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IPFS News Link • Techno Gadgets

Wireless Sensor Tags Help You Keep Track of Your Stuff

• Roberto Baldwin via WIRED.com
 

Stuff goes missing. Maybe you misplaced something, or maybe one of the uninvited guests at your last shindig is “borrowing” it. Regardless, now you need it, and you can’t find it. But what if you could tag your possessions and keep tabs on them, like a researcher tracking so many wildebeests in the Serengeti?

You can, to a degree. CAO Gadget’s descriptively named Wireless Sensor Tags monitor movement, angle and temperature and send alerts to your iOS or Android device when things go awry — something moving that shouldn’t be (indicating theft or maybe an impending mauling by a puppy); the inside of an ice chest getting too warm, or the door to your liquor cabinet opening when only the kids are at home.

You set the parameters of what sort of notifications you want and how sensitive you want the system to be via app or web client. And while the two-inch-square circuit boards wrapped in an elastic theromplastic elastomer aren’t pretty, the system works.

The $15 tags ($12 if you purchase three or more at once) contain a 3-D digital magnetic sensor that tracks angle and motion, plus a temperature sensors. The tags include red a LED and an alarm that can be remotely triggered — perfect for finding misplaced stuff.