SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM MIT Technology Review Article 10 Emerging Technologies –Wireless Sensor Networks

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONSCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONTECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAMTECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM

MIT Technology Review Article• 10 Emerging Technologies

– Wireless Sensor Networks

– Injectable Tissue Engineering

– Nano Solar Cells

– Mechatronics

– Grid Computing

– Molecular Imaging

– Nanoimprint Lithography

– Software Assurance

– Glycomics

– Quantum Cryptography


Things you could have done with any of these technologies.

• Discuss the industry (Porter 5 forces) and its core profitability• Discuss the product development policy issues• Discuss the appropriate product development processes to commercialize the

technology (flexible, phase gate). Propose an organizational structure or program management model to use. 6 questions.

• Discuss the applicability of system focus model of Advanced development.• Discuss the level of uncertainty, strategic posture, portfolio of actions to take

(strategy under uncertainty)• Analyze development risks for the technology• Accessed information about the technology on the internet and discussed what

you found.• Proposed a market to pursue and the market risks associate with it.• Make Recommendations for the principal researcher or their firm in the article.


Wireless Sensor Networks:Big Brother is Watching you

• Technology: Very high density, low power networks, with variable structure.

• Market: Systems monitoring, environmental monitoring• Strategic Issues: Monitoring markets exist, how do these

technologies add value? Need a lead killer application• Development Issues: Alternative futures uncertainty. The

question of target market. Low power battery or energy sources, intermittent networks

• Product Development Strategy: Since cost to develop a single application is low once the architecture is establish, a series of low risk moves should be achievable. Get the architecture to a stable place, and attempt to own the standard.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Flexible. Should be easy to create motes for different applications. Targetting is the issue.


Injectable Tissue EngineeringWe can rebuild him…?

• Technology: Reconstruction of new healthy tissue to replaced damaged tissue through injecting a growth triggering soup.

• Market: Orthopedic surgury• Strategic Issues: Way early technology that could completely alter

the way joints and bones are treated. Stem cell research issue. FDA process. How to make money on it?

• Development Issues: Alternative futures uncertainty.• Product Development Strategy: Preserve the right to play. Keep

aware of advances and be prepared to participate. How would an artificial joint maker choose to participate?

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Systematic research. Identify the world beating application and become preferred treatment for that condition (artificial hips? Knee repair?) and drive research to that area.


Nano Solar Cells:Wow … doesn’t that ad give you a charge?

• Technology: Paint on Photovoltaic cells• Market: Alternative for low cost low power generation, mobile devices,

wireless sensor nets?• Strategic Issues: Disruptive technology for several key markets. The

challenge of combination shouldn’t be taken on by the technology supplier, but by partnerships. What is the cost of this material in very high volume?

• Development Issues: Range of futures uncertainty, too many applications. Need to prune the targets A LOT.

• Product Development Strategy: Find an early adopter market to learn from. Establish criteria for application partnerships and license the technology

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Fairly structured for early markets. Do careful work early in the funnel prior to project approval. Be ready to immediately abandon projects to focus on winners.


Mechatronics“cut speed to one half impulse”

• Technology: Mechanical electronics. Fly by wire vehicles.• Market: Mission critical mechanical systems. Brakes, early on.

Motors, etc.• Strategic Issues: Proving reliability, redundant systems, failure

modes. Existing supply chain of traditional components. Few customers, high volume production required in commercial markets. Large capital issues

• Development Issues: Clear alternative futures. Probably have a clear target market. Develop long range planning and sponsorship. Cost vs mechanical?

• Product Development Strategy: Prototypes are available now, pick an important first application. (military?)

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Stage gate. Quick to design, long time to approval by customers. Highly customer intimate model


Grid Computing“Honey.. The computer meter reader is here”

• Technology: Super computer grids, toolkit• Market: Cool technology in search of a solution. What am I

gonna do with access to a super computer?? Really unclear to me…

• Strategic Issues: Need to clarify the market. Business model, how to make money at it. Partnerships/alliances

• Development Issues: Standardization of protocols, systems. I don’t think “if you build it they will come is enough” but it appears to be where people are going.

