So there’s good news and bad news on the Bionic Basic project. (For a low down of the differences between the Bionic Basic and the Bionic Deluxe, check out this earlier blog post and then here’s some more info specific to the Bionic Basic.)

Let me get the bad news out of the way with first. It’s looking very unlikely that the Bionic Basic will be available in the first half of 2019 as I’d initially hoped.

In terms of cost, it just wasn’t feasible to get an engineering studio to get it resolved to production within budget BUT, the Colorado School of Mines have very enthusiastically picked up the project.

Five mechanical engineering students have taken on the task of resolving the existing prototype to a production ready design by the end of the year. So, yes, this means a longer wait, but it also means a more refined and fully resolved execution of the design and ultimately a better product, so I think it will most definitely be worth the wait.

And as far as the Bionic Deluxe goes, Denver University are still making strong and steadya progress. As much as I REALLY want to be able to give away the juicy details, at this stage, I need to be a little bit “secret squirrel” about the specifics, but I can tell you that we’re now at a stage where we’re refining the subtle ergonomics of the device and starting to get the product testers involved. We’ve also decided that both designs will end up being somewhat more modular than the initial thinking, with not only the vibe, but also the cup being removable.

Looking forward to giving you more updates soon!