 2 year old son, to bring this product to life. Over the summer of 2021, we refined the prototype using tools in the Studios @ Venture Labs and tested it with kids, parents, and educators at events around Philadelphia.

Challenges we ran into

Quick prototyping turnaround: We found that we had to pivot the form of our product a few times based on feedback we received and our observations of how well the InvenTABLE power tool did in day-long testing sessions, and we had to do so quickly in order to test new versions at new events.

Manufacturing: We are still in this stage of figuring out our manufacturing processes. We know how we will manufacture and who we will work with, but designing FOR manufacturing is tricky and not something either Max or I have experience in beyond a design class we took in our Masters program. We are thankful to have the help of JD Albert for this stage!

Funding: We are at a point now where in order to move forward with our Kickstarter campaign, we need money. We are currently actively attempting to raise $30,000, which will give us everything we need for a successful Kickstarter campaign. In order to achieve this, we are applying to various incubator programs that offer funding as a part of their acceptance. If anyone reading this has a lead on a funding source, we would greatly appreciate it!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

At the end of 2022, we held successful feedback sessions with over 100 kids, parents, and educators at various Maker Faires, Kids Hack Day at Fluxspace (a kids makerspace), and at Cupola Academy in a classroom setting. As a result of this, we have an email list of over 60 parents and teachers who are interested in purchasing this product when it is released.

We have been able to develop a final form-factor of the InvenTABLE power tool that is tested and validated.

In 2023, we have officially registered our company as an LLC, and have worked extensively on developing our go-to-market plan.

We have created a new website landing page to collect more emails. link

At Penn, we received all three rounds of the Penn Wharton Innovation Fund (totaling to $8,000), we participated in the 2022 Cohort of Penn I-Corps, and we are an official client of the Detkin Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic who are helping us determine patentability of our product.

What we learned

We have learned so much at every step of this process (designing for manufacturing, creating a business plan, strategies to go to market, STEM education strategies, and more). We have been able to speak with and read research from so many experts in the fields of toys, marketing, business, manufacturing, machining, and STEM education. Easily the most exciting thing about starting a company like this is getting to soak all of that knowledge up like a sponge.

What's next for InvenTABLE

We are doing everything we can now to prepare for our Kickstarter launch this summer. We are in talks with Launchboom, a Kickstarter-specific marketing firm, who will help us market our product in the months leading up to our launch. Though we are able to pay them for their services, before we hire them we still have to raise funds for actually running our ads.

We are also actively working on getting a prototype professionally manufactured through Protolabs, a US-based prototype manufacturing company. We will use this for testing, getting testimonials from potential customers, and for filming marketing videos.

Built With

• 3dprinting
• lasercutting
• metal-machining