• Product Development Strategy: I would preserve options to play. This feels like Mainframes for the masses and I don’t get it.

• Product Development Policy/Processes:


Molecular Imaging:

• Technology: Monitoring biological systems in minute detail during change.

• Market: Health care, Pharmaseudicals• Strategic Issues: Technology is pretty well along, need to get into

the mainstream of awareness.• Development Issues: Pick a highly chance of success target market

and work closely with it. Pretty clear future.• Product Development Strategy: Bowling pin is right on.

Pick an early adopter market. Partner with whole product providers.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Stage gate, customer intimate. High capital costs for each application, use a high control process


Nanoimprint Lithography• Technology: New core small feature processes• Market: Semiconductors, optics, nanostructures, medicine,

you name it.• Strategic Issues: Need the business model for non

semiconductor applications.• Development Issues: • Product Development Strategy: Preserve option to play mode

if you are a current process person, fund some research. Build the platform technology, pick one or two core markets for your own and license the rest.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Very high costs, high customer contact, pick low acceptance risk markets.. Stage gate is fine.


Software Assurance“What do you mean the computer isnt down

again”• Technology: Provable correctness, Making software

engineering less art and more engineering.• Market: Software development tools• Strategic Issues: Cultural issues, the people who needs

this most are most threatened by it.• Development Issues: Owning and controlling the

standard.• Product Development Strategy: clear alternatives,

choose a target market to work closely with as the first step. No ready to cross the chasm.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Any.


Glycomics – to be frank, I didn’t like this one….

• Technology: Knowledge of sugars and their role in biology.

• Market: Health care, drugs• Strategic Issues: Way early stuff. Need to move forward

about 5 years for a clear strategy to emerge, I don’t think they know enough.

• Development Issues: Near total uncertainty if this will pay off in any application. The learning is the goal at this time.

• Product Development Strategy: Learning strategies• Product Development Policy/Processes: One step at a

time.


Quantum Cryptography

• Technology: Transmission where any attempt to eavesdrop is detectable.

• Market: Communications, Security

• Strategic Issues: Massive infrastructure change required, Point to point communication model. Business model questions to go beyond the lab

• Development Issues: Identify target markets, pretty clear alternatives.

• Product Development Strategy:

• Product Development Policy/Processes:


From last year


Flexible Transistors

• Technology: Organic semiconductors, flexible, cheap. (Movie?)• Market: Electronic clothing tags, labels, newspapers, digital displays,

electronic clothing.• Strategic Issues: This represents disruptive technology in several key

markets with SUBSTANTIAL potential revenues. Alternative approaches might exist. Many potential target markets.. Suggest one or more.

• Development Issues: Time to market versus material performance. Relatively easy entry process. Range of futures.

• Product Development Strategy: If the cost of tooling up is low, consider working with established industry participants to enter several markets with high potential. If you successfully disrupt that market, poor it on. Crossing the Chasm issues.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: FLEXIBLE!! System focus should not be used due to the cost of trials. Keep it small until its ready.


Data Mining• Technology: Burrow through data for insights. Knowledge discovery in

databases. Pattern recognition algorithm.• Market: Expert systems applications, personalized customer support

recommendations. Military intelligence.• Strategic Issues: It’s a hidden how. It enables amazing things, but the

technology itself is unimportant to the user. It generates knowledge, but who will pay??

• Development Issues: Algorithms are not difficult to understand, and difficult to secure IP on. Ease of imitation, first mover advantage could be high. Pretty clear options exist.

• Product Development Strategy: Pick an industry to start with that has lots of bucks and be first mover there. Get close to customers, and iterate

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Flexible. Many turns.


