That sounds like the description of a scam where someone takes money under false pretenses.
Sydney in Australia is still benefiting today from the great engineering work of James Bradfield between 1915 and 1933. Can't think of very much brilliant engineering work here in the last 30 years.
Sydney in Australia is still benefiting today from the great engineering work of James Bradfield between 1915 and 1933. Can't think of very much brilliant engineering work here in the last 30 years.
From my perspective in audio and video engineering here in the USA, I can say that two Aussie companies have made quite a name for themselves in the international market. Røde which makes microphones (and associated accessories), and BlackMagic Design which makes a wide variety of very popular digital video gear.
Since we outlined the challenge we are facing, I think it’s important to take stock of what we have accomplished:
- Low cost integrated micro pressure sensor: prototyped and working
- Nose buds that stay in place under high pressure: prototyped and working
- Ergonomic outer plastic housing: prototyped and working
- Micro-blower pump bodies: prototyped and working
- Micro-blower valves operating thousands of times per second: prototyped and under test
It seems unlikely that anyone in this forum actually expects to see anything remotely resembling this to be demonstrated as working. We are incredulous at the chutzpah of the con-men and the gullibility of the victims.
Even if they can, by some miracle, get the micro-blowers working, there is no way they can embed enough power internally to operate them for 8 hours against that pneumatic load.
...at least their concept doesn't ignore known physics like the uBeam whackos.
...at least their concept doesn't ignore known physics like the uBeam whackos.They ignore physics every bit as much as the uBeam whackos.
Even if they get those micro-blowers working, they are off by at least 2 or 3 orders of magnide for what a CPAP device is required to do. Both in terms of volume as well as pressure. It is hard to imagine how these presumably smart people can be so wildly off the mark. Exactly the same willful ignorance of basic physics as the uBeam gang of clowns.
And what if they CAN get the micro-blowers working at sufficient pressure and volume, how much power will it take to operate them? Do you see any provision for battery power sufficient to do that for 8 hours? I don't. Did I miss something here?
I AM willing to believe that IF they will get the micro-blowers working, they will likely find a few real-world applications where small size is valuable, but high volume and high pressure are not required, and where there is no limit on power. But a self-contained, internally-powered, nose-mounted CPAP machine? Not in our lifetimes.
Anyway, I'm happy to watch them and see what they produce ... or dont.
Me too... But as predicted from the start, this is one of those classic schemes where the people who orchestrated this startup (Stephen Marsh and his team) carefully crafted this campaign to provide exactly what they promised (vouchers) in exchange for investment capital for working on the technology R&D and the public made a leap of faith which was their own downfall... but obviously helped along by a healthy dose of misleading optimism on the actual potential of a final product being delivered. Marsh played this beautifully and the public was fleeced in style.
A look into the history of these guys shows a number of other failed ventures and when you start having issues with the bank and investment capitalists, crowdfunding becomes a nice way to get free money without any risks or obligations to pay anything back!
Reminder - An amazing opportunity to invest at an early stage!
Developing the world's first hoseless, maskless, cordless micro-CPAP device to treat sleep apnea.
Hello Airing Enthusiast,
We recognize that you may have a very busy schedule. We are sending you this email to remind you about the equity crowdfunding campaign that we launched on Tuesday.
Glad you asked! So far, it's been great. We have already raised 60% of our minimum goal in less than 48hrs.
What will we do with this money?
In order to maintain our momentum and provide additional financing flexibility, we have decided to raise $1 million on Wefunder. We are in discussions with several potential strategic partners who have expressed interest in providing financing once we have a working proof of concept prototype of our micro-blowers. The money we raise will be used for the following purposes:
Produce a working prototype of the micro-blower technology.
Demonstrate the micro-blowers blowing the required amount of air.
Combine the various components into a testable prototype and conduct preliminary testing and validation of the efficacy of the device (using external battery and electronics).
To pursue intellectual property protection of all facets of the technology.
Develop reference designs for battery and electronics to be used in the device.
Maintain and promote the Airing brand.
We hope this opportunity interests you. We have answered many more questions on Wefunder. Check it out.
Please note that as with any startup, an investment in Airing involves significant risks, which are described in the related documents on Wefunder. But if we are successful in our effort to bring this important technology to millions of sleep apnea sufferers, it could be a source of both pride and profit.
Best,
Stephen Marsh
President and Inventor of Airing
Wait, they raised 2 million and now want another million?
From his audio interview, near the beginning he says he developed the Airing as a consequence of trying to come up with better airflow for his Fuel Cell Power Chip....which was being developed when he was under the V.C. funding umbrella of now-defunct technology startup Integrated Fuel Cell Technologies, Inc. and Encite LLC. He also says he has a non-compliant brother (doesn't wear CPAP machine although he has Sleep Apnea).
At about 40 minutes the interviewer asks about the ADDITIONAL monies that needed to be raised over and above the IndieGogo funds, since Marsh even admitted to needing close to $8,000,000 to build it. So Marsh reminds people about InDemand on IGG and to encourage more funding. He denies having raised other private money, except from friends and family. I guess he doesn't want to deal with the nuisance of accountability from a V.C. firm with all their lawyers and stuff.
