Categories
Safety Smart Home

NOVI portable security system eases burdens of safety, high expense

The Premise. Modern security systems promise innovation and quick response, but can be too complex in the way they work. In addition, they’re expensive and not portable, leaving renters and office owners at risk. 

The Product. NOVI is a portable security system. With three features, this small device looks like a typical smoke detector and attaches to the ceiling. It has an HD camera, motion sensor, siren and smoke detector. Information is sent to an app on one’s smartphone if there is any activity. This allows the user to see exactly what is going on at their home at any time. NOVI is also a learning device, keeping track of typical habits so it knows when to arm itself if the user has forgotten to do so. The app asks for a response when an image is sent including call the police, ignore, or request another image.

The Pitch. The campaign video goes through the downside of working with typical security companies and the upside of NOVI. Scary statistics about the false alarm rate common with regular security companies and the costs associated with that permeate the rest of the campaign. NOVI’s creators also really emphasize that their product requires one payment instead of bothersome monthly fees and contracts. NOVI needs to raise $80,000 for a successful run on Kickstarter.

The Perks. Early birds will receive one sensor and the base station for $149, regularly priced at $199. Higher tiers offer more sensors, great for larger apartments, homes or for landlords who’d like to equip the apartments that they lease. Estimated delivery is set for January 2015.

The Potential. Portable home security systems do exist on the market, but not all take the same approach as NOVI. The Tattletale alarm works remotely as well, but costs $500. Similarly, the SimpliSafe alarm system is portable and connects to one’s cell phone, but the company charges a monthly rate for each added feature. NOVI truly is simple and refined. While it could have more features like a carbon monoxide detector, NOVI’s genius lies in its affordability making it the best option for safety for home owners and especially apartment renters. 

Categories
Connected Objects Safety Travel

EasyLock portable door lock helps you rest easy away from home

The Premise. Traveling can be great fun, but security is always a concern. When staying in cheaper rooms, hostels or bed and breakfasts it’s important to make sure that you’re always safe. These places don’t always have sufficient security measures in place for guests.

The Product. EasyLock is a portable lock that travels with you. It operates much like a traditional chain lock that lets the user open the door just enough to see who is knocking. To install, simply place the lock in between the closed door and doorjamb and it will stay in place on its own without glue, nails or screws. This British security device comes in pink and black.

The Pitch. EasyLock’s campaign video goes through the numerous ways that a room occupied by many previous guests may become insecure. While it does not show the actual lock, a later video features the EasyLock in use. The rest of the campaign discusses installation as well as the many places the EasyLock can be handy. This product’s creator explains that his grandchildren were the inspiration for his invention. EasyLock hopes to raise £10,000 in a month-long Indiegogo campaign.

The Perks. For only £17, backers can enjoy the ease and peace of mind provided by the EasyLock. Reward tiers climb up from there offering multiple locks or even an invitation to the super secret launch party for £2,500. The locks are estimated to ship from September to November 2014.

The Potential. Traveling safety is an excellent idea that has recently come into vogue. Before, safety on the road was limited to hotel room safes and luggage locks that the TSA removes anyway. Now, products like the EasyLock offer safety for the unsettled renter, college dorm student, small business owner and numerous others. For instance, NOVI is an entire app-managed security system that is completely portable, letting nomads remain safe wherever they go. Similarly, EasyLock provides an extra security measure that can only help those renting or in transit. Like a traditional chain lock, it is unclear how strong EasyLock actually is and, unfortunately, a good kick may be enough to disable it. However, this lock’s portability makes it unique and desirable in the safety market. 

Categories
Kids/Babies Safety

HERA wristband is another bid to help track your kid

HERAFor parents, keeping an eye on their kids at all times is a must. With the HERA wrist watch, it’s always possible to keep tabs on your child to maintain their safety. This product features GPS, a speaker and microphone so that kids can call pre-programmed numbers or be reached by the same numbers. We’ve seen many of these products recently, like the Safelet bracelet and Tinitell watch. One HERA costs backers a donation of $160 for delivery in December 2014. HERA hopes to raise a huge $500,000 in its month and a half-long Indiegogo campaign.

Categories
Automotive Kids/Babies Safety

Babeep braces brains to remember backseat babies

The Premise. As summer approaches, there are dangers that we must deal with that are related to heat. Cars heat up extremely quickly when left out in the sun. Many parents absentmindedly leave their children behind in hot cars, resulting in dangerous conditions for the child. 

