Category: Connected Objects

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Connected Objects Cycling

Zone DPMX wearable power meter keeps your cycling in the zone

There comes a team in every competitive cyclist’s career when they realize they’re not getting better despite putting in more and miles. The problem usually lies in a lack of power, something a good deal of focused training based on performance data can help with. The problem really lies in how clunky most bike computers can be, forcing cyclists to constantly switch them out to other bikes. In short, they just aren’t as seamless as they should be.

Enter the Zone DPMX, the world’s first wearable power meter for cyclists. Designed by Brim Brothers LTD, the power meter is made up of two parts: a transmitter that sits atop the left cleat and measures cadence (RPM), and a custom-designed pedal that locks into the bottom of the left cleat and measures force (watts). Together, the Zone DPMX calculates the amount of power generated and multiplies it by two to get an estimated total for both the left and the right foot.

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Connected Objects Health and Wellness

Flo Bluetooth thermometer brings touch-free readings to a fever pitch

In the proximity of an uncomfortable, crying kid who can’t explain their discomfort, the only things parents want to do is determine if a fever is to blame. With the Flo, the connected Bluetooth thermometer makes it extremely simple to get that reading almost instantly.

Flo is one connected product that works even without a phone. Its most striking quality is its non-invasiveness. Users need only to point Flo’s sensor at, say, a forehead and be within 1cm to get an accurate temperature reading. Temperatures are divided into three colors for instant understanding: green for normal temperatures, red for fever, and purple for chills, all of which can be audibly read aloud for the busy, multi-tasking parent. Flo can also be pointed at objects, as well, so parents can determine if a bottle of milk is too hot or bath water is too cold.

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Connected Objects Luggage and Bags Travel

Serenity Now! Bag guardian goes beyond Bluetooth item finders

Some of the countless bags carried every single day hold people’s most prized possessions but offer little in the way of theft protection beyond a lock that’s easily compromised once the bag has been absconded. The one surefire way nothing untoward happens to it all is to keep constant vigil — an umpleasant expectation on a packed morning commute or enjoying a much needed island vacation.

Serenity has been designed to achieve peace of mind. This connected tag attaches to any bag and syncs with a smartphone to offer users a variety of different ways to keep an indirect eye on their goods. For starters, theft detection and deterrence are built-in. By syncing a user’s devices to the tag, it can sense when the bag is being moved by someone other than its owner, letting off a wailing 170dB alarm when it happens. At the same time, it can also regulate access to a single pocket by requiring either a keycode or its corresponding smartphone to be in range in order to avoid the alarm from tripping while being opened, going as far as reminding users about their open pockets when it isn’t busy standing guard.

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Connected Objects Winter Sports

Talk smack while shredding slopes in the Explore1 winter sport helmet

Trying to enjoy winter sports and effectively communicate on the mountain has always been a tough issue to solve. Over time, lots of screaming evolved into the use of walkie-talkies. Now, leaps in technology have enabled the creation of a product like the Explore1.

The stylish, radio-equipped Explore1 allows for an unlimited number of snowboarders and skiers to stay in direct contact with each other up to a range of three kilometers.

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Connected Objects

Oronote offers a smart alternative to sticky note

Post-it and other sticky notes are handy tools for leaving messages. But too many of them can create a mess on the refrigerator or other surfaces, and they tend to fall off all too easily. They are also not so great for the environment.

Oronote is a smart version of the sticky note that can be placed on any firm magnetic surface. An included wall plate enables the small white device to also be used on surfaces including bricks and tiles. Oronote lights up and announces when there is a message. It works in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices that enables the user to store and manage dozens of messages with different trigger actions and control Oronote’s settings.

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Automotive Connected Objects

Carloudy guides your car’s way with a heads-up display

The advantage that heads-up displays (HUDs) have over tradiitional GPS devices is that, with HUDs, drivers can keep their eyes on the road while getting navigation and other useful information. But, unfortunately, it’s often just as difficult to see the information on a HUD as it is to make out the directions on a GPS device while driving in bright sunlight.

patent-claimedCarloudy resolves that issue by using E-Ink display technology –- the same technology that makes it easier to read on a traditional e-reader than it is to read on a tablet. Carloudy features a patent-pending design that makes it work fine whether it’s bright or dark out. When it’s night, the device’s ambient light sensor activates LED backlighting for the display. It connects automatically to Android and iOS mobile devices via Bluetooth.

