One of the benefits for working within a start-up company, The Rocket Innovation, was to become the first beta tester for the Baby Car Safe (BCS) kit. Even before the prototype product plans went into action, I was already excited to be a part of a life changing experience. Being involved in a company which its main goal is to prevent children from experiencing Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH) or hot car deaths as sometimes referred to, is very rewarding. It is not every day that someone can say “I help save lives”.
Working closely with our chief technology officer, my beta tester experience has been an eye opener. In addition to being a father myself, the situation is so fitting that my situation is an ideal candidate for a beta tester. The following are some of the personal experiences I went through as a beta tester.
- The product Baby Car Safe kit.
- Upon receiving the kit, it came in a beautiful high quality packaging material, and the kit was neatly presented in three areas: Baby Car Safe smart pad, the dongle (controller), and the downloadable iOS application for your smart device. The smart pad is made of high-quality foam and the outer covering can be machine or hand washed. The dongle has a clear window in which a user can see all the intricate parts of a well-built electronic device. The device has an On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port that is plugged to an OBD port in the user’s vehicle. The iOS application is user friendly and easy to navigate around.
- Ease of use.
- One of the most common mistakes for an electronic product is the inability to be user friendly. With the iOS application downloaded, the set-up phase for the app to communicate with the dongle and the smart pad are quite easy and seamless. Dependent on how much parameters needed to be set up, the user can tailor it to their needs.
- For me, it took about 15 minutes to set up the basic parameters for the dongle using the application, and once it is done, it is quite informative. The main screen is easy to navigate, and most of the basic information are very useful. Items such as vehicle battery display, temperature, gear selection, GPS location, parking brake, seat belt indicator, door open indicator are listed in such as way the user can quickly glance and be informed about any anomalies.
- Proprietary features.
- One of the features that no other competitors offer, is the SOS rapid warning system. If a baby or child is accidentally left behind and the reminders on the smart device are ignored, an SOS call will be made to inform emergency personnel to come and perform rescue operation. Using the registered vehicle make, model, license plate information and in conjunction with GPS real-time locator, emergency personnel can easily locate the vehicle and reduce time wasting with other traditional methods to search for the vehicle.
- Another feature that is important for the safety of all members of the family is the unauthorized access to vehicle capability. Pop up messages and smart device warning will indicate to the user if unauthorized opening of the vehicle occurs. I find it helpful as this feature may prevent children from accidentally accessing the vehicle without parent’s consent as it may result unwanted accidents or tragedies.
As I lived with this kit for four months, I was very happy with it. With convenience features such as rechargeable batteries for the smart pad, geofencing capability, and just tons of features to play around with the iOS application, I am sure that any user that purchases this kit will enjoy it or years to come. I highly recommend this kit for any tech savvy person, soon to be parents, or a growing family to enjoy.
