3 ms·

Another neat story from NPR on a specific piece of hardware tech from China: the hoverboard. http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/27/457404184/episode-666

Another neat story from NPR on a specific piece of hardware tech from China: the hoverboard. http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/27/457404184/episode-666-the-hoverboard-life http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/11/27/457404184/episo...

mc32 11y ago
It's my recollection when they went down the rabbit hole on this one, ultimately it was determined the most likely source was from a person of Chinese descent in Portland Oregon who started a Kickstarter for something very similar to a hoverboard and thus the direct precursor?
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-balancing_two-wheeled_boa... > Shane Chen, an American businessman who founded the company, Inventist, has made an early claim of inventing the device.[5] Chen started a Kickstarter for Hovertrax, in 2013. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Chen voiced his frustrations regarding patent rights in China. He claimed that Solowheel, his self-balancing unicycle, was copied by other manufacturers after it appeared in Happy Show, a Chinese television show.[6][7] In August 2015, Mark Cuban announced plans to purchase the Hovertrax patents from Chen.[7] Also in 2015, the American company, Inventist, claimed to hold patents and announced its intent to pursue litigation.[8] > The fast pace of the Chinese manufacturing industry makes it difficult to pinpoint which Chinese company was the first to manufacture the device. According to Wired's David Pierce, the device was likely invented as the "Smart S1" by Chic Robotics, a Chinese technology company founded in 2013, and associated with Zhejiang University.[4] The Smart S1 was released in August 2014, and found success at the 2014 Canton Fair trade show. The company patented technologies associated with the board, but due to China's lax patent enforcement, the product was copied by several Chinese manufacturers.[4] > As of June 2015, the board is made by several knockoff manufacturers in China – a pattern common in the country's technology and industrial sector.[9] The copies vary greatly in price and quality, and may exhibit various defects.[4] Most of the boards are produced in mass manufacturing factories in Shenzhen, China.[10] Some newer boards have incorporated Bluetooth speakers, allowing the driver to play music.[11]
  - mc32 11y ago
    That's an interesting rundown. It's sad the guy got essentially fleeced of his inventions, but in a karma like fashion the outfit that would have benefitted in turn got fleeced. I'm going to guess Kickstarter is a decent place to mine for ideas in a place with lots of line manufacturing plants and a loose regime with regard to patents. I'm wondering if Kickstarter isn't firewalled.

mc32 11y ago

It's my recollection when they went down the rabbit hole on this one, ultimately it was determined the most likely source was from a person of Chinese descent in Portland Oregon who started a Kickstarter for something very similar to a hoverboard and thus the direct precursor?

seanmcdirmid 11y ago
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-balancing_two-wheeled_boa... > Shane Chen, an American businessman who founded the company, Inventist, has made an early claim of inventing the device.[5] Chen started a Kickstarter for Hovertrax, in 2013. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Chen voiced his frustrations regarding patent rights in China. He claimed that Solowheel, his self-balancing unicycle, was copied by other manufacturers after it appeared in Happy Show, a Chinese television show.[6][7] In August 2015, Mark Cuban announced plans to purchase the Hovertrax patents from Chen.[7] Also in 2015, the American company, Inventist, claimed to hold patents and announced its intent to pursue litigation.[8] > The fast pace of the Chinese manufacturing industry makes it difficult to pinpoint which Chinese company was the first to manufacture the device. According to Wired's David Pierce, the device was likely invented as the "Smart S1" by Chic Robotics, a Chinese technology company founded in 2013, and associated with Zhejiang University.[4] The Smart S1 was released in August 2014, and found success at the 2014 Canton Fair trade show. The company patented technologies associated with the board, but due to China's lax patent enforcement, the product was copied by several Chinese manufacturers.[4] > As of June 2015, the board is made by several knockoff manufacturers in China – a pattern common in the country's technology and industrial sector.[9] The copies vary greatly in price and quality, and may exhibit various defects.[4] Most of the boards are produced in mass manufacturing factories in Shenzhen, China.[10] Some newer boards have incorporated Bluetooth speakers, allowing the driver to play music.[11]
- mc32 11y ago
  That's an interesting rundown. It's sad the guy got essentially fleeced of his inventions, but in a karma like fashion the outfit that would have benefitted in turn got fleeced. I'm going to guess Kickstarter is a decent place to mine for ideas in a place with lots of line manufacturing plants and a loose regime with regard to patents. I'm wondering if Kickstarter isn't firewalled.