Tiny bluetooth-powered stickers can help find your stuff

December 15, 2012 8:59pm

People prone to losing their stuff might want to fund this project by a group of developers: tiny Bluetooth-powered location stickers.

Dubbed "StickNFind," the stickers pair with a smartphone and ping the location of the item – a device, a person or a pet – they are stuck to.

"It's so Thin, Size of about a quarter! Only 0.16 Inches (4.1mm) thin. That means you can stick it anywhere. Stick it on your Keys, TV Remote, Kids, Cat, Dog, iPod, Kids Phone, Tablet, Home Phone, Wallet, Purse, Passport, Laptop, Backpack, Suitcase," the developers said on crowdsourcing site IndieGogo.

The Stick-N-Find stickers have a buzzer and light, allowing users to find their missing stuff in the dark.

Also, the stickers have a range of about 100 Feet, with a replaceable battery that lasts for over a year.

The smartphone app – for Apple's iOS and Google's Android – will display the devices in a radar-type screen.


Pets, luggage

For pets, a virtual leash feature lets the sticker send an alert to the user's smartphone if the pet on which the sticker is placed moves further than the selected distance.

"If that sticker moves away more than the approximate selected distance from your phone, your phone will Alarm you. You can even select the type of Alarms per different Stickers," it said.

The feature also works in reverse: a user who leaves his or her smartphone will be alerted by a buzz from the sticker.

Also, the developers said the sticker would be useful for travelers waiting for their luggage from the airport carousel.

"Once your Suitcase is within Range, your phone will Alert you, you can get up, and take your suitcase," the developers said.

Tasking

Other features include the ability to choose different tasks for different rooms.

"Music can be automatically turned on for one area while a navigation app may be started when sitting down at the wheel of a car. The app can even change the user’s ringtone when you get home, or check into Facebook depending on what location is accessed by the user," it said.

The developers hope to start product testing in mid-December in New York and Florida, while retail packaging will be finalized in January.

Also in January, the product will be submitted for FCC  certifications – a process that can take four weeks. — LBG, GMA News