Last update: 03/27/2005
(*UPDATED*)
Asimo & P3
p3front.jpg (58321 bytes) p3side.jpg (38614 bytes)
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Here is an index of P3 events with lots of pictures. Four events are listed: event1, event2, event3, event4.
Here are some MOVIES of the robot.
Honda built a battery powered android which can walk like a person and can even walk up and down stairs. It looks like an astronaut in a spacesuit. It stands about six feet tall and it weighs about 460 pounds. Honda spent 10 years developing this android which was introduced in Tokyo, December 20, 1996. Honda has now revealed that they spent more than 100ドル MILLION (US) on that project.. This android is referred to internally as P2. Staff: unknown, project estimated to be at least 200 man years.
p2.jpg (106846 bytes) 104KB
honda_monster.jpg (32270 bytes)
The original P1.
6. Jouhou System Kougaku laboratory at Tokyo University has a new project called H7. Its another biped similar to H6. Another H7 link. (<=New link)
H7_04.jpg (18248 bytes) H7_05.jpg (13197 bytes)
H7 is clearly very similar in size and capabilities to H6. They have an 18Meg video of H7 walking at the Kawada Industries airport where the above pictures were taken.
h6_02.jpg (17253 bytes) h6_05.jpg (29095 bytes)
H6 is 1.37 m (4'6") tall, about .59 m (23") wide, and weighs 55 kg (121 lb). It has 35 DOF.
Note: Saika and H5 have been moved to the Historical Android Projects page.
isamu1.jpg (35391 bytes) isamu2.jpg (127611 bytes)
Isamuis 1.5 m tall and .6 m wide and weighs about 55kg. It has 32 DOF and you can see that the head is more anthropomorphic than H6 or H7.
JST_DB.jpg (33179 bytes) 32KB image
new_proj.jpg (45399 bytes) sig2.gif (54289 bytes)
Matsui-san and SIG
pino2.jpg (8605 bytes) Pino - 8KB
Below are images of Hadalay-2 and Wabian.
hadaly2.jpg (155913 bytes) wabian.jpg (138219 bytes) 152K 135K
wendy.jpg (47007 bytes) Image is 42K.
17. Now Waseda University has another project called iSHA. This humanoid has 26 DOF which are mostly driven by electric motors. It can operate autonomously for 2 hours. WOW! Very impressive!
isha.jpg (215256 bytes) iSHA.
(* NEW *)
wamoeba2ri.jpg (11379 bytes) Wamoeba - 2Ri
ETL_new.jpg (56990 bytes) Jack_etl.jpg (54551 bytes)
56KB 53KB
The new picture (above right) shows the fully assembled android. WOW!
monroe.jpg (17426 bytes) 17KB image
saika3-group.jpg (86587 bytes)
Saika-3 Group
KAIST 2
strut.jpg (14450 bytes) 14KB image
elvis_new.jpg (31557 bytes) elvina.jpg (55663 bytes)
Elvis #2 Elvina
priscilla.jpg (150967 bytes) Priscilla.
HRP_ETL.JPG (41062 bytes) walker_etl.jpg (48202 bytes)
Above we see a P3 and on the right are the legs of HRP learning to walk.
kawabiped.jpg (19691 bytes) 19KB image
Headless_Castrol.jpg (26154 bytes)
This robot has two arms and two legs and is mounted on the motorcycle.
china_robot.jpg (14271 bytes) Pioneer (14KB)
[1] “The Biped Humanoid Robot THBIP-I”
Li Liu, Jinsong Wang, Ken Chen, Jiandong Zhao and Dongchao Yang (Tsinghua University,
China)
[2] “Gait Planning of Humanoid Robot Based on Anticipant ZMP Tranck” Dongchao
Yang, Li Liu, Jinsong Wang, Ken Chen (Tsinghua University, China)
[3] "A New Method of Gait Generation for A Biped Walking Robot" Kai Xu, Ken
Chen, Jinsong Wang, Li Liu, Dongchao Yang, Jiandong Zhao
Institute of Manufacturing Engineering, Tsinghua University, China
[1] Y. W. Sung, and S. Y. Yi, "A
miniature humanoid robot that can walk up and down stairs", Proc. of International
Symposium on Robotics'2001, Seoul, Korea, 2001
[2] Y. W. Sung, and S. Y. Yi, "The Development of a Miniature Humanoid Robot
System", Proc. of International Symposium on Robotics and Automation 2000, Monterrey,
Mexico, pp.133~138, 2000
ISAC4.JPG (46768 bytes) 46KB image
ARMAR - 124K
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Androids - The Greatest New Industry of the 21st Century
March 2005
The Android World business plan is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities. The information contained on this website has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities and does not give investment recommendations. This website may not be construed as investment advice. Investing in securities is speculative and carries a high degree of risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Independently investigate and fully understand all risks before making any investment.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This business plan was developed to introduce Android World Inc. to all interested parties. It also explains how future funds would be used to complete product development, begin manufacturing operations and implement the marketing plan detailed in this document..
