Prospects for the space sector during 2017-22

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Satellites ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Design Build

Subject Prospects for the space sector during 2017-22. Significance The emergence of a sector known as 'NewSpace' will be a key development over the coming five years. The term describes small start-up companies using off-the-shelf components and low-cost procedures to design, build and launch small satellites quickly -- in contrast to the bureaucratic, high-cost, government-funded programmes known as 'Big Space'.

Mission architecture for Mars exploration based on small satellites and planetary drones

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierpaolo Pergola ◽  
Vittorio Cipolla
Keyword(s):  
Electric Propulsion ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Low Thrust ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mars Atmosphere ◽  
Small Satellites

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deal with the study of an innovative unmanned mission to Mars, which is aimed at acquiring a great amount of detailed data related to both Mars’ atmosphere and surface. Design/methodology/approach The Mars surface exploration is conceived by means of a fleet of drones flying among a set of reference points (acting also as entry capsules and charging stations) on the surface. The three key enabling technologies of the proposed mission are the use of small satellites (used in constellation with a minimum of three), the use of electric propulsion systems for the interplanetary transfer (to reduce the propellant mass fraction) and lightweight, efficient, drones designed to operate in the harsh Mars environment and with its tiny atmosphere. Findings The low-thrust Earth-Mars transfer is designed by means of an optimization approach resulting in a duration of slightly more than 27 months with a propellant amount of about 125 kg, which is compatible with the choice of considering a 500 kg-class spacecraft. Four candidate drone configurations have been selected as the result of a sensitivity analysis. Flight endurance, weight and drone size have been considered as the driving design parameters for the selection of the final configuration, which is characterized by six rotors, a total mass of about 6.5 kg and a flight endurance of 28 minutes. In the mission scenario proposed, the drone is assumed to be delivered on the Mars surface by means of a passive entry capsule, which acts also as a docking station and charging base. Such a capsule has been sized both in terms of mass (68 kg) and power (80 W), showing to be compatible with 500 kg-class spacecraft. Research limitations/implications As a general conclusion, the study shows the mission concept feasibility. Practical implications The concept would return incomparable scientific data and can be also be potentially implemented with a relatively low budget exploiting of the shelf components to the larger extent, small identical spacecraft buses and modular low-cost drones. Originality/value The innovative mission architecture proposed in this study aims at providing a complete coverage of the surface and lowest atmospheric layers. The main innovation factor of the proposed mission consists in the adoption of small multi-copter UAVs, also called “drones,” as remote-sensing platforms.

The Pransky interview: Dr Paolo Pirjanian, CTO of iRobot Corporation

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Pransky
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Leadership ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Start Up

Purpose – PhD/inventor builds consumer robot start-up company based on low-cost, groundbreaking visual simultaneous localization and mapping (vSLAM) visual sensors and NorthStar® navigation technologies that sells for nearly $75 million dollars 12 years later. The following article is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business, and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization, and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This interview was with Dr Paolo Pirjanian, CTO of iRobot Corporation. Dr Pirjanian previously served as both CTO and CEO of Evolution Robotics. Dr Pirjanian received his PhD degree from Aalborg University, Denmark. He has received several honors and awards including the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Career Award in 2004 and the Technical Leadership Award from JPL/NASA. Dr Pirjanian holds 67 patents. Findings – The challenges and solutions of transferring technological innovations into an affordable consumer product are presented. The resulting pioneering technologies and approximate 37 patents around vSLAM and NorthStar® were incorporated into Evolution's flagship consumer product, Mint floor cleaning robot. In October 2012, iRobot Corp acquired Evolution for $74 million in an effort to complement their own products and technologies. Originality/value – A robot scientist, in his roles as the CTO and CEO of a robot company, uses a paradigm shift in vision and pattern recognition to build an affordable consumer product and successful company.

