Forgetfulness and absent-mindedness are characteristic of many people, especially creative people and those living on the go. In our times it is slowly becoming a norm.
We have more and more things, so it is easier to forget about something, lose something or put it in an undefined place. Every day we are overwhelmed by a huge amount of stimuli and information, so not all of them our brain is able to remember, so we forget about appointments, things to do, tasks to complete. There are more and more such forgetful people among us and in extreme cases they may forget where they left their car or that they should take their dog for a walk. Fortunately, there are more and more gadgets on the market which can make life of such people easier.
Still in a hurry to get to work and can’t remember where you put your keys to your house, car or office? Here is a solution – a pendant that emits a sound signal so you can track your lost keys. In stores you will find different variants of this gadget – sets of pendants with a tracking base or single pieces compatible with a special application that you need to install on your phone.
One of such gadgets is EZ-Find. It’s a small, portable device with a small screen and a transmitter. You can configure it to inform you about the location of up to 25 items – each must be accompanied by a corresponding key ring with a number that you assign to them. All you have to do is enter the number of a specific item on the device, and the transmitter will send a signal to it and set off a loud alarm.
The Find It All Key Finder has similar features, allowing you to tag up to 30 items with tracking keychains. In addition, you can choose a sound signal to guide you to the lost item – it can be a whistle, as well as a bird song.
An advanced version of the pendant from the previous paragraph. Such a pendant is equipped with a locator, which through a phone application shows the location of the item to which it is attached. For the device to work, it must be within the Bluetooth range of your phone. When the pendant is out of range, the user will be alerted with a loud signal (both from the phone and the pendant). What’s more, an item with which communication has been lost can be marked as lost – so other app users can locate it if it is within range of their phones
There are more and more models of so-called smart wallets on the market, equipped with GPS, alarms, cameras and a number of other features for easier use and increased security. They usually have a simple and classic design, but you can also find more modern variants. Additionally, such wallets are made of durable and waterproof materials. An example of such gadget is a Polish product Woolet.
For absent-minded people who constantly forget about their memory sticks, Polish company Hornowski Design has created a stylish bracelet with a built-in memory stick. The gadget is available in three colors: black, red and white. The ornament itself has a rather modern and minimalistic design, thanks to which it fits perfectly into various stylizations.
And what if the lost is alive? This unfortunately happens – dogs, cats and even children get lost. For such situations the Japanese have found a solution. They created special locators with LEDs, sending a signal to the main device at a distance of up to 90 meters. For children the gadget is designed in the form of a convenient bracelet, for animals – a collar, but you can decide yourself where you want to mount it.
Panasonic in collaboration with its idea incubator Game Changer Catapult has created a gadget called Hitokoe. Its concept was first unveiled at Slush Tokyo 2019 for tech start-ups and investors.
Hitokoe uses RFID tags. It can be attached to almost any item that we tend to forget about – lunch container, wallet, phone, bundles of keys and the like. After scanning the QR code on the tag, each item is registered in the Panasonic app on the user’s smartphone into one of three categories: everyday use, essential on certain days, essential in certain weather conditions. You can set the advanced options according to your preferences, for example, if you have a sports activity on Wednesdays, the system will remind you to bring your outfit and shoes.
The Hitokoe control panel is installed near the front door of the house or apartment, and if the user intends to leave without some important item, he will be immediately informed.
Main photo: jaikishan patel/unsplash.com