Ultimately, if Marsh does manage to succeed in building ANYTHING it may be some niche market electrostatic-based pump or airflow device and maybe some small solid-state pressure sensor. I very much doubt anything powerful enough to be used for Sleep Apnea could be developed but let's see what they come up with.
It'd be a pretty annoying moral problem if you wanted to buy one of those for a project; knowing that they were funded by the desperate pleas of sleep apnea sufferers.
...at least their concept doesn't ignore known physics like the uBeam whackos.They ignore physics every bit as much as the uBeam whackos.
Even if they get those micro-blowers working, they are off by at least 2 or 3 orders of magnide for what a CPAP device is required to do. Both in terms of volume as well as pressure. It is hard to imagine how these presumably smart people can be so wildly off the mark. Exactly the same willful ignorance of basic physics as the uBeam gang of clowns.
And what if they CAN get the micro-blowers working at sufficient pressure and volume, how much power will it take to operate them? Do you see any provision for battery power sufficient to do that for 8 hours? I don't. Did I miss something here?
I AM willing to believe that IF they will get the micro-blowers working, they will likely find a few real-world applications where small size is valuable, but high volume and high pressure are not required, and where there is no limit on power. But a self-contained, internally-powered, nose-mounted CPAP machine? Not in our lifetimes.
The airing could generate the pressure needed but not the volume of air. As soon as you inhale the pressure will drop dramatically.
I don't blame Airing... They are simply taking advantage of a platform that we as a society have much too easily empowered and for which people are far too easily ensnared to give away their money.
Why Crowdfunding?
NOVEMBER 16, 2017
We often get questions about why we chose to raise money to develop Airing on a crowdfunding platform, and particularly why Indiegogo. People have suggested that we go on Shark Tank. Others wonder why we didn’t use venture capitalists or banks.
Crowdfunding gives Airing direct access to the very people who want to see this concept become a product. Unlike more traditional funding sources, the “crowd” reacts very quickly and passionately. Many people recognize that while a contribution to a campaign is a big risk, it’s one they are willing to make because when the product becomes a reality it will really be beneficial to them. Their contribution is a sort of bet—huge upside potential but not so much money that they could not afford to lose it.
Another benefit of crowdfunding is market validation of a product concept. With over 20,000 contributors, we can check that box. Our donors come from over 120 countries—literally from every corner of the globe!
And the publicity we have gotten on through this campaign has attracted the attention of many world-class companies—suppliers, manufacturers, regulatory experts, and distributors. We are well supported in our work to bring Airing to market.
Why Indiegogo?
When we were considering a rewards-based crowdfunding campaign we did our research. Several companies were offering crowdfunding platforms but Indiegogo and Kickstarter were the clear leaders in this emerging segment. They had the name recognition, the most followers, and generally the best reputation all around. We eliminated Kickstarter because at that time, they did not allow companies that were raising funds for medical devices to use their platform whereas Indiegogo did not have that restriction. (Since Airing’s launch on Indiegogo, Kickstarter has removed this restriction.)
Another reason we chose Indiegogo is because they reached out to us very early on. They thoroughly vetted us before we were permitted to launch, and conducted another review of our campaign and progress in the second year of our campaign. Indiegogo has offered us great support. The team that they put together to support us is professional, very helpful, readily accessible, and quick to respond. It’s been a great platform for us.
Click here to learn more about our Indiegogo.com campaign: Indiegogo.com
Why Wefunder?
When we launched our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo rewards-based crowdfunding was the only option available. In the past year, however, this has changed. New provisions, known as Regulation Crowdfunding (Title III) have been adopted to allow smaller investors to buy shares in private companies on the same basis that had previously been limited to accredited high net worth investors.
In response to this development, new platforms have emerged that provide small investors the opportunity to buy shares in startup ventures alongside the more traditional larger players. Since many people have asked about the possibility of making an equity investment in Airing we decided to explore this option. The most successful, and most experienced, of these platforms, is Wefunder.com. After extensive discussions with the Wefunder team, we concluded this would be a good way for us to complement other sources of financing for the continuing development of our breakthrough micro-CPAP device.
Please take a look at our Wefunder.com campaign.
Dear *,
Thank you for your message. Refunds to your credit card can only be processed by Indiegogo. We cannot process a refund to your credit card because we have no access to that information. It is protected by Indiegogo, as it should be. We adhere to Indiegogo's Refund policy.
Please be advised that contributions to Airing are not refundable beyond the policy stated (within 10 days of contribution). After this period, Indiegogo takes out their fees, the remaining funds are transferred to us (without your credit card/payment information), and we begin putting those funds to good use. By making a contribution to this campaign, you acknowledge that you understand that you are contributing to fund the development of the Airing micro-CPAP device and not making a direct purchase. We appreciate your support, and we are hard at work developing the Airing prototype.
Sincerely,
The Airing Team