Preparation of Hexamethyldisilazanomethacryloxyphenyl ketone (HDMK) and its copolymerization in the presence of acrylates

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Hamid Javaherian Naghash ◽  
Ali Amiri
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Methacrylate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Acrylic Resin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acrylic Resins ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Architectural Paint ◽  
First Time ◽  
Great Surface ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to improve some properties of poly (methyl methacrylate) by copolymerization with butyl acrylate (BA) monomer along with the incorporation of the stable and economical synthesized silicone-containing monomer hexamethyldisilazanomethacryloxyphenyl ketone (HDMK) into the copolymer matrix. Design/methodology/approach For this target solution copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), BA and HDMK were carried out using a 250 mL four-necked round-bottom flask. Before solution polymerization start-up, the reaction vessel was first charged with 34.8 mL toluene and heated to 170 °C with stirring and reflux cooling. A monomer mixture of 25.86 g (260 mmol) MMA, 26.40 g (200 mmol) BA, 3.00 g (8.60 mmol) HDMK and 0.45 g (2.00 mmol) dibenzoyl peroxide was added continuously from the dropping funnel over a period of 4 h. Findings The HDMK was successfully synthesized and the water resistance of acrylic resins was improved because of the existence of HDMK. Research limitations/implications The materials that were used in this research paper had a reasonably low cost. Also, the procedures for synthesis of monomers and polymers were extremely easy because there was no need for high pressure or temperature and no dangerous solvents were used. Practical implications The acrylic resin that contained HDMK was used to synthesis a white architectural paint for exterior coating. Examining the paint characteristics has shown acceptable washing and abrasion resistance, good brushing, excellent storage stability and great surface coating. Originality/value HDMK was synthesized for the first time.

Innoz Technologies: the powerhouse of innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Roma Puri ◽  
Amit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mobile Users ◽  
Bottom Of The Pyramid ◽  
Early Start ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Start Ups

Subject area Entrepreneurship, innovation, marketing and strategy. Study level/applicability Master's, postgraduate and executive level programs. Case overview Deepak Ravindran, an engineering student at LBS College, Kerala, India, was attempting to launch Innoz. The company flagship product SMSGyan will allow users to access information on low-end mobile devices with no Internet connectivity. With the improvement in the Internet standards and rapidly growing smartphone users, selling SMSGyan never came easy to Innoz. The case explores challenges faced during the transformation of a start-up into a profit-generating business. The case describes the dilemma faced by Deepak Ravindran and key role players of Innoz to sustain in business in the scenario of dynamic technologies. Should they re-innovate the technology that was limited for low-end mobile users? Innoz being at the bottom of the pyramid innovation is the key competitive advantage. Low-cost or niche market or differentiation connects this case to the basic business strategy concepts. Through this case, students learn about many practical issues related to technology development in the global competitive environment. They are also exposed to broader trends and facets of start-ups and globalization. The Innoz case is designed to stimulate discussion of broad array of issues encountered by the early start-ups. In particular, it deals with introducing innovation and entrepreneurship skills leading to social change. Expected learning outcomes To identify new business opportunities for non-Internet mobile users. To explore various possibilities of application services for low-end mobile users. Evaluate the advantages and liabilities of expanding globally at a very early start-up stage. The case focuses on Innoz's early development with only concept in hand and transforming it into a profit-generating business. To develop and give exposure to entrepreneurship skill set in students. To understand learning and strategies behind setting up of start-ups and the motivating self-driven skills. Discussion on innovative use of technology as a stream of business. Silicon valley culture adaptation into Indian context. To highlight use of mobile technology for teaching and learning. To showcase how entrepreneur skill in business can lead to social transformation. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Practo Technologies: the online way of life!

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Roma Chauhan ◽  
Amit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
It Services ◽  
Early Start ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up

Subject area Innovation, information technology, e-marketing and sales, strategy and entrepreneurship. Study level/applicability The case is intended for use in advanced graduate and executive education level management and technical programs of study. The case is high inter-disciplinary appropriate for all courses dealing in use of innovation, information technology, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales and strategy. Case overview Practo Technologies Pvt Ltd is a company established in 2008 by entrepreneurs Shashank, N.D. along with Abhinav Lal. At Practo Technologies engineers practice to create technology that supports healthcare industry. In India, there is not enough assistance given to the patients in terms of searching for appropriate doctors and fixing an appointment with them easily. The patient's data lie scattered in reports and the patient's medical history goes unrecorded. Practo provides a robust platform for doctors and patients to collaborate together under one umbrella. It provides patients with open basket of doctor profiles and special search based on doctor's specialty. The case showcases the journey of transformation healthcare sector in India has gone through. The change was resisted, it never came that easy! The case explores issues in implementing information technology for clinics and hospitals in India. This case illustrates interesting facts Indian healthcare and the preparation they need to equip with to manage global technology tide. Expected learning outcomes The case can be used for teaching service innovation. Managing innovative practices and low-cost online business models is illustrated. In particular, it deals with how the early start up employs innovation to set up new working ideas. The case is designed to stimulate discussions of broad array of issues regarding deployment of IT services specifically in the hospitals and clinics across India. Evaluate the advantages and liabilities of expanding globally at a very early start up stage. The case focuses on Practo early development with only concept in hand and transforming it into a profit generating business. Evaluate the advantages and challenges of innovation, technology development, deployment and training of manpower to use it. The case offers students opportunity to understand and take view of strategically building early start up and management of concerns with no prior experience. To identify business opportunities and explore various possibilities of expansion into IT healthcare business. The students are given base to explore sales and marketing strategies for online model. The students get overview of cutting edge business offerings and surviving the dynamic competition in the era of globalization. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Small bank, big ambitions