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Connected Objects Cycling Imaging

Camile is an all-in-one bike computer for cycling enthusiasts

While a good, old-fashioned bike ride is always enjoyable, cycling devices no doubt make them better by offering niceties like location tracking and metric monitoring. Combined with action cameras, though, and a bike’s handlebar soon looks cluttered.

MiniWing’s Camile is a combination cycling device that incorporates a GPS module, a cycling computer measuring speed, altitude and distance, and a 1080p camera that boasts a 140° field of vision that records either 30 fps or time-lapse shots. Up to three hours of video can be recorded on its 32GB onboard storage, videos that can be shared to social media thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi antenna.

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Connected Objects Sleep

Spritely connected alarm system enforces “Ya snooze, ya lose.”

Sometimes it’s just one of those days where even getting out of bed looms as a huge challenge. And by this point, it’s well known that none of the most commonplace smart devices in people’s lives really help that much. If it has a snooze button, it pretty much means the person still wrapped in their cozy comforter is not going anywhere.

Enter Spritely, the dual sleep tracker and alarm designed to help users achieve better rest and wake up on time. By placing it under a bed between the mattress and boxspring, Spritely is able to track and monitor sleep and send insights and personalized tips straight to a Bluetooth-connected iOS or Android device. And when morning strikes, Spritely wakes users up during their lightest sleep using their own Spotify, Soundcloud, or personal music libraries.

There’s no escape, either. With backup power installed, nothing will make its alarm shut off outside of staying out of bed. A bold proposal, sure, but one that’s designed to nab the determined napper. Spritely is going for $99, 17% off its eventual MSRP, and is expected to ship in December of 2016. Its campaign is looking for $100,000 by February 29th, 2016.

It’s clear: snooze is the enemy. While the ThinkPillow boasts similar sleep-tracking and body position monitoring capabilities and the feature-heavy Beddi wakes users up with similar music library integration, they both ultimately still let users press the snooze button. In contrast. Spritely is a smart decision for chronic oversleepers. Let’s see if it rises (and shines) to the occasion.

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Connected Objects Sleep

Ruggie may be the best cure for the snooze button, feet down

For some, mornings are the perfect opportunity to attack the day head on and accomplish greatness. For everyone else on the planet, mornings are the perfect opportunity to slam on the snooze button of the smartphone dangerously close to the edge of the bed to get a few more precious minutes of sleep in.

Inventor Winstan Tam was one of those people until he created the Ruggie to address his chronic oversleeping. For him, the snooze function is the enemy. So he cleverly designed developed a mat made of soft memory foam that lives beside the bed, to be stepped on for at least three seconds before the morning alarm is deactivated. When successful, a fully customizable motivational speech is played to ensure early birds get the inspiration they need to seize the day.

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Connected Objects Sensors/IoT

Use the Droppler to drop your rate of H2O waste

Every year, the problem of water waste continues. It’s imperative to do whatever possible to slow the rate of waste, and while people usually think of large scale solutions when it comes to these equally large problems, everything really begins in a more familiar place: at home.

The Droppler is a connected device that lives in the kitchen or the bathroom, riding the coattails of the heightened use of voice-controlled gadgets like Amazon’s Echo by constantly listening to instances of running water. It was born out of a desire to more readily understand water usage, and to do so pairs with an accompanying smartphone app to monitor water usage and allow users to set goals in dollars versus other, indecipherable standards.

In addition, its modular construction can be upgraded easily or even expanded upon depending on what becomes available for it. The Droppler can be had for $99 and is expected to ship in June 2016. Its $70,000 goal needs to be met by $70,000 to be successful.

The Droppler is a novel solution to saving water in the home. Unfortunately, its core functionality is something a majority of mic-equipped connected devices would be able to replicate with programming. Still, it definitely can help, especially combined with shower specific water-saving solutions like the Cullector or EVA.