Category: Connected Objects

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Connected Objects Technology

Findster ditches cellular connection but lets you locate at long range

The Premise. Many people can remember the mind-numbing worry that comes along with losing track of a younger member of the family or a pet. Striking that balance between watching them while also giving them room to enjoy themselves has always been a tricky, but most would err on the side of caution. Although products now exist that help track people or pets, either their range or their costly monthly fees don’t make them very practical.

The Product. Findster is a proprietary tracking solution created so that users would never have to worry about losing a loved one while fretting about range or monthly fees while doing so. There are four parts to the system that make it what it is: a tracking module for both the guardian and the child or pet, a basestation, and a smartphone app tying it all together.

The product is simple: a parent or guardian uses the Findster smartphone app to mark a predetermined space. Once created, push notifications alert the guardian if a child or pet leaves that space, leading them in real-time so that both can reunite. The tracking modules have a range of one kilometer, but base stations can expand this range by two kilometers, with no limit on the number of repeaters. This allows guardians to stay connected with kids at school, or pets at home. Group monitoring adds more layers of security. In addition, other Findsters can act as anonymous relay points to aid in your search. Additional features, like fall detection for kids and a pet activity monitor, give you an extra pair of eyes where there are none.

The Pitch. The campaign’s professionally done style is clear, concise and super informative, doing a great job of explaining the many capabilities of this technology while being careful to avoid being heavy handed about it.

The Perks. If you want to get set up properly with Findster, $199 is the price of admission for either the kids or pets version. Either comes with a one base station, one guardian’s module, one Findster module, and a charging module. A package for $550 (retail $949) is available which includes four basestations and four Findster modules, while another for $649 includes one guardian’s module, 10 Findster modules and one charging module. Estimated delivery of all perks is slated for April 2015.

The Potential. One of the biggest issues with GPS-only devices is their inability to work well indoors, a problem Findster has addressed with its base station concept. This makes the potential range more or less unlimited, provided there are enough around to do the job — and that’s appealing considering there are no monthly fees. All in all, the range may prove to be an issue for some, but the Findster will shine in closed environments like local parks and campuses where an interested party can outfit them with the needed number of relay points.

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Connected Objects

SCROL LED display lets you text your tiny version of Times Square

Dynamic signage is a great way to provide up to date information to customers or employees on a variety of deals, offers, wait time, or safety information, but programming new messages in takes time and an understanding of how the device works. SCROL LED is a standard LED scrolling text display box that can be mounted anywhere, with the key differences of a SIM card and an antenna to receive text messages. These messages are then displayed on the device, scrolling as they are received. Additionally, other controls for the device are tweaked the same way, from setting default messages, deleting all the backed up messages on the card, or adjusting the brightness of the LEDs.

This allows for quick and easy updating of a sign even from a distance to communicate messages to an entire group of people or publicly as they are received. SCROL LED needs £10,000 (~$15,600) to become available, and buyers can grab one for £140 (~$220). At this time, orders in the United States will not be fulfilled due to a lack of FCC certification. The amount of people still needing a scrolling LED sign of this size is low, just like the need for this device.

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Connected Objects Sensors/IoT

VERVE2 lets you assemble your own Internet of Things like LEGOs

The Premise. The Internet of Things is garnering a lot of attention and excitement, and rightfully so. Just as getting people connected online revolutionized communication and information, connecting objects online stands poised to change what people expect from their appliances and tools.

The Product. VERVE2 is an easily programmable, highly customizable family of sensors that allow users to give any item a degree of online functionality. Detecting touch, light, heat, or motion, VERVE2 can be clipped or affixed to anything and then programmed to interact with computer programs or Web sites to create new and exciting functions.

The Pitch. The very first words for the VERVE2 campaign call it the “LEGOs of the future,” and this sort of do-anything approach is what the video and campaign material strive to portray. In the video, viewers see everything from a DIY burglar alarm to a greeting card turned into an automatic tweet whenever someone is thinking of a loved one and touches the card. VERVE2 creators inXus interactive are hoping to raise $10,000 for manufacturing and assembly. At $50,000 dollars, backers who get at least 7 sensors will also receive a sheet of Velostat to make touch panels of any shape or size.

The Perks. Getting started with VERVE2 only takes a pledge of $45 to get one connecter cable, the hub, a light sensor, and a flash drive with the required software. A pack with seven sensors goes for $89, with a light sensor, button, touch sensor, turn sensor, motion sensor, DIY sensor, and magnetic sensor. Finally, the $160 tier level includes 2 of each of the aforementioned sensors, plus temperature sensors, force sensors, and loudness sensors. All perks are expected to deliver out in November.