Android World Inc. was originally founded in 1998 in Delaware as a normal corporation. It was incorporated in Texas in 2001 (again as a normal corporation). The principals, Christopher R. Willis and Jennifer O. Fung, own 100% of the assets. The company is headquartered in Denton, Texas. The business operates as a developer, manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of androids, android parts, and android software which are marketed under the name of Android World Inc. and Android World. The principals believe that androids will greatly enhance the quality of life of people across the country and indeed around the world by providing the in-home labor to perform the countless mundane tasks which must currently be done by the head of household and their spouse (if any).
Androids are robots which look like humans and have similar intelligence and abilities.
Androids will satisfy market demand for relief from endless mundane, boring, tiring, and time-consuming tasks around the home (or apartment). Androids will be capable of performing most common household chores such as cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, washing, drying, setting and clearing the dinner table, sweeping, painting, replacing light bulbs, and so on. In addition, the androids will function as round-the-clock security guards capable of phoning the police or fire departments in case of emergency.
Our initial market niche consists of home owners or apartment dwellers who wish to enjoy more free time - and the additional personal security which androids will provide by virtue of their constant vigilance against fire or burglary.
This market currently is devoid of actual available androids but numerous companies are striving to develop them. Honda Motor Company, Kitano Symbiotic Systems, Fujitsu Corporation, NEC corporation, and Sony Corporation, all of Japan are the current leaders in this field. Toyota Motor Company has recently (December 2000) joined the field. (See sidebar on left). They will be Android World's closest competitors. Androids are clearly a new high tech product. As such, we expect them to follow a similar market penetration pattern as have other high tech products in the past - most notably personal computers, cellular telephones, and the internet.
Our market potential is enhanced by the existence of complementary products, namely - the presence of home computers and the internet in nearly all middle and upper class homes and apartments not just in the US but also in Europe and Japan.
The key points of our marketing plan are: 1. Complete development of our initial android model 2. Publicize the android through the media and appearances at trade shows 3. Sign up franchisees to both invest in our company and distribute our androids 4. Attract sufficient investor interest to allow ramp-up of a significant manufacturing capability
Most of our sales will come from franchisees and internet marketing.
We have been marketing the following products since December 2000.
Product SINCE: 1. Android Touch Sensor Board December 2000 2. Animatronic/Android Eyes December 2000 3. Gyro/Accelerometer Board December 2001 4. Animatronic Head (skull & skin) July 2003 5. 90 MB Artificial Intelligence CD October 2003 6. List of all Bird species in the world August 2004 7. List of all Mammal species in the world August 2004 8. List of all Dinosaur species in the world August 2004
We are currently preparing to release the following products.
Product PLANNED LAUNCH: 1. Complete Android Head Fall 2005 2. Natural Language Processor Fall 2005 3. Android Hands Summer 2005 4. Android Knowledge Base Software Spring 2006 5. Fully functional android Spring 2006
We will invest in market research and product development to continually improve our androids and launch follow-on products. Follow-ons will be introduced into developed markets before existing products enter the declining stage of their life cycles.
We expect to have several products and a small number of showrooms open within the next three years.
The following table shows our product development strategy in terms of product life cycles.
STAGES OF PRODUCT LIFE CYCLES PROJECTED OUT 6 YEARS
YEAR INTRO GROWTH MATURE DECLINE 2006 A 2007 A 2008 B A 2009 B A 2010 C B 2011 C B A. In home domestic helper android called Valerie. B. Male android called Eric. C. Space assembly worker called Apollo.
Androids will comply with EPA & FCC regulations with respect to emissions. In fact we DO NOT anticipate any significant emissions of any kind.
The principals are uniquely qualified to nurture this opportunity, and we will seek legal advice and the advice of external consultants to assist in management decisions and other decisions requiring specialized expertise.
Our near-term business objective is to proceed with our product development and to operate at a minimum loss until the business reaches breakeven sales, which is projected to occur in the Summer of 2005.
So as not to jeopardize cash flow during the emergence of the business, the principals will forego salaries from the company over the next 18 months.
We will also work at home, subcontract manufacturing and production rather than invest in plant and equipment, emphasize internet marketing and solicit investors via the internet and SEC Regulation-A at some later date.
Looking further ahead, we envision the android business rivaling the automobile business in size and importance. Just as in any major industry, we believe that numerous android manufacturers will join the field as the popularity of androids grows and the general population recognizes their value. We expect that the impact of androids will be every bit as important as the impact of automobiles or computers or the internet.
Within two years we plan to develop a successful domestic android capable of performing common household chores without supervision in a manner very similar to the way humans perform the same chores.
