Kochi-Based Start-Up’s Home Automation Device Has a Job For Your Spare Smartphone
Start-ups are a great big bastion of innovation. It is there where the real world changing innovations are taking place. There are many start-up’s working the field of home automation. One such startup happens to be Mindhelix, which is known for its personal security app. It came up with an innovative solution to take care of two issues at once. First it gives a new life to your old phone and second it takes your house into the future. The solution is called Rico.
Rico is a small toy shaped, sensor-laden device that uses your old smartphone to provide advanced home automation services. It can even work without a smartphone but considering that every house has or will have a spare phone lying around, this seems a great proposition.
Rico is available in multiple color options.
The device is capable of multiple functions on its own. It provides motion detection, temperature detection, carbon monoxide, smoke, humidity sensing along with the ability to control smart sockets. Add in a smartphone and the device becomes a home automation powerhouse which provides HD Camera for home monitoring, Wi-Fi connectivity and a more powerful processor.
The company plans to bring Smart sockets, which you can use to control your electronic devices such as refrigerator, AC’s and such. It is also a great way of getting rid of electronic wastes made by discarded phones that are still functional and end up adding toxic materials to the environment.
Rico’s Smart Sockets will let you control your electronic devices through its mobile app.
The greatest advantage of devices such as this is that it clears you of the worry of the security of your pad. The device can be controlled using a mobile app. As for the smartphone on the inside, it accepts any android devices running 2.2 and above and Apple devices with iOS 6 and above. It can take in any device up to the screen size of 5.7 inches (sorry Nexus 6).
Mindhelix’s Kickstarter page has achieved its required target of $100,000 with over 60 hours to spare. The company is expected to ship Rico to its backers by November of 2015.
It’s great to get a livestream of your house.
This seems like a great device to have in the house. The company is partnering with OEM’s in China to put the device into production. The Indian government also announced today that they want to set up a $15 billion dollar Internet of Things (IoT) market in India. If it is serious about it, the government has to encourage setting up of OEM’s in India by providing incentives to such small businesses. The Start-up village in Kochi where Rico was conceived is a fantastic example of how government-private partnership can lead to innovative solutions. This must be replicated across the country, especially in areas that are devoid of the IT boom. As we have said earlier, there is no dearth of talent in India, all that is needed is good leadership.
