Device warns of children, pets left in cars
Anew product getting ready for distribution soon may help prevent incidents like this summer when two young children were forgotten inside a car in Portales — leaving one dead and one severely injured.
Phoenix-based EDGE3 Technologies recently was named a CES 2018 Innovation Awards Honoree for the Ambient Sensing Node.
“We see a lot of these instances,” Jon Barad, senior vice president at EDGE3 Technologies said of Portales situation. “Highly tragic. In the United States alone, there were 41 infants deaths of a child who suffered from heat stroke after being left in a car. That’s just in the U.S. Every country has this problem. We hear stories from the around the world.”
The sensing node is a device that detects whether a child, or even a pet, has been left behind in a vehicle, he said. And not only is it programmed to register movement, but also detects sounds as soft as breathing, Barad said. Upon detecting a child or animal in the vehicle, the device will send a text message alert to pre-programmed phone numbers. The device also monitors the interior temperature and if starts to approach dangerous levels, it can also notify authorities, using the vehicle’s GPS system to direct help.
“We’re excited about the product,” he said. “It’s certainly something that not only will save lives, it’s something that will give people peace of mind knowing that their car is on alert and watching out for them. It’s ambient technology because even though you don’t see or hear it interact for the system, the system is there for you. It’s senseless that a helpless child has to be in that situation when there is technology that can eliminate that.”
The company is already working with auto manufacturers to integrate the product into vehicles and it software into vehicles’ computer systems, Barand said. While that may not happen until 20192022 models, he said he anticipates an after-market product will be available for individual installation much sooner.
“Knowing if a loved one has been left behind in a vehicle and monitoring their safety through an ambient AI is important to EDGE3,” he said. “It takes just minutes for a car sitting in the sun to reach unsafe temperatures for anyone inside, let alone children. EDGE3’s Ambient Sensing Node will eliminate these tragic accidents from happening and will save lives.”