Alerting device for high temperature inside a car
We all have heard the reports of a parent somehow forgetting a child was in a carseat, and left them there. We all say...how could this happen, but it does, even by the most careful parents. This device detects a child in the carseat, and monitors the temperature and sets an alarm on set tempertur
Q1: What is the perceived ROI for someone. No parent thinks they will ever do this, but it happens every summer...every winter. A child overheats or freezes. Would parents purchase this if it was not an integrated device?
Idea Description
Integrated, or as an aftermarket device, a sensor detects the child in the seat. A microcontroller monitors for a high/low temperature in the car, and will activate the horn when it determines that both conditions are true. The sensor unit is battery operated, and runs very low power. Two models would be available - wireless or wired. The wireless would transmit the alarm condition to a reciever that is connected to the horn and will honk it at intervals to alert nearby individuals, and maybe even the parents. A high end model would incorporate a cellular modem that would text a message to alert the parents. A single transmitter could be connected to several car seats as well.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Prototype the device. All components are available, its the packaging and developing of the firmware. Marketing efforts...getting it on a morning news show or a major television talk show would promote it overnight. Convince car seat manufacturers to integrate this into the products.
Vote for it now.
That's a good question. I would be more inclined to buy a seat with the device already attached. That way, I don't have to be involved with any technical installation and there's a certain cache. There are enough high end products out there for babies that I don't think an expensive carseat with built-in temperature gauges is out of place.
A better product might be a child seat that adjusts temperature, but that would obviously be extremely challenging.