We have made good progress over the past two years, as follows. o Established the premier android website in the world. o Completed development of our initial products. o Applied for the several patents which will protect our exclusivity throughout the world. o Arranged for subcontractors to manufacture major components of our products.
We are now planning to implement the following steps: o Complete the final phases of product development and advance immediately into the publicity phase of our marketing plan. o Augment our team of quality people. o Ramp-up manufacturing and produce sufficient inventory to meet initial orders and anticipated demand resulting from our planned marketing activities. o Aggressively develop sales via a network of franchisees and internet marketing. o Appear on talk shows. o Exhibit the android at robotics conferences and COMDEX. o Get signed contracts from our existing list of interested customers. o Generate sales through the use of direct response marketing and our existing database of prospective customers. Within the next 18 months we are planning to: o Launch several new products as listed above. o Sign up numerous franchisees and open several showrooms to help popularize androids and generate sales.
The financial investment and personal labor the principals have invested in the business during the past four years have directly contributed to the present opportunity.
Since the spring of 2001, we have operated at a small loss funded entirely by capital invested by the owners. Total investment by the principals before 2005 was about 100,000ドル plus countless hours of labor.
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS:
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Net sales 24000ドル 100,000ドル 1,000,000ドル 5,000,000ドル 10,000,000ドル Gross profit 12000ドル 30,000ドル 300,000ドル 1,500,000ドル 3,000,000ドル Gross margin 50% 30% 30% 30% 30% Net income after tax 12000ドル 25,500ドル 180,000ドル 975,000ドル 1,800,000ドル Profit margin after tax - 25.5% 18% 19.5% 18% Assets 130,000ドル 500,000ドル 1,000,000ドル 2,000,000ドル 4,000,000ドル Equity 50,000ドル 400,000ドル 800,000ドル 1,600,000ドル 3,200,000ドル (exclusive of intellectual property) Return on equity - 6.375% 22.5% 60.9% 56.25% Return on assets - 5.1% 18% 48.75% 45% Debt-to-Equity Ratio 0 1 : 4 1 : 4 1 : 4 1 : 4 Debt Ratio 0 20% 20% 20% 20%
USE OF FUNDS: (500,000ドル)
Professional fees, consultants 100,000ドル Marketing campaign for launch 25,000ドル Working capital (incl. cash reserve) 125,000ドル Plant and equipment 250,000ドル Total 500,000ドル
Our most likely case projections describe a vigorous growth business from which the investor can quickly derive excellent returns. The initial infusion of 500,000,ドル assumed from the first month of 2005, is based on 500,000 shares of common stock at 1ドル per share, which represents about 95% of assets exclusive of intellectual property. The infusion includes working capital and a reserve to meet unexpected demands on cash and maintain some flexibility. The principals are confident that these funds are adequate for the business to reach positive cash flow in the second quarter of 2005 and operate at a profit from that point forward.
The principals believe that, next to our customers, our intellectual property is our most valuable asset. Hence, protecting our intellectual property will be a top priority for our management team and every employee or strategic partner of Android World. We intend to employ a patent attorney at the earliest opportunity.
We will share technical information in "Quality Circles." Groups consisting of management, staff, strategic partners will meet regularly to review operations and discuss ways to improve the quality of our current products and services; develop new products and services; develop our manufacturing, production, and delivery processes; control costs; improve relationships with suppliers, distributors, dealers, and with our customers.
We believe that our information-integrated operation will result in the following benefits to the company:
o Highly involved and motivated people; minimum staff turnover. o Maximum productivity and cost efficiency. o Maximum inventory and receivables turnover o Positive cash flow o High product quality. o High customer satisfaction. o Maximum profitability.
Christopher Willis and Jennifer Fung have excellent managerial and technical skills.
Christopher R. Willis, President & CEO
Mr. Willis holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Mathematics, Bachelor of Physics, and Master of Science in Computer Science. He has over 20 years experience in computer programming in a variety of languages. He is familiar with several operating systems and computer platforms.
Mr. Willis has researched and developed the Android World website over the past seven years. It is easily the finest android website in the world. He is familiar with many of the projects which are being developed around the world and knows their strengths and weaknesses.
Mr. Willis holds US patent 5,305,974 which is entitled "Spaceship Propulsion by Momentum Transfer" and has written five books including a book about the development of space called "JOBS for the 21st Century". He also maintains a website detailing manned missions to the outer planets. He published the first practical manned mission to Jupiter in 1992.
Mr. Willis is currently involved in all aspects of the development of the Valerie android. He designed and built the android head which we are soon to offer.
Jennifer O. Fung, Treasurer & CFO
Ms. Fung holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Business Administration. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Government Financial Officer. She has over 20 years experience in accounting and taxation. She was an assistant professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and at Centenary College in New Jersey. She taught accounting and taxation for 11 years.
She has also worked in government for seven years. She was assistant finance director for the City of Haltom City a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas and is currently Finance Director for the City of McKinney, Texas - a post she has occupied for about four years. She directs a staff of 35 in McKinney.
