Model Build vs Buy vs Partner in the Internet of Things

ID/MD is a sore subject for us as a design house. When it comes to industrial devices of the Internet of things, such an abbreviation as IoUH, in other words, Internet of Ugly Housings, or the Internet of terrible buildings, most often pops up. For our part, we note that “industrial” does not mean “ugly”.

For example, an outdoor air quality measurement station. On the left is a typical design. On the right is one of the prototypes for the Atmotube fixed air quality monitoring unit.

Below is a complete product development cycle. Everything starts with an idea. The next stage is research, proof of concept, patenting, development of industrial design and engineering documentation, prototyping.

After a few engineering iterations, we get an MVP, then we move on to selecting and setting up production, running the product through several testing cycles, and finally launching mass production.