AI Controlled Wheelchair

In Chapter 9 of Essentials of Marketing we talk about the new product development process.  In the article “Facial gestures can move this AI-motorized wheelchair“, many elements of this process are covered when discussing a new motorized wheelchair that uses a 3D camera and artificial intelligence to recognize facial expressions and control the wheelchair based on those expressions.  The new wheelchair is designed by Brazilian-based Hoobox Robotics in partnership with Intel.  The article covers the target market for the new chair and also talks about some of the interesting findings discovered during user testing.  It also talks about incentives to get customer feedback and an interesting pricing model (they’re planning on using subscription pricing rather than the traditional asset sale model).  It’s a good reminder for students that even products that are highly technical require well managed marketing efforts if they want maximize their chance at success.