Commercializing Home Cage Monitoring: From Prototype to Global Access
摘要
Even the greatest invention is useless if it does not become widely accessible. This chapter presents a practical framework for commercializing and scaling automated home cage monitoring (HCM) systems used in laboratory animal research. It traces the path from prototype to industrial-grade, globally deployable product, integrating principles of engineering, manufacturing, software development and compliance. The chapter outlines how product-market fit is achieved through user need identification, pilot validation, and economic feasibility. It details the process of productization and manufacturability, covering lean prototyping, material selection and transition to scalable industrial methods. Key manufacturing topics include process standardization, automation and quality systems aligned with ISO 9001, GLP, and CE/FCC requirements. The chapter also covers the software and data infrastructure that underpin HCM technologies, including embedded firmware, secured cloud architectures and Software as a Service (SaaS) models for scalable analytics. Sustainability, ethical sourcing, and lifecycle design are integrated throughout. Finally, the chapter examines global deployment strategies: resilient supply chains, interoperable data systems and open science principles, which together ensure reproducibility, reliability, and long-term access.