3 ms·

How long is long term? Forcing companies to support cutting-edge prototypes (like exoskeleton) for decades is the best way to ensure there won't be any company

• malfist 2y ago
  Except plenty of cutting edge prototypes were made in the past when companies did provide parts
  • raincole 2y ago
    Were the companies required to provide parts for decades by regulation? And the regulation had been there when they were selling the first prototypes? When the earliest cars/PCs were pushed to the market, did the government tell the manufacturers that they have to provide parts for decades, otherwise they'll be punished in this or that way? Not a rhetorical questions. I genuinely don't know the answer. But adminttedly I'd be quite surprise if the answer is yes.
• anigbrowl 2y ago
  If the sales pitch is that a product can help someone with a massive permanent disability, but there's no sort of long-term vision for after-sales service, that seems borderline scammy. You know going in that the customer will need to keep using it, and also that technical products sometimes break down and need repairs.
• thayne 2y ago
  Was the customer told that the expected lifetime for thos undoubtedly extremely expensive equipment was only five years when he purchased it? Also, supporting early models for a long time is a great way to learn about the ways that it fails, and fix those failings in future generations. Although, it seems like companies these days don't seem to care at all about the longevity of their products, and that is the real problem.
• z3phyr 2y ago
  Skunkworks airforce projects of old did provide long term support to their customer, even when a lot of their initial prototypes remained just that.