Is there no problem that technology cannot solve? It seems like anything is possible with new technology advancements like StickNFind. Available in March 2013, StickNFind uses a Bluetooth sticker and your smartphone with a radar-like interface to help you find anything. Finally technology has helped man answer his most pressing question, "Where's the remote?"
The StickNFind design is simple, and the possibilities are endless. The sticker is the size of a quarter and has a battery that will last about a year and is easily replaceable. StickNFind produces a low energy Bluetooth signal that your smartphone can detect up to 100 feet, and the sticker is also equipped with a light and a small speaker that can be used for paging.
The StickNFind smartphone application works with Apple iOS and Android, and has several innovative features that will help you find your sticker in many different ways. Using the Radar Screen feature, your sticker will be displayed in correlation to your location. Each sticker is programed with a customized name displayed next to an icon, and the phone will detect up to 20 Bluetooth stickers at once. Your phone does not send out radar signals, but rather, the stickers emit Bluetooth signals. The phone then detects a sticker and displays its location based on signal strength. This means the Radar Screen feature does not give an exact location, but more like an advanced game of Hot or Cold.
There is a Find It feature that lets you look for stickers that are outside of the 100 ft. range. With Find It, you select the sticker that you are looking for and walk in the general direction that you think it might be located. When the sticker comes within the 100 ft. range, your phone will be alerted and the sticker will show up on the Radar Screen. If you are still having trouble locating your sticker, then you can click on the sticker icon and use the page option, the sticker will then light up and make noise.
Virtual Leash is another handy feature that works by creating a virtual fence around your phone with a boundary distance that you determine. Whenever a sticker leaves the boundary your phone is alerted. This can be a very practical application if you are keeping track of pets or kids.
There is one ironic scenario that may apply to StickNFind's forgetful customer base, and that is, "What if the smartphone is lost?" In theory, you can attach a StickNFind to your smartphone and find it with another smartphone, but if you have another phone available, then you can always just call your lost phone.
There are as many different uses for StickNFind as there are ways to lose things. You can use StickNFind to locate lost items, you can keep track of your luggage when traveling, and you can even use StickNFind to know where your kids are. StickNFind advertises a humorous scenario for husbands, by putting a sticker in the car they will be alerted whenever their wife comes home. This will give the husband enough time to make it to the kitchen and get caught in the act of doing the dishes.
StickNFind is developed by SSI America, and they are currently appealing to the public for funding to have StickNFind mass produced through the internet fundraising website Indiegogo.com. They are looking to hit their goal of $70,000 by January 14, and with one month of fundraising to go, they have already surpassed $200,000. Websites like Indiegogo.com and Kickstarter.com lets developers appeal directly to the public for fundraising to make their products a reality, good ideas like StickNFind are often met with great success. Pledging to a project from a fundraising website is essentially like preordering the product, and contributions are often divided into rewards so that the more you give the more you will receive. There is a small wait for the product to be developed, but it is worth it to get in on the ground floor and be the first with a cool new gadget. Fundraising websites will also give you the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you helped fund a dream that you believe in.
How would you use StickNFind? Finding the remote? Car keys? Sound off in the comments below.