To help us make the best management, marketing and legal decisions, we will seek expert advice from professional advisors as follows.
Management Consultant Name: Regis Serrat Address: 1124 Plantation Court #B Las Vegas, NV 89117 Phone: 702-379-8991
Robotics Consultant Name: John Bergeron Address: 83 Meadow Rd. Milton, VT., 05468 Phone: 802-893-4618
Marketing Consultant Name: To be determined. Address: Phone: Legal Counsel Name: To be determined. Address: Phone: Compensation for these consultants will be on a hourly basis.
We plan to operate, at least initially in strategic partnerships with service companies, consultants and subcontractors in order to reduce our product development time and costs. We will also sell franchises in order to expand our sales force at low cost and to help to sell our androids.
Four principles will guide our strategic partnerships.
1. Trust. In addition to contributing physical and human resources, each partner will contribute knowledge and information to the venture. To eliminate constraints, all partners will sign non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreements.
2. Information-Integration. A feature of our partnerships will be network communications and Quality Circles. Partners will meet regularly to measure progress and to help develop products and to improve our processes.
3, "High Product Quality." We will establish very high standards on all goods and services contributed by partners as well as on promptness of delivery. Pursuing perfection will reduce rejects, save time and directly impact customer satisfaction.
4. Customer sensitivity. We will regularly canvas our customers for suggestions of ways to improve our products and services. And we will also ask them for suggestions for new products and services which they would like to acquire.
SOME OF OUR PARTNERS ARE:
Name of company: Advanced Communications & Controls Contact: Regis Serrat Address: 1124 Plantation Court #B Las Vegas, NV 89117 Phone: 702-379-8991 Contribution: Management expertise. Electrical engineering design and PC board manufacturing capabilities. Terms of arrangement: project basis. Name of company: Matrix Metals Manufacturing Address: 2097 McGee Lane Lewisville, TX., 75067 Phone: 972-317-7679 Contribution: Sheet metal fabricating capabilities. Terms of arrangement: project basis. Name of company: Kit Model Design Ltd. Contact: David Ng Address: 8680 Seafair Dr. Richmond, Vancouver, BC, Canada Phone: 604-272-0886 Contribution: Mechanical engineering design and manufacturing capabilities. Terms of arrangement: project basis.
Some of the company's key posts have been filled. Those remaining are so indicated in the following table. Based on our business-development plans, these posts will need to be filled on the dates indicated in the table.
President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher R. Willis Ownership: 100% Salary: 0ドル CEO TASKS: Gather, organize, and direct the use of any and all information that can advance the company's success in all areas of operations. Supervise product development.
Chief Information Officer To be filled by Summer 2005. Currently being performed by C.R. Willis Salary: To be determined. CIO TASKS: Implement the successful evaluation, installation, integration, and maintenance of the company's information-gathering, -processing and communications network. Train management, staff, strategic partners, and customers in the use of our information technology.
Vice President Public Affairs To be filled by Summer 2005 Salary: To be determined TASKS: Further the company's interests by keeping informed of all government and industry regulations affecting the company's operation. Stay in touch with regulating bodies and action groups. Work with lobbyists. Participate in industry association conferences. Keep abreast of all relevant journals, studies, and forecasts, both domestic and global.
Chief Operating Officer Currently being performed by C.R. Willis Salary: 0ドル TASKS: Coordinate all aspects of operations: R&D, manufacturing, production, distribution, sales, customer service.
Vice President Manufacturing Regis Serrat Salary: 0ドル TASKS: Coordinate and supervise all aspects of the manufacturing and/or production process: plant layout, work cell design, materials sourcing, handling and just-in-time supply. Train work teams and integrate all human and technological aspects of manufacturing and/or production. Set work schedules and manage quality control.
Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Jennifer O. Fung Salary: 0ドル CFO TASKS: Manage the company's financial affairs including inventory control and cash management. Set up accounting and billing procedures. Continuously track financial progress and update financial forecasts and budgets. Make sure we have the proper insurance coverage at the best price.
CONSULTING STAFF We currently have two staff consultants.
Consulting Electrical Engineer: Regis Serrat
Mr. Serrat holds the following degrees - Associate in Chemistry, Associate in Telecommunications, and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He has over 20 years experience in business and manufacturing. He has lots of valuable contacts in industry. He is an expert at designing and building PC boards. He built the two boards which Android World is currently selling (Touch Sensor Board & Gyro Board). He is also very good at programming low level I/O interface routines. Mr. Serrat has his own consulting company in California called Advanced Controls and Communications. He also builds and flies model airplanes and is working on is pilot's license.
