Image-Based Toy Model Instructions From Existing Brick Inventory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing construction toy systems lack a method for users to determine what models can be built with their existing inventory of building elements and to generate personalized instructions for constructing desired models without the necessary elements.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows users to maintain an inventory of building elements through a remotely accessible database, identify and update their elements using visual recognition, and generate personalized instructions based on user images or desired models, utilizing image recognition and AI to suggest missing elements or alternative models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If users purchase multiple predetermined model kits, then their inventory of building elements increases, but it becomes difficult to determine what other models can be built with the existing inventory
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to users by analyzing their inventory of building elements and automatically generating lists of models that can be constructed with those elements. The system compares the user's inventory against required element lists for various models and provides information about what can be built, thus resolving the information asymmetry problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables users to independently determine what models they can build by providing automated inventory analysis tools. Users input their building elements, and the system self-service generates personalized model recommendations without requiring manual consultation of multiple instruction manuals or expert assistance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users want to build custom models without purchasing predetermined kits, then creativity and customization increase, but the complexity of determining required building elements and obtaining instructions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing building element requirements for numerous models in its database. When a user wants to build a custom model, the system has already organized all necessary information about required elements, so the user only needs to specify what they want to build rather than manually researching requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system acts as an intermediary between users and the vast library of building element combinations. Instead of users directly navigating the complexity of determining what elements are needed for custom models, the system mediates this process by automatically calculating requirements, checking inventory availability, and providing step-by-step construction instructions.
3Loss of information
If instruction manuals are obtained for different models without purchasing the kits, then access to building knowledge increases, but uncertainty about having the correct building elements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to users by comparing their actual inventory against the required elements for any model they are interested in building. This feedback mechanism gives users real-time confidence information about whether they can complete a model, eliminating the uncertainty of obtaining instructions without kits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the manual mechanical process of checking off elements against instruction manuals with an automated digital system. The computer automatically compares inventory databases with required element lists, providing reliable certainty about model completion feasibility without manual verification errors.
4Loss of information
If LEGO certified professionals create and reproduce instructions for public use, then availability of building knowledge increases, but the barrier to accessing and utilizing this knowledge remains high
Solution Approach 1:
The system empowers ordinary users to act as their own certified professionals by providing them with automated tools to generate instructions and determine model feasibility. Users no longer need to seek out certified professionals or navigate complex access restrictions; the system provides self-service capabilities that make building knowledge universally accessible and actionable.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of constructing toy models based on an image of a subject present in a still or moving image, comprising: receiving said still or moving image; identifying said subject from the still or moving image; generating an instruction module and required building element list to construct a toy model of said subject; comparing the required building element list against an inventory of building elements held by a user; wherein if the inventory of building elements held by the user is insufficient to contain the required building element list, providing a list of missing building elements to the user; if the inventory of building elements held by the user is sufficient to contain the required building element list, producing the instruction module and the required building element list to the registered user to create the model of the subject.