The Product. Babeep is an alert device that reminds parents, guardians and babysitters to check their cars before locking up and walking away. This Israeli product plugs directly into the car’s outlet and even has a USB port on the side for charging phones. When the car starts, the Babeep flashes green. When the car is turned off, it flashes red and plays a prerecorded baby sound to remind the driver that a baby is onboard. 

The Pitch. Babeep’s campaign is riddled with terrifying facts of child neglect and death rates. It even features a news story of one such incident. The campaign video shows a dramatization of this occurrence that makes the vignettea little bit more horror than informational. Still, the campaign does a great job in creating a sense of urgency for this product in parents and guardians. Babeep is looking to raise a huge $300,000 in its month and a half long Indiegogo campaign.

The Perks. Early backers will receive the Babeep for $35 or $38 at a regular price. Higher tiers offer multi packages for families with several cars. The highest tier at $15,000 promises to donate 500 Babeeps to new moms in hospitals across the country. Lower tiers have an estimated delivery date of March 2015. 

The Potential. As the campaign explains, there are several ways that parents have tried to battle the leaving-the-kid-in-the-car problem, but none are effective when the driver is distracted. Some are simply tags that the parent is supposed to remember to use, like the Baby Bee Safe, but how is a parent going to remember a piece of plastic if they can’t remember their own kid? Others are more high tech like the ChildMinder which senses if a child is in the back and then beeps if the child separated by the parent by more than 15 feet. The Babeep seems to be the simplest, most effective of these options. It requires little action and works automatically which is perfect for the kind of parent or guardian who might accidentally leave their child behind. 

Categories
Safety Smartwatches/Bands

Safelet bracelet lets you discreetly alert others when danger lurks

SafeletThe world can be a dangerous place and it’s always nice to have extra piece of mind when traipsing around alone at night. The Safelet is a bracelet from the Netherlands that interacts with your smartphone. It lets you choose “guardians” to alert when danger is present. The wearer simply pushes two buttons simultaneously to call for help from guardians, other Safelet wearers in the vicinity or the police. Once the buttons are pushed, the bracelet lets the receivers know the location of the wearer and the bracelet begins recording. Many safety bracelets have come to the market recently like the stylish Cuff and the 1Decision Bracelet for kids. One Safelet costs backers $199 USD. Safelet is looking to raise $40,000 in its Indiegogo campaign.

Categories
Connected Objects Cycling Safety Sensors/IoT

App-enabled Skylock uses solar power to let would-be bike thieves see the light

The Premise. Bike locks are relatively unrefined. One needs to simply trust in the strength of their lock to protect them from thieves. Given enough time and opportunity, however, thieves can break into the strongest of locks unbeknownst to the owner. 

The Product. Skylock is an incredibly sophisticated solar-powered U-lock for your bicycle. It connects to your mobile phone and lets the owner know if their lock is being tampered with. This super-lock provides keyless entry and key sharing for multiple riders via Bluetooth as well as a GPS locator. When a crash or accident occurs, the lock sends a signal to your phone that gives you the option to either say that you’re uninjured or call for help from family, friends and even the authorities. This product is also functional, using a dual-locking mechanism for maximum security. If the bike should run out of battery, it won’t let the user lock the bike until recharged. The lock can also be charged externally by micro USB if sunlight is unavailable.

The Pitch. So far, Skylock has received tons of praise from the press which its campaign features. The video shows the lock in action, displaying how it alerts the rider when the bike is moved, the way it springs into action after an accident has occurred, as well as how easy it is to share access to the bike. Skylock is looking to raise $15,000 in a month-long Indiegogo campaign.

The Perks. Early riders can enjoy the Skylock for $149. It’s base Indiegogo price is set at $159 while its retail price will be $249. Higher tiers offer bundles of locks for bike share programs.

The Potential. Good bike locks can be hard to find. Locks such as the HENCH bike lock offer bank-level security, but aren’t “smart”. The Lock8, a UK smart bike lock, recently ran a successfully Kickstarter campaign. This product offers keyless entry, anti-theft alarms and GPS locating services. The Skylock takes the smart lock to a new level with its bike sharing capabilities and accident panic button. For a product that will protect you and your bike, the Skylock’s price is competitive and is a great investment for any bicycle commuter or enthusiast.

Categories
Cycling Kids/Babies Safety

Jyrobike swaps in gyroscopes for training wheels in helping bike beginners

The Premise. Young children face fear, injury and anxiety when attempting to learn how to ride a bike. For some, it’s natural and for others it can take a long time. Children with disabilities also struggle with the delicate movement and balance needed to learn to ride a bicycle.