Consulting Robotics Engineer: John Bergeron
Mr. Bergeron is a self educated robotics engineer. He has over 10 years experience building robots and specifically ANDROIDS. Mr. Bergeron is also a very capable electrical engineer. He is working on a cheap absolute position sensor unit which we will be using on Valerie to measure cylinder positions. He is an expert at micro-controllers and programming them. He is familiar with many programming languages and operating systems such as DOS, Windows, ECOS, & Linux. Also Mr. Bergeron has his own website and his android called Tara has been featured on our personal android projects page since its inception.
Other staff
Initially, we will need a staff of four people to support our operation. Staff will be expanded only as justified by growth. Staff will be remunerated on a salary plus stock options basis. Stock options are intended to reduce current salary costs and help to optimize productivity.
PROJECTED STAFF STRENGTH PER YEAR
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Attorney 1 1 2 4 8 Engineer 1 1 2 2 4 Programmers 2 2 4 8 16 Staff payroll 90ドルK 220ドルK 440ドルK 880ドルK 1756ドルK
Android World will NOT be a union shop.
Sales to franchisees will be handled directly by our management team.
The following table shows our projected sales force strength for five years. Sales personnel will be remunerated on the basis of base salary plus commission plus stock options.
PROJECTED SALES FORCE STRENGTH PER YEAR
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Franchisees 0 8 16 32 64 (no salary) Average commission 0ドル 2ドルK 2ドルK 2ドルK 2ドルK (per unit) Service personnel 2 4 16 32 64 (hourly as required) Average salary 30ドル/hr 33ドル/hr 36ドル/hr 39ドル/hr 42ドル/hr
Field personnel will use their own cars instead of company-leased cars.
Total projected payroll for management, operations, and sales
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Management payroll 50ドルK 50ドルK 100ドルK 150ドルK 200ドルK Staff payroll 90ドルK 220ドルK 440ドルK 880ドルK 1756ドルK
Payroll taxes and benefits are estimated at 15%. Annual salary raises are estimated at 5% per year.
Consistent with our management philosophy, Android World will operate with a flat, flexible structure. Strategic decisions will be made by the management team with the assistance of our professional advisors and strategic partners. Emphasis will be on marketing, which includes product development and production and manufacturing (our manufacturing plan is detailed at the end of Section II). Day-to-day decisions will be made by the individuals responsible for our marketing operation, which integrates the following activities:
1. Product Development (R&D) o Design packaging, merchandising and promotional materials. o Identify reliable sources of supply for components. o Set up just-in-time delivery schedules with suppliers. o Design work cells for manufacturing, including selection of production equipment o Determine production cycles to meet market demand. 2. Production & Manufacturing: o Purchase components. o Hire sales staff o Train sales staff o Manufacture products to specifications provided by R&D. o Prepare to distribute our products to the showrooms and franchisees. 3. Order Fulfillment: o Design and implement sales, merchandising and promotions strategies and campaigns. o Develop sales to franchisees and end users. o Develop and implement customer service and aftercare programs. o Track customer satisfaction and feed information to R&D. 4. Total Quality Control: o Establish zero-defect standards for all goods and services. o Establish achievable just-in-time schedules with suppliers. o Design and implement training programs to facilitate quick product repairs. o Develop diagnostic systems for locating and eliminating problems in our androids. o Continuously monitor customer satisfaction and recommend improvements to product quality, manufacturing proesses, and customer service.
Androids are robots which look like humans and have similar intelligence and abilities.
Here is our Valerie android.
valerie.jpg (21655 bytes) Valerie
Your android will listen to your commands and do what you ask it to do - if it can (and within certain limitations). The android will speak to you in English (or several other languages).
This android is capable of basically the same muscle actions which all (normal) humans can perform. This android is intended to function as a domestic servant. It will perform most of the mundane tasks around the home which now take up so much of our time. This will therefore give us humans more free time which we can enjoy as we wish. Examples of the tasks which Valerie will be able to perform are:
Cleaning, Dusting, Clearing the table, Setting the table, Doing laundry, Washing dishes, Sweeping, Picking up stuff, Putting stuff away, Vaccuuming, Painting, Cleaning windows
The android will also function as a 24 hour a day security guard because it doesn't need to sleep like we do. It will also be capable of calling the police in an emergency or the fire department in case of fire.
Our consumer market fits the following profile.
DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS: SEX: either but females may tend to buy more. AGE: adults OCCUPATION: any occupation INCOME: middle income and up. EDUCATION: better educated. MARITAL STATUS: any - but may be more popular with single head of households. HOUSEHOLD: any - but more likely as number of children increases. DWELLING: any except low income housing. NEIGHBORHOOD: any FAMILY ROLE: decision-maker or head of household PSYCHOGRAPHIC INDICATORS: ATTITUDE/ PERSONALITY: anyone who longs for more free time. MOTIVATION TO BUY: android will give you more free time and security for your home. VALUES: anyone who longs for more free time. POLITICS: any ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS: very low environmental impact WORK ETHIC: busy or active lifestyle. CHARACTER: willing to try out new high-tech products. SOCIOGRAPHIC INDICATORS: ASSOCIATIONS: nearly any. RECREATION: those who are more active should tend to be more likely to buy. HOBBIES: those who are more active should tend to be more likely to buy. BUSINESS TRAVEL: those who travel more should be more likely to buy because of the security aspects. DRIVES: higher income seems more likely to buy.
