Your idea. Made real.
Imagine it. See it. Make it.
Describe an invention in plain words. Shovels turns it into illustrated concepts and a technical brief, then works with qualified partners to build a physical prototype.
No account needed to start. Your idea stays private.
Your description becomes a dimensioned concept and a written brief. Every estimate is marked as one.
From a description to something you can hold
Five steps, each with a clear decision point. You approve before anything moves forward or costs more.
- 01
Submit your idea
Describe what it does and who it's for. Add sketches, photos or reference products if you have them. You can skip technical details you don't know.
- 02
Concept package
We develop illustrated concept directions and a written product brief: requirements, users, risks and open questions.
- 03
Technical review
An engineer checks feasibility, flags regulatory or safety questions, and outlines materials, components and an electronics architecture where relevant.
- 04
Prototype quote
You get a written quote with scope, deliverables, exclusions, assumptions, timeline estimate and payment schedule.
- 05
Physical delivery
Partners produce CAD, PCB layout, firmware and fabrication as the scope requires. We test against agreed criteria and ship it to you.
What a concept package looks like
These are illustrative concepts. We'll show functional prototypes here only once they exist and their owners agree.
Comfort ECG chest strap
Electronics + wearableA soft strap that records a single-lead ECG during workouts. Shown at the concept stage: pod position, electrode size and components are estimates pending engineering review.
Illustrative concept — not a verified PCB layout
Solar soil-moisture stake
Electronics + enclosureA garden stake that reports soil moisture to a phone. Concept direction for form and sensor placement.
Illustrative concept
Magnetic cable dock
Consumer accessoryA weighted desk dock with magnetic cradles that keep cables in reach. Early form study.
Illustrative concept
AI for speed. People and partners for the real world.
Software can help you see an idea quickly. Getting it built takes engineers, suppliers and someone accountable for the details. Shovels does both under one project.
- Faster first concepts
- Claude helps our designers turn your description into briefs, concept directions and risk notes in days, not weeks. Every draft is reviewed by a person.
- Managed sourcing and production
- We find and coordinate the CAD, PCB, firmware and fabrication partners your project needs, and track every quote and cost.
- Approvals you control
- Concepts, quotes and any change in cost wait for your explicit approval. Silence is never treated as a yes.
- Honest labels
- We mark concepts, estimates and functional prototypes for what they are, so you always know what you're looking at.
Clear starting prices, scoped in writing
Start with concepts. Go further only when it makes sense for you.
Questions inventors ask first
Do I need CAD?
No. Describe the idea in plain language and add any sketches or photos you have. If a project needs CAD, qualified engineering partners create it as part of a quoted scope.
Who owns my idea?
You do. Your submissions are private by default and we don't use them to train AI models or show them to other customers. Commissioned deliverables transfer to you under the final terms, which are still being reviewed by our attorneys. Read the IP & confidentiality page for details.
Can you build electronics?
Yes, through partners. We can outline an electronics architecture and candidate components, then partners handle schematic, PCB layout, firmware, assembly and testing. We don't order a circuit board from an illustration: production needs a validated schematic, layout, Gerbers, BOM and review.
What is included?
Each package lists what it includes on the pricing page. Concept Studio covers intake review, a concept brief, illustrated concepts, risk notes and one revision round. Physical prototypes are scoped and quoted individually, with deliverables and exclusions written down before work starts.
What if parts cost more?
Additional costs are submitted to you for approval before they're incurred, as a written change order. If you decline, we offer alternatives, rescope, or stop under the agreed cancellation terms. You're never charged for overruns you didn't approve.
Is the model manufacturing-ready?
Not at the concept stage. Concept images and 3D views are illustrations to help you decide. Manufacturing-ready files come from engineering work in a quoted development or prototype scope, and we label which is which.