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IONO-ELASTOMERS FOR WEARABLE ELECTRONICS 621

Potential for Commercialization own health monitoring strain sensor at home. In
Our invention has three favorable aspects: 1) All summary, the motion strain sensor fabrication is
the raw materials are commercially available and technically feasible, cost efficient, and user-friendly.
comparatively inexpensive; 2) the synthesis is easy The potential for commercialization for our
and robust, with nearly 100% conversion and 90% intended product has been validated via two valuable
yield (36, 37); and 3) the manufacturing is simple (liq- activities that included gathering significant voice
uid molding) and the entire manufacturing process of the customer information. We participated in a
is commercially scalable (i.e., photo-polymerization local National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps
is an established, commercially available process). UD site Delaware Startup Launchpad Program
In summary, the manufacturing of iono-elastomer from October 2016 to December 2016 (47). The
is technically feasible, financially efficient, and spa- NSF I-Corps UD site Delaware Startup Launchpad
tiotemporally effective. Program is funded by the Horn Program in Entre-
The commercialization potential of the MSP kit preneurship and Delaware Founders Initiative and
benefits from five key aspects of the invention: 1) the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
All the required raw materials and electronics parts at UD (47). This seven-week program offers intense
are low-cost, commercially available, and technically hands-on business and commercialization training
feasible. 2) The MSP is optically transparent, remov- based on the Lean Startup method, with a focus on
able, reusable, and tailorable for different body parts business canvas construction, falsifiable hypotheses
and applications; thus, it satisfies customer needs for testing, customer discovery interviews, scientific data
wide range of consumers and end users. 3) It provides analysis, evidence-based decision making, minimum
different levels of comfort to consumers and end viable product design, and unique value proposi-
users by providing the options of attachment to the tion validation spreading. Based on the Lean Startup
body or integration into clothing, orthotics, pros- method, we conducted customer discovery interviews
thetics, or other devices. 4) The MSP kit will provide and defined our customer segments. Through the
numerous customization capabilities to consumers interviews, we not only validated that there is an
as to the shape, dimension, color, and other aspects urgent market and industry demand for our material
of the strain sensor. 5) The MSP kit offers a hands-on and device but also confirmed competitive pricing
experience and allows the customers to DIY their for our invention. These interviews will be discussed

Figure 8. Predicted global market size for (a) wearable technology, flexible electronics, and flexible conductive materials
and (b) sports industry, sports medicine and sport devices.