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
American Business ◽  
Executive Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Privately Owned

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explain how an extensive program of executive development was used to stimulate a far-reaching change in organizational culture and strengthen business performance. Design/methodology/approach – It presents a case study describing how a privately owned Russian bank worked in partnership with an American business school at their European campus to boost management and leadership skills and create a culture that values teamwork, initiative taking and the free exchange of ideas. Findings – The first branch only opened in 1996, but by 2011, it was the third largest privately owned bank in Russia. But at Promsvyazbank (PSB) they wanted more – to compete on the basis of international best practice. Not such an easy task, after the global financial crisis had brought lending to customers to a halt and – perhaps understandably – taken attention away from executive development. Many banks in many countries faced difficulties following that crisis, including the issues of liquidity and capital limits facing PSB. But there were some extra challenges in their drive for expansion: two banks between them dominated the Russian home market: state-owned Sberbank and multinational Raffeisen, with market shares of 60 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively. It was time to ask what the bank needed to do to move from successful start-up to competitive, maturing organization. Practical implications – It emphasizes the role of leaders in driving and managing change and highlights the importance of a clear strategic focus. Social implications – It shows how the creation of a common culture and the adoption of a collaborative management style can stimulate knowledge sharing and strengthen business performance. Originality/value – It provides an insight into the managerial and cultural challenges executives must address as their successful start-up matures into an organization with ambitions to become the top privately owned bank in Russia.

How do social skills enable nascent entrepreneurs to enact perseverance strategies in the face of challenges? A comparative case study of success and failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadid Lamine ◽  
Sarfraz Mian ◽  
Alain Fayolle
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
New Technology ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of new venture creation. Particularly, reading the entrepreneurial process through the lens of the perseverance strategies model (Van Gelderen, 2012) provided a way to identify and then to assess the impact of the social skills on the overall entrepreneurial perseverance and their combined impact on the performance of NTBF creation process. In doing so, the authors identify the impact of entrepreneurs’ social skills to deal with a series of entrepreneurial problems such as scarcity of resources, uncertainty and ambiguity and consequently their impact on the likelihood of survival for new ventures. The issues that arose mostly reflected the inherent complexity of technology transfer processes, the university and entrepreneurs’ diverging cultures, and the very characteristics of the start-up phase of NTBFs. The findings reveal how social skills impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of NTBF creation. The findings reveal how social skills and perseverance impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Practical implications – The paper has implications for entrepreneurial support mechanisms such as technology business incubators in helping them to improve the efficacy and efficiency of their assistance to entrepreneurs through the development of their skill-sets and perseverance and providing enabling networking. In addition, the research has implications for entrepreneurship education and training. Indeed, there is an urgent need to design and implement courses and programs aiming at developing soft skills in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – In exploring networking and issues of perseverance for nascent entrepreneurs operating in new technology-based sectors, which the authors consider as an under searched area in entrepreneurial literature.

A Multimodule Planar Air Bearing Testbed for CubeSat-Scale Spacecraft

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Wilson ◽  
Laura L. Jones ◽  
Mason A. Peck
Keyword(s):  
Multibody Dynamics ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Air Bearing ◽  
Cost Performance ◽  
Small Satellites ◽  
Ground Testing ◽  
Spacecraft Mission ◽  
Cost Scaling ◽  
Design Cost

