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The Cornell Review: Thank you for agreeing to this interview! First off, would you mind introducing yourself?
Jean: Hi, my name is Jean Turban, I am a sophomore Mechanical engineer with a minor in operations research. I am from Miami, Florida. In my free time, I work on the Cornell Hyperloop team, my startup [Prometheus], and play on the sprint football team.
The Cornell Review: So, would you mind telling us more about Prometheus?
Jean: Prometheus aims to make a ultra customizable keyboard that allows users to reach their peak productivity levels by implementing a couple of new and innovative features on the actual keyboard. Every key on the keyboard is remappable, it can be remapped to a different key, a hotkey combination, or even a computer scripted action such as turning the computer off, raising volume, skipping a song, etc. Our future models also include a fully functional integrated touchscreen which can be instantly accessed by lifting off the mechanical top. In addition to that, there are two new styles of keyboard buttons, a knob and a slider. Even though there is one of each, it allows a user to do precise actions such as revolving a 3D model to a precise angle. They basically bridge actions that would be difficult to do with a mouse.
The Cornell Review: Wow, that sounds like a lot of functions. How much would this keyboard cost, and when can we expect it be released.
Jean: So right now our market research suggests it can be sold between 100 and 150 dollars and be competitive yet have a significant profit margin. In terms of actually using it, we have a software demo that can change any keyboard to a Prometheus keyboard, and expect our full hardware release in the fall of 2018.
The Cornell Review: Who are you working with on Prometheus?
Jean: We are a team of 5 Cornell sophomore engineers, all with a variety of majors ranging from chemical engineering to computer science.
The Cornell Review: What inspired you to create Prometheus?
Jean: Freshman spring semester, I was in the market for a keyboard and needed a upgrade. I was shocked to find that while I would pay up to 100 dollars, there were no significant differneces between my current one and the ones available. I was then motivated to make one better for myself. One thing led to another, and my roommate [Shadman Khan] starting helping me, and we wanted to work on this project.
The Cornell Review: How much time do you spend on Prometheus? It seems you have a full schedule, considering you are also a varsity athlete on campus.
Jean: I spend a large portion of my weekends. Its helpful I have a great team, the best team I could vouch for. Some weeks, when I have a busy prelim schedule they pick up my slack and we don’t lose momentum. The resources Cornell provides, such as the Collegetown eHub space has been tremendously useful for meetings, practice presentations, even have work sessions. I don’t sleep a lot, and its hard because I have at least a 2 hour practice every day. Instead of going home and watching Youtube videos, I immediately start work. It’s the small things that kill my time that I don’t do anymore.
The Cornell Review: Thank you for agreeing to this interview! Would you like to add anything for our readers at the Cornell Review?
Jean: If anyone is interested in trying out our software demo, feel free to shoot me an email at jt665@cornell.edu
