No, it’s not Google. Or Amazon or Apple or the Shinehart Wig Company.
It’s Ponoko.
Specifically, Ponoko.com. I found out about it while reading Wired magazine last night. The short article posed the question: Have you ever had a great idea but you don’t know how to actually make it?
Ponoko knows how to make it.
Here’s how it works: You submit your idea to Ponoko (for free). Nothing official, just a normal description of your idea, just like I’d do it on this blog. Within a few days, you’ll hear back from Ponoko’s designer(s) with their bids. If the price is right, they’ll make whatever you suggested and will send it to you when it’s ready.
It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? As far as I can tell, there’s no catch. You still own the idea/product, and you can even sell it on Ponoko’s site. I’m sure there are technological limitations–like, you can’t ask for bids on a Star Trek-like transportation device and expect them to make it. But I think these designers can do quite a bit.
The ideas I plan on submitting:
- High heel shoes that convert to flats.
- Wearable, silent, vibrating alarm clock for your wrist or ankle.
- A shirt on which you can draw plays for pickup football and then erase them with the swipe of your hand for the next down.
Can they make them? We’ll see.
Fabulous site! I am going to have to try it out as well. I hate to break it to you though—convertible high heels have been around for awhile… http://www.camileonheels.com among others, but I’d totally buy the wearable alarm clock 🙂
You should also go through your ideas from the competition you had and send a few of those!
-T
I’d be curious if any of you readers have ideas that you’d like to submit to Ponoko. Feel free to post them if you do.