In the past several years, small satellites have taken on an increasingly important role as affordable technology demonstrators and are now being viewed as viable low-cost platforms for traditional spacecraft mission objectives. As such, the CubeSat standard (1 kg in a 10 cm cube) has been widely adopted for university-led development efforts even as it is embraced by traditional spacecraft developers, such as NASA. As CubeSats begin to take on roles traditionally filled by much larger spacecraft, the infrastructure for dynamics and controls testing must also transition to accommodate the different size and cost scaling associated with CubeSats. While air-bearing-based testbeds are commonly used to enable a variety of traditional ground testing and development for spacecraft, few existing designs are suitable for development of CubeSat-scale technologies, particularly involving multibody dynamics. This work describes Cornell University's FloatCube testbed, which provides a planar reduced-friction environment for multibody dynamics and controls technology development for spacecraft less than 6 kg and a 15 cm cube. The multimodule testbed consists of four free-floating air-bearing platforms with on-board gas supplies that allow the platforms to float over a glass surface without external attachments. Each of these platforms, or FloatCubes, can host CubeSat-sized payloads at widely ranging levels of development, from prototype components to full-scale systems. The FloatCube testbed has already hosted several successful experiments, proving its ability to provide an affordable reduced-friction environment to CubeSat-scale projects. This paper provides information on the system design, cost, performance, operating procedures, and applications of this unique, and increasingly relevant, testbed.

Value communication: low-cost marketing initiatives for “Guru Ki Bani 58282”

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Neeraj Pandey ◽  
Gaganpreet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Marketing Team ◽  
Value Communication

Subject area Pricing, digital marketing, marketing management and strategic marketing. Study level/applicability The case can be used for pricing or digital marketing courses as well as marketing management courses to MBA students and/or for management development programmes. Case overview Goldfinch Mobile Solutions, a Hong-Kong based value added services (VAS) and gaming platform provider, had an exclusive tie up with Bharti Airtel in India for providing value added voice applications on an interactive voice response system (IVRS) platform. The Goldfinch flagship service is “Guru Ki Bani” which may be subscribed to by dialing the short code 58282. This “58282” service has a repository of all Sikh religion daily prayers, religious songs, teachings, stories from Guru's life and similar information that is derived from the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As per mutual agreement between Goldfinch Mobile Solutions and Bharti Airtel, the telecom operator had the responsibility to promote Goldfinch's Guru Ki Bani service amongst its subscriber base through its below the line (BTL) promotional channels such as short messaging service (SMS), outbound calls, cell information, notification SMS after call and above the line (ATL) activities such as posters, leaflets, print, promoters, regional TV, outdoors, etc. The revenue sharing arrangement between Airtel and Golfinch was in the ratio of 75 percent and 25 percent. However, with recent changes in the policies of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), promotional marketing used by telecom operators has been constrained. Declining customer share, decreasing profits (after Bharti Airtel halted promotions) and increasing organization cost per customer have made MD and CEO Mr Newton Bubber think of various options including low-cost marketing initiatives besides digital marketing to promote Guru Ki Bani services. Value communication to its huge potential customer base, i.e. 184.19 million Bharti Airtel subscribers was another challenge facing Mr Newton and his marketing team at Goldfinch. Expected learning outcomes The case enables students to learn the concepts and application of value creation, effective value communication, price waterfall analysis, importance of costing parameters in pricing decisions, low-cost marketing strategies and digital marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

A review of passive self-sensing tag

Sensor Review ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yawei Xu ◽  
Lihong Dong ◽  
Haidou Wang ◽  
Jiannong Jing ◽  
Yongxiang Lu
Keyword(s):  
Radio Frequency Identification ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Integrated Sensor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passive Sensing ◽  
Static Information ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Frequency Identification ◽  
Identification Tags

Purpose Radio frequency identification tags for passive sensing have attracted wide attention in the area of Internet of Things (IoT). Among them, some tags can sense the property change of objects without an integrated sensor, which is a new trend of passive sensing based on tag. The purpose of this paper is to review recent research on passive self-sensing tags (PSSTs). Design/methodology/approach The PSSTs reported in the past decade are classified in terms of sensing mode, composition and the ways of power supply. This paper presents operation principles of PSSTs and analyzes the characteristics of them. Moreover, the paper focuses on summarizing the latest sensing parameters of PSSTs and their matching equipment. Finally, some potential applications and challenges faced by this emerging technique are discussed. Findings PSST is suitable for long-term and large-scale monitoring compared to conventional sensors because it gets rid of the limitation of battery and has relatively low cost. Also, the static information of objects stored in different PSSTs can be identified by a single reader without touch. Originality/value This paper provides a detailed and timely review of the rapidly growing research in PSST.

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