The Potential. Just by how easy the VERVE2 system is to set up and tweak to accomplish different tasks, it’s an incredible way to bring the power of connecting objects to the Internet to even the most average end user. That being said, from a practicality standpoint, the system may not be as flexible as promised, offering a lot of options to use, but not a lot of outstanding features that would be intuitive to many. The creative and curious will derive a great sense of joy from getting their hands (and fingers, and voices, and lights) on VERVE2, but for the person who just wants something they can plug in and use to make their lives easier, VERVE2 might not be the right buy. This sort of real-world physical programming has been put out before with products like Ninja Blocks, but being able to turn any object into computer input is what makes VERVE2 an exciting alternative.

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Connected Objects Kids/Babies

TROBO kids’ robot brings snuggling to science education

Once upon a time, a talking teddy bear named Teddy Ruxpin read gave children all over America nightmares and also read them stories through the use of cassette tapes plugged into its torso.

TROBO is the nerdy spiritual successor to Ruxpin in a lot of ways, albeit without the nightmare fuel and with the feature set one would expect in the Internet age. TROBO is a plush robot available in two styles, Edison (male-inspired) and Curie (female-inspired), assuring kids will want a TROBO no matter what kind of toys they like. TROBO reads stories that are focused on science, technology, math, and engineering, fostering a desire to learn and become more skilled in scientific pursuits at a young age. The stories are read aloud with an app used on a tablet or phone that allows kids to read along and also interact with the stories.

The interaction takes place directly, as children make their own avatars that look like them and share their name so TROBO speaks right at the young reader. Multiple stories will be available at launch, with additional TROBO stories being added to the app store over time to prevent content from getting stale or boring. Team TROBO is raising $60,000 for manufacturing and testing the toys, as well as creating more stories. Parents can get their kids a TROBO for $50 delivered in time for next year’s holidays: November 2015.

From the ground up, TROBO is designed to be a toy that children love and want to play with, while at the same time is a toy that inspires them to learn and understand the world around them. For parents and kids, that’s a complete win/win. Assuming, of course, that parents don’t have any leftover trauma from “playing” with Teddy Ruxpin.

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Connected Objects Technology

Rockhopper puts supercomputing power in a small package

rockhopperResearchers and businesses are almost always in need of more computing power, but having room for a datacenter is the least of worries when there’s overhead, product cost, and upkeep to consider. The Rockhopper boasts itself as the world’s smallest datacenter, offering 8 nodes for credit card sized servers, supporting as many as 64 cores in something that fits on a desktop. The product is entirely open source and supports multiple Linux distributions while being extremely space- and energy efficient. The device looks sleek and customizable, but will require both a need and the knowhow to properly make use of it in the IT department. Rockhopper datacenters start at $299 CAD and are expected to ship in May 2015.

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Connected Objects Smart Home

Dorr drives into the crowded connected garage door space

The Premise. Automated garage doors sure are useful, but not when you spend the beginning of every drive wondering whether or not it was left open. This usually happens when you’re already pretty far from your home, forcing most to waste time returning just to make sure. 

The Product. Dorr is an extremely straightforward product from Buelgo that comes in the form of a sensor that attaches to your garage door. In exchange for its new permanent home, it determines whether or not said door is open using its built-in accelerometer. Most importantly, Dorr uses your own wi-fi network to communicate with your smartphone to let you know if you need to open or close your garage door from wherever you are. Password protect Dorr with 128-AES level encryption to prevent unauthorized access, or just the chubby fingers of a little one. 

The Pitch. The campaign is as straightworward as the product itself, with the featured 43 second video introducing the inventor and showing off Dorr in all its authoritarian garage door glory. As with the doors it opens, backers won’t have to have to wait too long if they spring for one: Dorr has a February 2015 delivery date. 

The Perks. Buelgo is offering single worthwhile perk in the form of a Dorr unit for $75 — unless you really, really want a T-shirt that tells the world about your backer status for $25. 

The Potential. Smartphone-enabled garage door openers have been a thing for quite some time. Many companies currently offer their very own take on the product that frankly have far more functionality than Dorr. Products from companies like Open-Me, Craftsman, Garageio, BTmate, and Liftmaster offer features like shared access between more than one user and responsive design that detects when you’re near. Dorr is extremely basic compared to some of these more sophisticated solutions and really offers nothing new to the space. Its price isn’t even all that attractive considering that BTmate in particular can be had for as little as $30. Smartphone-enabled garage doors may not be a huge industry right now, and products like Dorr certainly aren’t going to make it much bigger.

