A Click Ahead

by Tegan Ruhl '24 and C. L. Stambush

JACOB MILLS '25 knew the problem was with the mouse. As a manufacturing engineering technology major, he had to work in computer-aided design (CAD), a software that renders 3D models of real-world products, and the mouse wasn't cooperating when executing assignments. "One of the biggest hurdles learning 3D programs is moving around the workspace," Mills said. "Even as you become more advanced, the problem does not go away."

The average computer mouse is built for a 2D program, not a 3D one. A 2D mouse takes more time to move around 3D environments and makes it difficult to precisely manipulate an object. Mills decided to build a controller designed around 3D to efficiently work in these environments, calling it the Orbiter 3D Controller.

As a college student, Mill's didn't have the funds to pay for a prototype of his idea, but he was a student worker in USI's Center for Applied Research (CAR) and had access to all the necessary resources. The one thing he didn't have was funding. CAR Director Steven Stump '99 M'09 helped establish Mills as a CAR client, which he had not done for a student before, and began exploring different programs he could fund his project through. "It was actually a good business practice for us as an institution and for me and this office in training the students in this," Stump said.

Stump assisted Mills with a grant application for the Indiana Technical Assistance Program (INTAP), along with help from the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC). Recipients of the INTAP grant can receive up to $15,000 worth of funding and can receive a maximum of two rounds of funding.

"INTAP is one that we use every single year," Stump said. "It's a program designed to really help small businesses and entrepreneurs who have ideas but don't necessarily have the means to be able to build that prototype or take that product to market." Since 2019, Stump has helped clients apply for funding through INTAP. Currently, CAR has had over 20 projects funded for a total of over $180,000. "Part of the requirements for the funding is that you apply with a business that is going to do a particular scope of work for you with that budget," Mills said. "CAR was that group for me."

As a client and a student worker for CAR, Mills couldn't directly work on his project because it would've been a conflict of interest. Instead, Stump helped form a team of student workers that would work on the project, and Mills would tell the team what he wanted.

"People who have ideas and have no idea how to do anything with them, if they can bring them to us and we can turn that into something tangible, and turn that into a business plan, and help connect them with folks who can take that to market and be successful, that's where I see us really making an impact, regionally," Stump said. "That's the fun in what I do."

Since working with CAR, Mills established a company called Antidote Electronics, LLC to produce his controller. He has also become a client of companies that can produce parts the controller needs that he is not skilled at. "I worked with [a hardware product development firm] in Indy to have a customized printed circuit board made to integrate all of my systems using my second INTAP funding," he said.

The next step for Mills will be getting a functioning prototype in the hands of several people to collect some initial user feedback. If all goes well, once the design and functionality have been validated, Mills will begin raising capital so he can eventually move into mass production. "This journey has given me a major appreciation for all of the work behind even the most mundane products because I know how much effort goes into making something successful," Mills said. "It is hard to say what hurdles lie ahead for the Orbiter 3D Controller, but I have a solid road map and experienced people guiding me."