immersimap
BACKGROUND
Founded by a former SWAT team member and bomb squad commander who realized that existing technologies did not provide sufficient information to first responders on arrival, Immersimap™ created a proprietary technology for 360 degree panoramic video mapping of building interiors. Immersimap's technology saves minutes and lives for emergency responders, and saves time and money for pre-planning, training, and asset management applications.
SBDC ASSISTANCE
Starting in 2005, Tom Stankiewicz began working with business consultants at Gannon’s SBDC where he was assisted with his business plan, marketing and sales strategy, as well as consultation in intellectual property, government contracting, and capital acquisition. Tom was referred to Engineering Development Services at Bucknell’s SBDC in the summer of 2007. Tom wished to design a backpack or harness mounted version of the video mapping data collector that would allow a person to easily collect smooth 360 degree video as they walk through a building. Through EDS, this New Product Development project was placed in a Senior Capstone course in mechanical engineering. During the next 9 months, a four-member student design team, guided by a faculty advisor and a Project Manager from the EDS staff, embarked on patent searching, concept development, engineering analysis, product dissection, 3D CAD modeling, and simulation. Deliverables included conceptual exploration, design report, component specification, CAD drawings, and the fabrication of a functional prototype, with a total of over 1,500 hours of engineering consultation provided.
IMPACT
At the beginning of the project, Tom received a $2,900 Keystone Innovation Grant from the Keystone Innovation Zone, providing funding for many components of the prototype. Immersimap sold the first commercial video mapping system retailing for $135,000 in late 2008. Based on pre-orders and commitments to initial production units, Immersimap forecasts $1.25 million in sales in the first two years, an order of magnitude increase from 2007 revenue of less than $100,000. In May, Tom hired his first employee, a mechanical engineer tasked with continuing the design work of the student team. In August, Immersimap moved into the Erie Technology Incubator at Gannon University.