Our typical customer can be characterized as follows: o trendy, middle to upper-middle-income urban and suburban active individuals who are looking for more personal free time
Android World will immediately begin to close sales among the following prospects.
Our perceived market (for androids) is based on several factors: the very real need for personal assistants in the home (or apartment), the growing popularity of robots around the world, and the popularization of androids by various media including movies and the internet.
According to the Japan Robot Association, health care robots will reach sales of 250ドル million per year by 2005 and 1ドル billion per year by 2010. Japan sold 5ドル.7 billion worth of industrial robots in 2000 of which 3ドル billion were exported. Japan has over 4500 registered robot engineers. Since Japan accounts for about 50% of all robot sales, we can assume the world market for industrial robots was over 10ドル billion in 2000.
The android market is currently extremely limited. Only Honda motor company has an android which can walk very well. But, their android, Asimo, has very limited use as a personal assistant because the functionality of its hands is very low. In fact, critics have called Asimo "the most expensive light-switch flipper ever built". However, IBM's main office in Tokyo has reportedly leased one to roam its main lobby for the not insignificant sum of 166,000ドル per year.
COMPETITOR PRODUCT PRICE USE Honda Motor Co. Asimo 166,000ドル (lease) Promotions TMSUK TMSUK - 4 45,000ドル limited assistance Fujitsu Corp. HOAP-1 41,000ドル toy or research Sony SDR-4X 40,000ドル?? entertainment NEC Papero not for sale entertainment Kitano Sym Sys Pino 48,000ドル research Morph ??? toy
Currently sales are so limited that you must contact each manufacturer directly to purchase a unit.
Android's name Valerie Asimo TMSUK - 4 Manufacturer Android World Honda Motor Company TMSUK, Japan Degrees of freedom 111 24 23 Height 68" (173 cm) 48" (122 cm) 47" (120 cm) Weight 64kg/140 lbs 43kg/ 95 lbs 100kg/ 220 lbs. Customer service does household chores for entertainment only ??? Responsiveness 1)talks 1)talks 1) talks to customers 2)can understand speech 2)can understand speech 3)has sense of touch 4)interface to internet 5)can print data for customer Price 25,000ドル - 30,000ドル Rental 166,000ドル/yr 45,000ドル R&D spending 100,000ドル?? 100,000,000ドル?? ??? Freq of follow-ons two years 18 months 2 years? Brand awareness low high low Internet connected yes no no Financial resources low high ?? Production costs low high ??
No doubt many readers will be wondering how we think we can compete against the likes of Honda, Sony, NEC, Fujitsu, and Toyota or the big universities like Waseda University, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The short answer is we have different goals and plan to use different approaches. The long answers are below:
1. Autonomy. Honda has spent millions to develop a short-time autonomous android. We have decided to begin with a tethered android and follow with an autonomous one later when we can finance its development. Sony, NEC, and Fujitsu all have developed small androids which are not suitable as household helpers. The universities are not trying to build anything marketable.
2. Muscle actions (referred to as degrees of freedom = DOF). None of the above manufacturers have more than 40 DOF. Our Valerie will have 111 DOF. We believe this is why they have had so much trouble making their androids walk. Their androids are barely capable of it due to their limited muscle actions. Imagine trying to walk without using your hips.
3. Hands. Honda’s Asimo can do almost nothing with its hands. This makes it useless as a household helper. The others are not much better. We plan to emphasize the hands and provide useful working hands with 21 DOF each.
4. Programming language. We plan to program our android in English. This will give us the power of the English language. We claim there is nothing you cannot describe in English. It is self-documenting and modifiable by anybody - not just highly trained programmers - which means that each user can modify their android's behavior as they wish (except for certain areas which will be protected).
5. Bureaucracy. We believe that large companies get bogged down in committee meetings and lengthy decision making processes which greatly impede progress. From many years of experience in American business I can tell you that none of the companies I worked for listened to the workers. The managers all thought they had all the answers. I have seen numerous reports about Japanese businesses also being very unappreciative of inventors in their ranks. NASA has no interest in my spaceship propulsion system in spite of the fact that it is far superior to rockets. My propulsion system can carry a manned mission to Mars in 5 weeks or less and NASA's rockets take 8 months.
6. Internet. We plan to interface our android to the internet to allow it to search the world for answers to their owner's questions or to provide their owners with service. I have seen no mention of others planning to do the same.
7. Artificial Intelligence. We plan to use as many different approaches as we can think of (contrary to the plans of several of our competitors). We will use: fuzzy logic, neural networks, databases, internet search engines, propositional calculus, and predicate logic.