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Connected Objects Fitness Smartwatches/Bands

$29 Jaha fitness band counts steps, saved dollars

jaha2With the likes of the Fitbit Flex, Jawbone Up, and Nike Fuelband hogging up the spotlight alongside other, lesser known fitness bands, Jaha is hoping their version will stand out. With the options to locate and challenge others nearby or take up the virtual challenges Jaha will throw at you with the accompanying iOS app, the product isn’t content with only keeping you informed, but motivated as well. Of course, the challenge is that we’re starting to see a lot of this step-counting functionality built into the smartphones themselves. Jaha’s campaign is trying to shore up $25,000 to have their band around your wrist by November 2014.

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Automotive Connected Objects

CANBus Triple opens a dialogue between car and driver

There’s something inherently frustrating about the “check engine” light on cars. Inside of each modern car is a computer that monitors all of the giant machines systems running in tandem, and if something goes wrong, all the driver gets to see is a little orange light letting them know that something, anything, could be wrong.

CANBus Triple is an Arduino-based device that can tap into the communication that the car’s computer sends and receives and relay that information to the driver. Whether using a custom-made gauge, a laptop, or bypassing the wires that lead to the digital dashboard display, CANBus can monitor a number of different factors like air-fuel ration and passenger weight and relay that information to the driver easily and in real-time.

For the casual driver, this may sound like a godsend, but CANBus Triple isn’t exactly the most user-friendly device. Nor is it going to be an adequate solution no matter how much Top Gear one watches. CANBus Triple is for car hackers, the kind of auto enthusiasts that know how to get every last drop of power and performance from their vehicle. Created by Michigan-based engineer Derek Kuschel, CANBus Triple has been beta tested by the car hacking community and with $18,000 worth of support, is ready for open sale. The device costs $75 and ships out in November 2014.

The CANBus Triple is an auto-lover’s dream, a way to feel a closer sense of connection with one’s vehicle and a way to truly speak the car’s language. It may have a steep learning curve and a bit of an entry barrier, but for those that know they want this device, they’ve wanted something that can do this for a long time. The Arduino architecture only makes it better by making new features possible all the time.

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Connected Objects Sensors/IoT Sports

The Holy Pie smart racket adds divine feedback to your game

smartracketTrying to learn proper technique in racketsports such as tennis and badminton can be tough. Having an aid like the strangely named Holy Pie Smart Racket, though, can help curb a newcomer’s mistakes or refine a more seasoned player. A microsensor in the handle tracks stats like hitting position and power. The product then connects with a PC or a smartphone to display 3D-models of your performance for your scrutiny. Whether the racket will also analyze that data to give you tips remains to be The raw data could be helpful, but it seems as though the product could benefit from some expert interpretation of the data. That would be particularly welcome considering the badminton version is expected at $240 and the tennis version is expected at $600. Those who know the flow and have cash to blow can improve their chances of bashing a birdie with units shipped in November 2014.

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Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects

Share Foil is the Swiss Army Knife of travel routers

When traveling, most people cross their fingers and hope for the best with hotel or public Wi-Fi, and more often than not it’s more of a headache than a convenience.

Share Foil is a portable wireless router that offers a wealth of features perfect for anyone away from home. As a router, Share Foil can create strong Wi-Fi signals for up to ten devices, and has enough power inside of it to charge a smartphone to full battery twice during its 10 hour battery lifespan. Share Foil also allows devices to store and open files or even stream media by uploading it to the router or using the SD card slot. Same slot can be used to take photos off of a camera and transfer them to smartphones for easy sharing while on the go, turning vacations photos into live social media updates.

With a USB 3G adapter, Share Foil can take 3G signals and convert them into Wi-Fi that any wireless device can use. If signals are weak, Share Foil can be placed closer to the router than the devices to act as a signal repeater, keeping smartphone and laptop usage convenient and comfortable. Share Foil does all of this and costs backers only $60, with delivery expected in October 2014. Made by Trend Power LLC, Share Foil is raising $30,000 to produce the app and make sure all production and manufacturing possibilities are considered.

Share Foil does a lot of tasks in one small device, so if packing space is limited, make sure there’s room for it at least. If only one of these features is needed, or needs to be done at the best possible quality, users will probably prefer a cheaper or more dedicated solution to their network dilemmas.