Laura Lentz
Jason Penaloza
Jaysan Deep
Shui Miles
ENGL 21007
Professor Jacobson
November 28, 2022
Portable Wifi Bookbag
Introduction
The lack of available wifi creates difficulties for those who depend on internet access. In today’s society, most major industries and individuals rely on wifi. Without it, we are unable to listen to music, podcasts, or watch videos. The majority of wifi routers are located in peoples homes. These are hardware devices that internet service providers use to connect you to their cable. With these routers, wifi is constantly available throughout a person’s place of residence. Although this is convenient for private properties, it becomes a struggle to connect to wifi in public locations. The vast majority of public places do not provide free wifi. This inhibits the ability of individuals to use most aspects of their technological devices. As a result, portable wifi would be beneficial for a large portion of society. A bag that includes a wifi router is a solution to this common problem. By using a bag that has a wifi router included, there would be no dilemma of losing internet connection and not being able to use your devices. The existence of a bookbag with built-in wifi is not a new concept. However, with certain adjustments, this portable bookbag will have more innovations to increase its usability. By doing so, we will have created a profitable innovation that will solve a major issue people face in their daily lives.
Innovations
The charging component for the bookbag will be located at the bottom. It is built in the shape of a cradle, allowing the battery of the bag to charge. The bookbag features a built-in battery and wifi router to assist the connectivity and the charging components. This bag will be in the form of a backpack, allowing it to be easily accessible and functional for those who are interested. There will be multiple storage units for notebooks, laptops, bottles, and many pockets for easy storage. There will be a wifi router included in the bag as well, with its antennas sticking out of the bag. The bag will include multiple forms of security, such as keypads to access certain pockets. This will prevent the issue of losing your items or having them stolen. There will also be a bluetooth speaker included in this bag. The material the bag will be made out of will be waterproof to ensure that the wifi router, keypads, and speakers do not sustain water damage. There will be a charger compartment that when you place your phone in it, it will charge your phone wirelessly. The battery will be made out of graphene, a material less likely to overheat and explode as opposed to the common lithium-ion material.
Innovation of a product is not a linear trend of improvements. Proposing ideas for ways to improve a product can often be impractical or even unattainable. When discussing the design for the portable book bag with a built-in wifi router, there were some elements which were proposed but after consideration, were deemed to be unsuitable. Solar panels was a topic that was discussed when deciding the power source for this invention. We were unsure how to use a charger to be able to function this object. Solar panels would allow for constant energy and a lack of commitment to charging the bag every few days. Although this may sound sufficient, we realized solar panels would be too difficult to implement into the bag because they are extremely heavy for individuals to carry around. These panels would also raise the cost immensely, which would result in the bag becoming too expensive and non-profitable. When deciding what the charging element would be without solar panels, there were a few options that were brought up. One idea is having a wireless charger, similar to an apple watch charger. This idea was compared to the traditional charger for smartphones or laptops, where the device is plugged into a cable and connected to an outlet. When comparing these two methods of charging, the downsides to a wireless charger include the battery takes longer to charge on wireless chargers. In addition to this, the production of wireless chargers is more expensive when compared to a traditional charger. With these things taken into consideration, we finally decided to use the traditional charger to keep costs down and allow the bag to be more convenient for users.
Process
The process of this innovation includes the time that goes into production as well as the materials used in this innovation and the cost of the materials. The bag itself will cost $60 to produce. With the bag being waterproof to protect the components, the cost of the production of the back pack itself is slightly increased. There will be a 26,800 mAh rechargeable battery and power bank located in the backpack. This power bank will cost $30 to produce. Two Musibaby speakers will be located on opposing ends of the backpack. Each individual speaker will cost $25 to produce totally in at around $50 for the speakers to be included in the bag. A USB cable type-c will be included when purchasing the bag to allow for users to charge their bag beforehand. The cost of production for this cable is $10. To allow the wifi router to be able to work for the individual using the bag, an internet provider will be necessary. An average cost for internet providers is around $25 but could vary for individuals depending on what internet provider they use. The cost for the charging station is $30. The price of production with all these elements included will be $235 depending on small variations. The price that the bag will be sold at will be $275.
Conclusion
To conclude, the innovation of a portable bookbag with a wifi router is beneficial for a wide range of people. With a portable wifi router in this bag, it will eliminate the problem of being dependent on public wifi. With this bag, individuals will have a strong internet connection to be able to work, listen to music or watch videos anywhere at any time. With the bag being made out of a waterproof material, this allows for users to carry the bag with them during any type of weather. This waterproof coating on the bag will protect the wifi router, charging stations, as well as the speakers on the bookbag. Elements that were discussed as potential ideas for this bag included solar panels. This idea was turned down because of the price of solar panels as well as the weight would be impractical for a portable bag. The cost and materials of this bag will include charger, speaker, wifi router, and security pin pads. With these elements included, the cost of production for the overall book bag will cost around $235.The bag will be sold at around $275, allowing for a $40 profit per bag sold.
Cost/Materials:
- Waterproof Bookbag: $60 Waterproof School Backpack With USB Charging College
- 26,800 mAh rechargeable battery/power bank: $30 IXNINE Power Bank 26800mAh Portable Charger
- JBL Speaker (x2) = $50 Musibaby Bluetooth Speaker
- USB Cable Type-C: $10 Samsung Galaxy USB-C Cable
- Internet provider: $25
- Wifi Router: $30 Netgear Router
- Charging Station: $30 Belkin Boost Charge
Cost: $235
Sale Price: $275
Profit: $40/bag
Operations:
- The bookbag will be waterproof to prevent water damage done to the electronics
- A type c usb cable charges the battery in the bookbag.
- A charging station where you place your bookbag on the cradle to charge it overnight at home before the next day.
- If it is charged via wireless charger you’d have to take the cable and the bookbag everywhere you go. It is not like a phone where you want to keep it compact.
- The battery powers the router in the bookbag.
- The battery needs to last for more than 12 hours, preferably over one day.
- If you run out of battery while not at home, you can use the cable to charge the battery.
- Charge indicator lets you know how much battery is left and how much time you have left to use it.
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/3031444/this-smart-backpack-has-its-own-wi-fi-network-and-storage