Our Valerie android can be differentiated in the marketplace on the basis of physical capabilities and a high level of artificial intelligence. Our unique positioning will be Valerie's vastly superior capabilities and intelligence. Our android has 111 degrees of freedom (this corresponds to 222 muscles) whereas the highest previous count of degrees of freedom was 52 - for the "Wendy" project at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Android World's pricing strategy satisfies the following prerequisites: o Optimize the perceived value of androids, thus fostering market acceptance o Ensure maximum gross margin. o Foster high volume sales. o Keep manufacturing costs low.
Our pricing structure, shown in the following table, is based on the cost of manufacture of each product.
Current Product Ave. Unit Price Touch Sensor Board 595ドル Animatronic/Android Eyes 750ドル Gyro/Accelerometer Board 695ドル Planned Product Timeframe Est. Unit Price Complete Android Head Fall 2005 10000ドル Natural Language Processor Fall 2005 200ドル Android Hands Summer 2005 2500ドル Android Knowledge Base SW Spring 2006 300ドル Fully functional android Spring 2006 35000ドル
Retail pricing will be approximately three times manufacturing cost and wholesale pricing will be approximately twice the manufacturing cost. Our average gross retail margin in 2004 is estimated at 60% and gross wholesale margin is estimated at 30%.
Wholesale pricing will be available at very low volume due to the high cost of our products.
Our selling price will not include S&H. This policy is standard practice in most industries. Hence, our policy will be consistent with the customer's expectations.
We are confident that our pricing strategy is realistic, for the following reasons: o No other companies offer similar products to ours and therefore there is no pricing precedent. o Competitors' prices are far higher for a lower quality product. o We have received strong support for our product from prospective customers.
Our android will appear as human as possible. We believe this will foster rapid acceptance of the android as a full member of the family. We plan to offer our customers the option of a customized face. We believe this will be very popular among those people who have recently lost a dearly loved spouse. Our manufacturing associate, David Ng of Hong Kong will handle the manufacturing of the customized heads.
We plan to open a small number of showrooms where customers can observe our androids and even talk with them. These showrooms will be in major cities such as New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, and Moscow. Our major sales outlets will be franchisee owned stores. Since we don't have sufficient funds to open large numbers of outlets, we will endeavor to find franchisees who will each operate one or more retail outlets.
Customers will be attracted to our showrooms and franchise outlets by media publicity and public appearances by our Valerie android.
The floor plan will be designed for personal contact between the Valerie androids and the customers. Valerie will talk with the customers and explain what she can do for them. The sales personnel will simply sign up the customers.
The showrooms will have several sales personnel available to assist customers and to sign contracts for delivery and installation of the androids.
The franchisees will be given wide latitude as to how they set up their outlets.
SALES AND DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY
SALES THROUGH A NETWORK OF FRANCHISEES
Android World plans to organize an international network of franchisees. We plan to attract candidates at trade shows and via a media campaign. The franchise selling price will include marketing support, materials and advertising support, brochures, and a functional android for display. We estimate that approximately 80% of Android World's sales will be through franchise outlets.
Distributors will learn about Android World as follows: o Direct internet marketing o At trade shows o Media publicity o Personal appearances
We will provide franchisees with selling tools, including brochures, videos, and most importantly, a functional android fully capable of doing her own sales pitch. We will provide technical training to distributors and institute customer support programs which will be actively promoted in advertising.
DIRECT INTERNET SALES TO END USERS
We estimate that approximately 15% of Android World's sales will be direct to end users. These customers will be reached over the internet.
Prospects will learn about Android World as follows. o Direct approach by franchise owners. o Internet email sales campaign. o We will exhibit at COMDEX in the US & Europe. o We will exhibit at ROBODEX in Japan.
Direct sales out of our own showrooms and from trade shows is expected to account for 5% of revenue.
Consumers will learn about us as follows: o Media publicity o Direct mailings o Personal appearances. o Brochures picked up by walk-in customers.
Our marketing scope encompasses primarily the economically advanced countries. However, we expect limited sales in even the poorest countries. We plan to develop the market in stages. The response in each of the introductory areas will determine how fast we expand into the surrounding areas.
2006 2007 2008 2009 Introductory showrooms x x x x Advanced countries franchise outlets x x x x Developing countries franchise outlets x x x Introduction of a larger male android x x
We plan to introduce our android at one of the major technology conferences such as COMDEX in Las Vegas or ROBODEX in Tokyo. There are numerous other COMDEX conferences around the world which we could attend - and will if possible. Currently we are hoping to present Valerie at the November COMDEX in Las Vegas.
Our research indicates that sales in export markets identified in the following table could account for as much as 60% of our total sales within 18 months. We have targeted these markets on the basis of their historical interest in robots.
