Rapid Prototyping

Laan Labs builds working prototypes of computer vision, AI and spatial computing products in weeks rather than months. A prototype runs on the real target device with real data, so a product team, founder or investor can judge whether an idea works and what it will take to ship, before committing to a full build. Many Laan Labs products and client systems started this way.

The reason to prototype first is that in this field the risk is technical, not visual. A mockup cannot tell you whether a phone camera can measure a room accurately enough, whether a model can recognize a part on a factory floor, or whether a splat viewer will hold its frame rate on a headset. A working prototype answers those questions for a small fraction of the cost of finding out in production.

Laan Labs has used the same approach for its own experiments, from recording volumetric bullet-time video with 15 synchronized iPhones and NeRFs, to turning an iPhone into a robot's vision system, to building AirDraw for Apple Vision Pro in the weeks after the headset shipped.

What we do

Feasibility spikes

A few days of focused engineering on the hardest question in the idea, with a clear answer at the end: it works, it works with these constraints, or it does not.

Working prototypes

An installable app or system on the target device, using real sensors, real models and real data, built to be used by actual users rather than shown in a demo.

Data and model experiments

Quick training runs, synthetic data trials and model comparisons that establish what accuracy is achievable before anyone promises it.

Technical due diligence

An independent assessment of a proposed or existing computer vision or AI system for product teams and investors, grounded in building a small version of it.

Path to production

Every prototype ends with a written assessment: what worked, what did not, what the production version needs, and an estimate for building it.

How we work

Prototyping engagements are fixed in scope and time, usually two to six weeks. The first step is agreeing the one or two questions the prototype has to answer; everything else is left out so the answer arrives quickly.

The client receives the prototype itself, its source code, and the assessment. If the result is promising, Laan Labs can continue into production development with the same team, so nothing learned in the prototype is lost in a handoff.

Common questions