As I get older, I start to lose more and more things. Keys, my iPhone, my nephew Elroy, SIGH! The last time I saw him was in the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese…
Where was I? Oh yeah, lost stuff. What if there was a device that you could attach to things like your keys, your briefcase, or even small children, and it would work with your smartphone to help you find those objects if you lost them? Or better yet, get other people to find them for you? Enter our Indiegogo project of the week: BlueBee.
From the BlueBee website:
This electronic device helps you to protect your most precious valuables, such as your Smartphone, your keys or any other item which is important to you.
Just by pressing a button, BlueBee will find your lost property and save you time, money and stress.
All you have to do is attach the BlueBee mini-tape to your belongings and relax!
BlueBee uses Blue Crowd Search technology. Using geolocalisation, the system taps into the power of crowdsourcing, and allows you to find your lost objects. Wherever your lost items are, they can be automatically detected by the smartphone of another BlueBee user passing by, and it will notify you with the exact location. This requires no effort on the part of other BlueBee users, they won’t even know it’s happening!
Of course, a system like this works better with a large number of people using it, so the ability to find objects in this manner will depend on the number of folks who buy in. However, the Blue Crowd network is actively discussing partnerships with developers in order to integrate the Blue Crowd API into their apps. More apps, more users, more found objects.
You don’t only have to rely on the power of the crowd to find lost objects, BlueBee also has the following features to allow you to find your lost objects on your own.
Using the BlueBee app, you can use the following features to find objects, and there’s even a bonus feature you wouldn’t expect:
- Bee Map: you can see on a map where and when you left your BlueBee
- Reminder: you can be warned when you get too far from your BlueBee
- Smart Zone : save some safe places like your home and your office to be warned if and only if your valuables leave these Smart Zones.
- Bee Buzz: in a 50 meters range you can see on the radar how far you are from your BlueBee and make it ring to find it quickly
- Remote shutter: this is a fun bonus feature 🙂 you can use the BlueBee mini-tape button to remotely shut your smartphone camera and take neat group pictures
BluBee requirements are as follows:
- iOS devices with Bluetooth 4.0 (iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, new iPad, New Touch, iPad mini)
- Android devices supporting Bluetooth Low Energy, running Android 4.0 and newer.
BlueBee pledges run from a low of $25, you’ll receive a BlueBee device, and a lifetime Blue Crowd service membership; all the way up to $2,199 which gets you 100 BlueBee devices, and 50 lifetime service memberships.
Be sure to check out their Indiegogo project website, if you’re in the habit of losing things, this might be the project for you!!
Have you seen, or even better yet do you have, a current Kickstarter or Indiegogo project you’d like us to check out? If you do then drop me a line at chris@www.mactrast.com. Tell me all about the project, and why you think it would make a good subject for a future Kickstarter/Indiegogo Project of the Week. If I agree, I’ll contact you for more information.
