About Andy & Caralin.
Caralin says: We like to make things.
It's a gift and a curse! We have Mechanical Engineering degrees and lots of experience designing and developing products for companies. We've worked on hard disk drives, wheelchairs, industrial manufacturing equipment, heart surgery tools, cardiology catheters, a laser phosphor digital display, a firefighter's rescue line, and a sleep disorder diagnostic device.
It always seemed like it would be fun to work on our own ideas!
It always seemed like it would be fun to work on our own ideas!
So after we transitioned from Cubicles to Consulting a few years back, we started developing some of our own products when we were in-between clients. Now we have several products under development. Stay Tuned!
We also transitioned from Silicon Valley to Sonoma County, and bought an acre to build a house on someday. We plan to do most of the work ourselves. Yup, we like to make things!
When we're not dreaming up more products, or planning our house, you'll find us kayaking, playing soccer, and tending the veggie garden and fruit orchard on our acre.
We also transitioned from Silicon Valley to Sonoma County, and bought an acre to build a house on someday. We plan to do most of the work ourselves. Yup, we like to make things!
When we're not dreaming up more products, or planning our house, you'll find us kayaking, playing soccer, and tending the veggie garden and fruit orchard on our acre.
The PaddleCam® Story.
Andy says: It started with a whale.
What a lousy photo! If only I had a PaddleCam!
Seriously, it did! Paddling the Sonoma Coast, we encountered a Grey Whale swimming among the sea stacks. It surfaced so close to the boat to that we were torn between wanting to back away from the whale (they are big!), and wanting to get the best whale photo ever!
That led to the invention of PaddleCam®, a simple bracket with a custom tripod screw designed to be workable with gloves on.
That led to the invention of PaddleCam®, a simple bracket with a custom tripod screw designed to be workable with gloves on.
The next generation.
It's fun to iterate your design when testing involves a kayak trip! There was the time I didn't want the weight of the camera on my paddle, and it took so long to put away that my kayak buddies left me behind - so the quick-release feature was developed. Then I dropped the camera taking it off - add a leash clip! Add several iterations and Finite Element Analysis to get the product where it is today - lightweight, robust, easy to use.
But how robust is it, really?
I took the PaddleCam® through the rigors of the Bay Area Sea Kayakers Skills Clinic (a summer's worth of rescue practice and more rescue practice) and confirmed that the design worked, and was tough enough to take a beating.
Most importantly, I had a camera when I wanted it, without sacrificing my ability to paddle the boat and participate in rescues and other skills practice.
Most importantly, I had a camera when I wanted it, without sacrificing my ability to paddle the boat and participate in rescues and other skills practice.