EXPORT ESTIMATED ANNUAL SALES PRINCIPAL MARKET IN PRODUCT CATEGORY LANGUAGE Japan 40% Japanese Germany 10% German United Kingdom 10% English
To develop these markets, we plan to open showrooms, form alliances with foreign companies, and sign up franchisees in these countries. We plan to enter these export markets in 2007.
Android World's most valuable asset is our customers. We are pledged to surpass the customers' expectations for quality of service.
To ensure fast processing of orders, we plan to sell to customers directly over the internet as well as from showrooms and franchisee outlets. The result will be faster service, enhanced value and more satisfied customers. Real time electronic accounting will speed collections of accounts receivable. Due to the high cost of our androids, we will be offering our customers financing arrangements.
Shipping will be via first class mail or parcel post for small products and via UPS for our androids. Our selling price will not include shipping. This policy is standard practice in many industries. There will be special teams assigned to install and train actual customers in the use of their android.
We believe that our androids will be so unique in the marketplace that we will have difficulty keeping up with demand. We plan to distribute our initial production to various showrooms to promote sales and satisfy franchise agreements.
Our industry has no standard practice with respect to returns and adjustments. Our policy will be as follows. We will unconditionally refund purchase price less S&H to any original purchaser for a period of one year should the customer be dissatisfied with their android.
MARKET RESEARCH & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Android World is committed to a program of ongoing improvement to our products. Our research and development strategy integrates the following activities.
1. Information Gathering
o We will rely on customer feedback to learn what features or improvements the customer wants. Based on this information, we will continually improve our products so we can introduce the right follow-ons at the right times and reduce the risk of substitute products cutting into our market share.
2. Development
o Design and test new concepts and features. o Conduct focus group research to verify acceptance of Androids and promotional strategies. o Determine production cycles to meet market demand.
3. Marketing
o Design and implement sales, merchandising and communications strategies and campaigns. o Develop and implement customer service and aftercare programs.
4. Quality Control:
o Establish zero-defect standards for all goods or services purchased for production. o Establish zero-defect standards for all goods or services produced. o Design and implement training programs for sales and customer service staff.
All members of the staff will participate in the promotion and marketing of our androids.
The following tasks have been identified as critical to the introduction of our android as planned.
1. Complete the development of android subsystems (products) listed above. 2. Complete a full Valerie android. 3. Prepare franchise agreements, brochures, videos, and other sales materials. 4. Prepare brochures, videos, and other sales materials for our grand introductory appearance. 5. Sign up franchisees. 6. Produce limited quantities of androids for franchisees and showrooms. 7. Develop production facilities.
Uniqueness of the android business
The android business is unique in that OUR PRODUCT CAN MANUFACTURE ITSELF. This has never happened before in history. This unique position will enable us to keep our manufacturing costs very low.
We will use subcontractors for manufacturing as many subassemblies as possible. We estimate that 75% of the components of our android can be manufactured by outside vendors.
The following is a list of components, suppliers, and costs which would constitute one android.
COMPONENT EST. COST SUPPLIER(S) Computers 3000ドル HP, Dell, Compac, Nucleus1 Pneumatic cylinders 500ドル Clippard Inst. Labs, Fesco Pneumatic Valves 10000ドル Dynamco Inc., Fesco Hydraulic Servo-Valves 5000ドル Android World Touch Sensor Boards 1000ドル Android World Force Sensing Resistors 1000ドル Interlink Electronics Gyro/Accelerometer Boards 500ドル Android World Video cameras 1000ドル Micro Video Products, SuperCircuits. Servo motors 500ドル Hobby People Controllers & Other boards 1000ドル Scott Edwards Elect., Imagenation Inc. Silicone products 500ドル Circle K Products, Burman Industries Miscellaneous hardware 1000ドル various sources Proprietary components 2000ドル Android World --------- 27,000ドル
Androids will actually assemble themselves. They will be positioned along an assembly line and each one will perform a limited number of tasks which will eventually result in the creation of other androids.
Our pro forma income statement for 2005 is shown below and projected for four years.
Annual Summary 2005 est. 2006 2007 2008 2009 Net sales 20000ドル 100,000ドル 1,000,000ドル 5,000,000ドル 10,000,000ドル Cost of goods 10000ドル 70,000ドル 700,000ドル 3,500,000ドル 7,000,000ドル Gross profit 10000ドル 30,000ドル 300,000ドル 1,500,000ドル 3,000,000ドル Gross margin 50% 30% 30% 30% 30% Net income after tax 10000ドル 25,500ドル 180,000ドル 975,000ドル 1,800,000ドル Profit margin after tax - 25.5% 18% 19.5% 18% Assets 130,000ドル 500,000ドル 1,000,000ドル 2,000,000ドル 4,000,000ドル Equity #130,000 400,000ドル 800,000ドル 1,600,000ドル 3,200,000ドル
END OF BUSINESS PLAN