The Product. The Jyrobike takes the uncertainty out of elementary bicycle riding. Coming in two different sizes, the front wheel of the bike use stabilizer technology so that the bike will not tip over, much like Weebles. The wheels have three settings. On the highest setting, the bike is its most stable and then becomes less stable with the other two settings so that when the child feels comfortable, he or she can ride on their own without assistance. The wheel charges with a microUSB and also has a speaker that provides fun sounds during the ride. A wireless remote allows parents to adjust settings while the child rides so that they’ll learn to balance on their own.

The Pitch. Jyrobike’s lengthy campaign video shows the bike in action with small and handicapped children and even shows the bike riding upright on its own to display its stability. The creators talk about the physics of bike, explaining how it works and go through the different features of their reinvented wheel. Jyrobike is striving for a $100,000 goal in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Early backers will receive the 12” wheel and wireless controller so that they can turn their own bikes into a Jyrobike for $129 or, later, just the wheel for the same price. The 16” wheel and controller go for $149 early or regularly at the same price for just the wheel. For $249, early backers get the 12” bike and wireless controller or, when the early prices run out, just the bike for the same price. Similarly, the 16” bike and controller cost $299 early or the same price for just the bike later. Reward tiers go all the way up to $5,000 with delivery set for January 2015.

The Potential. Plenty of children have learned to ride their bikes without this product. However, the thought of avoiding fear and injury is certainly appealing to both children and parents. The coolest thing about this product is perhaps its potential to help older children with disabilities. It provides the bridge needed to get over the daunting beginning phases of learning in order to really begin to enjoy cycling. Jyrobike’s intentions are noble and it definitely has a place on the market for safety-obsessed parents and clumsy children alike.

Categories
Home Safety

Slipguard sprays on the traction to keep you out of traction

SlipguardSlipping on a rug can be truly dangerous. You can purchase sticky under mats for rugs that keep them in place, but they always find a way of peeking out unattractively. Slipguard is a non-slip rug grip in a can. It sprays on the bottom of a rug and grips the floor. To protect the floor underneath for spills on the carpet, another coat can be applied as well. For the Slipguard kit backers can donate $50 and will also receive a t-shirt and one hands free cellular device for estimated delivery in July 2014. This product from Washington hopes to raise $18,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Cycling Safety

Cycle Guardian alerts riders to motorist threats

The Premise. As people choose to ride their bikes more and more, car on bike accidents have been on the rise. Sometimes cars don’t realize how close they get to bikes and vice versa. Accidents like this can be deadly for the cyclist.

The Product. Cycle Guardian is a cyclist protection system. This product attaches to the seat pillar of the bike, just below the seat itself, and emits a sound when the bike is too close to a car. The sound can be just a regular tone or can be programmed to play the cyclists favorite tune. Either way, it acts as a warning for those on the road to keep a safe distance.

The Pitch. The Cycle Guardian video features a short cartoon dramatization of the product doing its job. The rest of the campaign talks about bicycle safety as well as the creator’s passion for cycling. It would be helpful to see an actual photo of the product, instead of just drawings which is all the campaign shows. This British product has a goal on Indiegogo of £30,000. 

The Perks. For the product, backers have a choice of only one tier that offers a first production-run of the Cycle Guardian at a donation of £49. This product will be available before the official product launch and is characterized as a “limited edition” product.

The Potential. Bike accidents happen all the time and are one of the few drawbacks of cycling instead of driving. Helmets can only do so much when an accident occurs, but the Cycle Guardian takes the interesting approach of attempting to prevent accidents. It is unclear from the campaign if the tone emitted will be urgent and loud enough to warn drivers who may not have their windows down. The Bright Bike system uses bright LED lights to alert drivers, which is effective, but mostly only at night, but being able to detect threats seems to be the wave of the future.

Categories
Connected Objects Cooking Safety

Beacon lets you dial in the color of bicycle safety light from your smartphone

BeaconNevermore will pedestrians and cyclists who must venture out into the dark have to be concerned about being visible to drivers. Beacon offers a Bluetooth-controlled, wearable, LED safety light that is Android and i)S compatible, and can be worn around the waist or like a sash. Beacon wearers can choose a color or even pattern of colors to increase visibility when walking or biking at night. For those who are more concerned about visibility than fashion, we’ve seen other, less-configurable options to help with night apparel. Beacon is available to backers for at least $69, with an expected delivery of October 2014.