TinyRobot

Hire Charles

Concept Development and Proof of Concept

Proven, not just pitched.

When the brief calls for something nobody has done before, Charles develops the concept and builds the proof. You get the idea, a straight read on what it takes, and a working version of the hardest part, early enough to win the pitch or the budget.

  • Concept, read, proof
  • Days, not months
  • Concept sprints from $5,200

Tell us what you need

You need this when

What you get

  1. 01

    The concept

    Developed from what's possible, not just what's been done. Often bigger than the idea you came in with.

    See it in The Veneer Display

  2. 02

    A straight read

    What it takes to make, roughly what it costs, and where it could break, so nobody is surprised later.

  3. 03

    The riskiest part, first

    Built on the bench before anything else, with a pass or fail decided before we start.

    See it in The Clay Printer

  4. 04

    A working proof you can touch

    Rough, honest and in your hands, ready for the pitch or the client.

    See it in Robots That Draw

  5. 05

    Notes for the real build

    What we learned, written down for whoever builds the final one.

We built our own clay printer. Nobody asked for that either.

The shop is full of things that didn't exist until someone wanted them: a 3D printer that prints ceramic, robots that draw, a display that glows through solid wood, a humanoid that started as a head. New ideas are what the shop is for.

For clients, that means the concept and the proof come from the same person, in days, not months. The idea gets better while it's being proven, not watered down.

Ideas proven on the bench

Ways to work together

  • Start here

    Concept sprint

    One to two weeks: concepts developed from your brief, each with a straight read on what it takes.

    Not included: Working prototypes.

    From $5,200

  • Proof of concept

    A working version of the hardest part, built and tested on the bench.

    Quoted per project

  • Full rough build

    A complete rough version, for the pitch or the client.

    Quoted per project

Materials are billed at cost plus a stated markup, never hidden in the fee.

Questions people ask

Can you look at concepts we already have?
Yes. Charles will give you a straight read on what they take, and usually come back with a stronger version too.
What if it doesn't work?
Then you found out for the price of a proof instead of the price of a build. We tell you what we learned and what we'd try next.
Who owns what we make?
[To decide: usually you own the expression and we keep the underlying system. See the R&D notes.]

Tell us the idea nobody's built.

We reply within a day. If it's possible, we'll show you. If it isn't yet, we'll tell you what would be.

Tell us what you need