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Main Idea

connor_tully — 2015-11-12 09:38:27 UTC

A sensor in the form of a wristband or a clip that vibrates and gives the parent or guardian an alarm that the child has went outside of a certain distance. This stops children from wandering away from the parent in a shopping centre or just playing outside. The adult will wear the receiver and the child will wear the sender. The distance will be variable.

Distances for the product

connor_tully — 2015-11-12 09:42:27 UTC

After doing some research I have arrived at the idea that around 12 feet is a reasonable distance for a smaller setting such as a busy shop. This is due to smaller sizes potentially being triggered when the child is within sight and very close by (making the product essentially useless). 25 feet is a reasonable distance for a longer setting as it is a regular distance for a child to be out of reach in a more relaxing setting such as a park however if the child wanders off then the wristband will provide the same functionality.

Communication method

connor_tully — 2015-11-12 09:50:28 UTC

The wristbands will be able to interact with each other using bluetooth connection. The use of bluetooth is to ensure that the distance between the wristbands isn't affected by environmental objects like furniture or walls, as bluetooth is not a line of sight connection this therefore wont be an issue. The settings for distance can be changed on the wristband.

Expected Cost

connor_tully — 2015-11-12 09:53:38 UTC

After doing some research on products with similar functionality I haven't found many that offer the same simple yet effective uses as this product. Most of the currently available options involve the use of wifi for google maps or the use of dialing 911 incase the child is missing entirely. Some of these currently available products range between £50 and £150 and have monthly subscription fees to the services they provide of around £10-£20. Due to the more well equipped nature of these other products I feel the pricing is far too high for the wristbands and because of this I expect the cost to be somewhere around £35.

Product Demographic

connor_tully — 2015-11-12 10:01:09 UTC

The target demographic is obviously intended to be parents however this could be expanded to child minders, siblings etc. depending on the situation. Most children are capable of wandering away, especially at younger ages, however this product will focus even more keenly on the parents of children with autism. It's been researched that around 1 in 50 school age children suffer from autism and around 49 percent of children with autism commonly wander from their parents (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/opinion/wandering-is-a-major-concern-for-parents-of-children-with-autism.html?_r=0)

In Northern Ireland alone last year there were 338,000 children enrolled in schools (http://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/default.asp6.htm), with a simple calculation this puts the estimated count at around 6,760 autistic school children within Northern Ireland. This makes it quite a concern that the problem is dealt with of wandering children as it literally effects thousands of parents possibly every day.

The kiddo alarm system

connor_tully — 2015-11-19 09:30:32 UTC

The kiddo alarm system was one of the main focuses on features as it provides much of the same ones that I've suggested on the left. This product has been phased out of the market but originally cost around £70 in 2008.

http://www.gizmag.com/kiddo-proximity-alarm-system/8834/

The hipkey mobile phone app & sensor

connor_tully — 2015-11-19 09:42:11 UTC

The hipkey is a unique product that makes use of an iphone application as well as being a standalone product. When using the hipkey you can simply add it into an object of your choice, ranging from a car to children, and it will allow you to track the object and will provide a similar proximity system to the one I have discussed. This product has also been phased out after it had an unsuccessful launch with a lot of issues

Other Products

connor_tully — 2015-11-19 10:05:54 UTC

Most of the other products available focus on the use of a tracker to locate a lost child however the product I have pitched isn't supposed to be used to track down a lost child but is instead supposed to be used to prevent losing the child in the first place.

Example: Anti-lost child alarm

connor_tully — 2015-11-19 10:09:14 UTC