devicemaker

I do have experience with precision control of fludics, perhaps not micro-fluidics per say. My work experience is in developing controls based electronic systems for a variety of industries. The examples you mentioned - MEMS, lab-on-a-chip would require specialized equipment to develop - which I obviously don't have access to. What I could develop are systems _using_ MEMs if it is provided to me. In the case of lab-on-a-chip, i could develop systems that operate to perform certain (electronic / controls based) actions on the chip. e.g. precision pumps, valve actuation, heating/cooling, pressure inducement, lazing, ultrasonic vibration or disruption.. etc. Perhaps developing a precision pump for instance, if there was a commercial need for it for instance. Anyway, if you'd like to converse in email offline, do let me know. Even if there's nothing promising we can work on in the immediate future, perhaps there might something further down the road where we could.

Thank you for the reply. Its given me some insight into the mind of the "other" side. My skills lie across a spectrum of electronic hardware (i.e. PCB), firmware and software development along with abilities in mechanical CAD design. Its a skill set that would enable me to design and develop products of various kinds. Ideally I'd prefer sticking to the development of controls based machines (i.e. electro-mechanical automation of some process in biology like cell culturing for instance) or perhaps construction of some electronic device that currently only has a mechanical equivalent. Or perhaps a sensor of some kind incorporating bio/chemical material developed by the researcher and integrated with electronics on my end. Building something which would require far more in depth expertise like a mass spectrometer (which is very complex) would be off the table however. Its just not do-able by 1 person. I'd also prefer to avoid doing things that are already out there since what's out there is likely to have undergone many iterations by multiple companies already - even if it expensive. Rather I'm searching to develop something novel that isn't out there or a significant improvement over what's out there. I'm afraid I'm unable to be more specific than that because just like you, I'm trying to understand the researcher's side of things and how I can fit into the picture. I expect that most of the cost will be in expertise, time and energy we put into the project. I'd be willing to pay half of the material costs whatever they may be. Are you interested by any chance?

If every inventor sat around thinking he needed millions of dollars before he could get going, we'd all still be swinging from tree to tree.

All of the suggestions involve me doing a load of stuff and jumping through hoops to convince the other party that I am worthy of their attention. Does not sound like a good proposition to me. To be sure, I'd be putting in a lot of the work on the technical front to realize what should be a mutual goal of both parties. As for changing my profession just to have the off chance of meeting someone in academia who might be interested, there's no way I could contemplate that. I've thought about simply dropping by a University and knocking on some professors door to introduce myself and my objective. Not sure how that would go down i.e if i would be welcomed or booted out for the "intrusion". Trying to collaborate with academia and profs looks to be a waste of time as it's wrapped up in institutional bureaucracy. I'd be interested to know if non-academia folks in industry on this forum perhaps might be interested in jointly working with me to realize a product dream. Ideally something that requires automation of a process like cultivating and analyzing cell cultures or some such activity. I'm open to your ideas. Please let me know if you or someone you know might be interested. Other than that, I don't know what else I can do as I'm not up for running through a maze just to meet somone. Thanks.

probably the craziest idea proposed here but in the interest of thinking out of the box... How about a high powered laser integrated with an electronic system that can detect (via high speed camera) these incoming critters and fire pulsed laser shots to down them mid air. A kind of ground based "star wars" system that would rapidly produce a mountain of dead insects. Given the speed at which fibre lasers can fire shots (hundreds of KHz) it should be possible in theory. Being able to redirect the high power, well collimated beam rapidly via mirrors would be the most difficult task as would be accurate detection in 3D space. As long as the imaging system detects even one of these insects in the path of a laser beam (as an oscillating X-Y mirror sweeps the terrain), the trigger to fire the laser is delivered. The system could be mobile. Truck mounted and driven to the area where these insects are incoming. I doubt it would eliminate the pestilence but perhaps it could along with other strategies (i.e. pesticides, pehremone traps, burning the crops ahead of time...etc) put a dent in their population.

Hello, I have over a decade of experience in electronics, embedded systems development and a number of other product development skills. I thought it might be a good idea to combine my skills with a need in an area of Science (e.g. Microbiology / Genetics / Chemistry... etc). Towards that end, I've tried now and then to email University professors in Bio / Chem. I've asked if they might have any concepts/ideas for novel, automated lab equipment that they would like to develop - and how i could help. Something that was not out there, something perhaps involving automation of existing processes/procedures, something not too crazy complicated and something that might have commercial potential. I ask for nothing more than to collaborate jointly and equally with them on an idea. Sadly I've never received a reply from any of them. Its like sending information into a black hole. Either I'm going about it the wrong way or there seems to be an impenetrable wall of legal & bureaucracy barriers to academia collaborating with individuals from industry. Consequently, I don't know how to go about finding a like minded Science professional who'd be interested in collaborating with me. So I'm here posting this message to seek advice. How to find such an individual given the limited amount of time I have available to run around? It almost feels like looking for a wife, except that literally seems an easier task! I live in the metro Toronto area. I'd be interested to know if any Science professional/researcher would be interested in such a venture. P.S : I'll post this in at least one other forum here as I'm not sure where my "significant other" might be lurking out there. Thank you.