Why can't things just be easier? As soon-to-be first time parents (7 more weeks, yay!), we've been a bit overwhelmed with all the new categories and products we have to be savvy on. What do I actually need? What's important? From bottles to strollers, to wipe warmers to pacifier leashes, there are a lot of decisions to be made on what is important and what is "nice to have". As a bootstrapping entrepreneur, ultimately, our decision-making will hinge on what we absolutely need and what will keep our child safe.
Sensible Baby came from a real problem. When we first came together, Jeff Tagen, our CTO, spoke to us about his experience as a first-time father. He recalled sneaking into his infant daughter's room to check on whether she was still breathing. Fortunately when he discovered she was, he had to figure any way possible not to wake her back up! With the state of wireless technology and the ever-growing industry of wearable technology, we knew there was a solution; we just had to find it. After some tinkering around for a weekend, we had a working prototype that connected to our iPhones and did what we wanted it to do. It was rough, very rough, but it worked and gave us confidence that it was possible.
The bottom line is, things can be easier! At Sensible Baby, we developed a wearable baby monitor that syncs with your smart device in a matter of two clicks. The future is here. We're connecting parents with their babies, but we're not the only ones streamlining experiences with things around us. the Internet of things is growing at a rapid rate. In the 90's and early 2000's we experienced the webbing effect of the virtual Internet. During this decade, we're ushering in the connection of physical things.
I love to brew beer. When I have a free weekend in the fall or winter, I'm typically in the kitchen experimenting with a new brew recipe. Last weekend was my kick-off for the season. After spending the typical 3-4 hours measuring ingredients, precisely monitoring the mixture's temperature and managing the timing of everything, I said to myself "There has to be an easier way". My next instinct was to search for a system that would automate the tedious processes and allow me to focus on the fun parts: concocting new recipes and sampling the goods. so I typed in a couple keywords into Google to see if anyone else was doing it. Wouldn't you know, this company Brewbot just closed a successful Kickstarter campaign with a product that does exactly what I was looking for! Anything you'd need to know about your brew is sent directly to your smart phone. At any moment you could find out the alcohol content at a particular stage of the fermentation, the brew temperature, yeast activity, and the list goes on. The best part is you get a text message when the brew is ready for consumption. Perfecto!
Even simple home appliances are making the transition to the smart device world. Nest, the creators of the Nest Thermostat, have made managing your home temperature a smart and money-saving activity. Their thermostat learns what your ideal room temperature should be, based on your activities, preferences, environmental conditions and daily habits. You can even control it from your smart device while you're not home. They just recently came out with the Nest Protect. This system brings smoke and carbon monoxide detection into the 21st century. Not only do you have the luxury of monitoring from your smart device, but if you have the Nest Thermostat, they'll communicate with each other in the event of an unsafe change in your home (i.e. fire, excessive carbon monoxide levels, etc).
Ultimately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Our world will experience connectivity beyond our current imaginations. The day has come when you can easily brew your favorite microbrew with no prior experience. There will also be a day very soon when the temperature adjusts automatically in your child's room based on the immediate temperature surrounding them. All this information will be at our fingertips the instant it happens. The potentials are endless.