Keeping Track Of Things, Using Stickers And Bluetooth
What’s the Latest Development?
The latest high-tech solution to finding lost items may soon be Stick-N-Find, an app that helps users keep track of objects via Bluetooth. The “stick” part is a quarter-sized sticker that contains a battery. Any items with the sticker affixed to them — keys, TV remote controls, etc. — can then be found via the app, which displays a representation of the sticker on a kind of radar screen if the item is within 100 feet of the smartphone. It doesn’t show the exact direction to walk in, but a “Find It” feature can let the user know when the object is no longer in range, which should make locating it easier.
What’s the Big Idea?
Not only is Stick-N-Find useful for finding inanimate objects, it has a feature that keeps track of animate objects as well. “Virtual Leash” allows users to specify a range of motion for an item and triggers an alert if that item — a pet’s collar or a child’s backpack, for example — moves out of range. The battery in the sticker lasts up to a year and is replaceable; in fact, it sends an alert to the app when it’s running low. As of today over $134,000 has been raised on Indiegogo for the Stick-N-Find, almost double its $70,000 goal. The first devices should be released by this March.
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