Digital Rights Management

• Technology: “Internet ready encryption and cash register.” Watermarking

• Market: Distribution of intellectual or artistic content for profit.• Strategic Issues: Lack of clear consensus of value of consumption rather

acquisition of content. PreChasm market still. No industry wide consensus. What is the value of the technology vs the value of the delivered content??

• Development Issues: Minimizing impact to consumer. Transparent use of technology vs Verifiable control of purchase. Wide range of application. Pretty clear future options

• Product Development Strategy: Place many bets in varying flavors. Video use, book distribution, for fee information access. Get close to the industry committees in this domain. Be viewed as an industry service provider.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Flexible, Phase Gate is silly here.


Biometrics:“Computer, Initiate self destruct”• Technology: Bond.. Kirk.. Hand print, voice print,

signature recognition and authentication• Market: Security, E-Commerce infrastructure, huge market• Strategic Issues: Complexity versus cost. PINS have

substantial acceptance (yes, customer service.. I need a face reset.. Thanks)

• Development Issues: Accuracy over large populations, customer acceptance.

• Product Development Strategy: Identify a niche and hit it hard. System cost, database cost could be very high

• Product Development Policy/Processes: If vertical market approach, get customer intimate early and often.


Natural Language Processing

• Technology: That is not correct DAVE.. Recognition and interpretation of natural speech.

• Market: Hand free user environments. Military applications. Translation

• Strategic Issues: What is the target market?? Trade off of compute complexity with grammer size and size of user community. Range of uncertainty or True ambiguity in this market

• Development Issues: • Product Development Strategy:• Product Development Policy/Processes:


Microphotonics

• Technology: Photonic Crystals for switching and routing applications• Market: Telecommunications – All Optical Network. Optical

computing• Strategic Issues: Its disruptive, but at what point will traditional

methods break down? Network underutilization is still hypothetical.• Development Issues: Its way out there yet.• Product Development Strategy: Big companies must preserve the

option to play in this space until it either becomes viable or is declared unnecessary.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Too early for system focus development. Very clear markets and customers, phase gate processes will make sense when the time comes. Keep it in the labs for now???


Untangling Code – this one was tough.

• Technology: Adaptive Programming (Aspects)• Market: SW development simplification• Strategic Issues: It really isnt a standalone product, it’s a

methodology to make more robust SW development processes.. How to make money???

• Development Issues: Wide spread adoption of the methodology may take 10-15 years!!

• Product Development Strategy: Stay close to industry language teams, get close to major SW product Developers.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Not really sure what to do here.. Keep it in academia for a while.. Hard one.


Robot Design:Meet George Jetson

• Technology: Robot application beyond highly repetitive assembly through robots to build robots.

• Market: Wide range of application from communications to medicine• Strategic Issues: High cost of production still exists, so applicability is

limit to situations where that is acceptable. Many possible target markets. Pick one.

• Development Issues: Great idea, how to make money on it.. Develop and sell custom robots. To whom for what purpose. Development of a production process that limits overhead per design.

• Product Development Strategy: Collection of no-lose plays to get started. There should be many to choose from. Get close to customers.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: Highly integrated teams required to build manufacturing infrastructure to match the flexibility of the design process. Lightweight model.


Microfluidics

• Technology: Manipulation of fluids on a microscopic scale

• Market: Drug development and research.

• Strategic Issues: Promises to bring in new production methods and change business models in key industries. Truly a disruptive technology, which will require sizable investment to put in place. Very long term investment and commitment required. Range of future possibilities.

• Development Issues: Unlike other medical spaces, processes are less regulated. Highly vertical market.

• Product Development Strategy: Probably Series of NoRisk moves, on a smaller scale to gain acceptance by an industry and lever from there.

• Product Development Policy/Processes: System focus makes tremendous sense here.

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SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM MIT Technology Review Article 10 Emerging Technologies –Wireless Sensor Networks