Archive for September, 2009

The Walking Canoe from Linlan Water Sport Goods in China is entirely designed with the principle of human engineering and human dynamics in mind. The product is available for 6-53  year olds.

The initial function is for the use of athletes training as well as an important piece of physical therapy equipment. The effectiveness of its design is to make the human body exercise in the oxygen-rich environment, and offer strong resistance movement. It is used to achieve goals including balance capacity exercise, athletic talent development and muscle strength enhancement.

It can also be used as an entertainment tool for personal dabbling, water fight, fishing and surfing. Moreover, it can be used as a tourist attraction at swimming pools, beaches and lakes.

It is time again for David Fannin’s professional comments on the latest Dragon’s Den episode:

1. Presentation: Michael Lea – Earle’s (Mobile Hot & Cold Food Van)

£ 100,000 for 15% share

Michael seemed very confident about his business model. However,  James Caan, having once owned a business like this, believes the franchise model is “fraught with difficulty” and that Michael should be very careful about the claims he makes to possible franchisees. Sorcit still thinks that the product itself was well presented but does not understand why Michael did not include his core business from the franchise model – Peter Jones has the same viewpoint.

2. Presentation: Vernon Kerswell – Extreme Fliers

£ 75,000 for 15% share

Vernon’s pitch was very confident and showed some good financial figures. The patent was pending for the combined helicopter/car. Unfortunately, it seems that Vernon lacked some relevant experience as he is only 21 years old – However, Sorcit thinks that Vernon is a very talented young person, who could secure some good investments in the future.

3. Presentation: Susan Bell & Jonathan Jones – Butterfly Technology ‘Squeeze with Ease’

£ 75,000 for 15% share

Sorcit thinks that this product is very cost saving and has a licensing oppurtunity. The presentation was done very professional and Susan and Jonathan responded confident to the Dragon’s questions. Another plus point was that the patent was already in place. However, Debra exposed a weakness of the product as it is not as eco-friendly as was initially thought. Sorcit is also concerned about the slow down volume of sales. That could be an issue.

4. Presentation: David & Patti Bailey – Motormouse

£ 100,000 for 20% share

This was a very confident pitch and a great product with lots of potential. However, the size of the market is questionable. Moreover, Patti confesses their lack of retail expertise is their greatest drawback.

Intelligent Bike Concept

Cyclist Chris Boardman created the new ‘intelligent’ bike that counts calories as you pedal, plays music and also uses a solar-powered motor when you get tired.

The intelligent bike has a carbon fiber frame with a built-in computer system that also has a locking device that can only be opened via finger print recognition. It also features spoke less wheels making the bike an aerodynamic one, and the tires are puncture proof and self-inflating.

Sorcit thinks that this bike is a super concept. It looks very futuristic and it sounds like it would make riding a bike much easier, including the fact that it also plays music.

The Sole Power Tile from SRS Energy

The Solé Power Tile™ integrates with US Tile’s clay tile to maintain the depth and aesthetics of a sophisticated roofline while infused with cutting-edge electricity generating technology.

Sorcit believes that this is a great product, which offers consumers the perfect solar solution. One of the big problems with current solar panels is making them discreet. The only drawback with the SRS solar tiles is the colour. Sorcit is not too sure whether it is actually possible to do a terracotta colour option. Sorcit would recommend for SRS to be looking at developing other tile shapes and sizes, which cover a larger percentage of the market. It would be good to have a closer look at the actual product and also to get an idea of costs. For Sorcit, Solar is certainly an area where they would be interested in exploring further as there is likely to be a big demand over the next 10-20 years.