Is this the ultimate high tech baby capsule?  The Carkoon is a child restraint seat made of Kevlar to protect from side impact.  In the case of an accident, a Kevlar airbag deploys to protect the child from any flying debris.  It also protects from smoke should there be a fire, and it has enough air for 20 minutes. An emergency beacon transmitter  is also activated to advise authorities of the incident.

Personally having been through 3 kids, I’m not all that convinced about this product.  I mean what happens if the accident isn’t that bad and the shield and beacon deploys, and what happens if poor old bubs in inside for longer than 20 minutes?

The prototype is still undergoing testing in Britain’s Transport Research Laboratory before it’s ready to ship, though they’re claiming it may ship as early  2013 for £499 (approx $800US).

Filed in categories: Car Gear, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: car seat, Safety

Keep Baby Safe with Carkoon originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 20, 2012 at 8:00 am.

My daughter has her learner’s permit now, and I’m really not relishing the idea of her being on the road by herself in the near future.  The Tiwi Driver Mentoring Solution system could be just the thing she, or any beginning driver, needs to remind her of safe driving practices when an experienced driver isn’t with her.  The Tiwi connects to the on-board diagnostics port of your car to monitor speed, braking, seat-belt usage (for certain cars), and the like.  It doesn’t just record driving information for later review, though.  It gives real-time, verbal instructions to the driver to remind them of the speed limit, to put on their seat belt, to stop driving aggressively – without you having to be there to do it yourself.  You’ll need a service plan so the data can be transmitted to the Tiwi web portal.  The Tiwi monitor is $599.99 to purchase, but you can get a subsidized price of $299.99 when you sign up for 1, 2, or 3 year service plans.  Monthly service plans vary from $24.99 a month to $54.99 a month.  Options let you receive an immediate call to notify you of driving infractions, and you can even add a road-side assistance option.

Filed in categories: Car Gear, News

Tagged: car accessory, Safety

Help Your Child Become a Better Driver with the Tiwi Driver Mentoring Solution originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 2012 at 9:00 am.

Winter snows will soon be here for many parts of the country – assuming you haven’t been hit already.  Keep the Auto Safety Kit and Sport Utility Shovel in your car’s trunk, and you’ll be ready for emergency snow removal if you get stuck somewhere away from home.  The kit comes from L.L. Bean and includes a blinker, forever flashlight that never needs batteries, safety vest for visibility while shoveling out your car, gloves, a travel blanket, and a shovel.  The blanket has a water-and-wind resistant side and a fleecy side for warmth.  Everything folds up and stores in a pocket on the blanket.  It’s a $59.95 insurance policy to keep you and your family safe this winter.

Filed in categories: Car Gear, News

Tagged: Car accessories, Safety

L. L. Bean Auto Safety Kits originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 24, 2011 at 10:45 am.

Walking your dog at night can be dangerous for you and your dog.  Drivers are more likely to see you, with your light and/or reflective clothing and a flashlight, than they are to see your dog.  With the LED-lighted collars and leashes from Dog-e-Glow, your dog will be as visible as you are.  The collars and leashes are available in a variety of fashionable or collegiate-logo designs.  They are weather-resistant, and they’re made of durable nylon sewn around LED lights.  A set of easily-replaceable batteries will give you about 150 hours of light.  The collars are available in medium and large sizes.  Prices start at $22.99 for collars and $25.99 for leashes.  Give your best friend the gift of safety this holiday season!

Filed in categories: News, Pet Gadgets

Tagged: Pet Products, Safety

Keep Your Dog Safe with Dog-e-Glow originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 17, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Ford is set to introduce their MyKey – Do Not Disturb technology into their cars  in 2012.  This innovative system is a further attempt to reduce the accident rate involving teenagers. Parents can have a special MyKey for their teenagers which restricts a number of functions while their own key has none of the restrictions. The technology allows parents to block their teens from receiving phone calls and deter text messages while driving with a new MyKey® Do Not Disturb technology.

Other MyKey functions include:

•  Ford’s Belt-Minder system typically provides a six-second reminder chime every minute for five minutes. With MyKey, the Belt-Minder chime continues at the regular interval and the audio system is muted until the safety belt is buckled. A message center display, “Buckle Up to Unmute Radio” also appears on the instrument cluster
• Earlier low-fuel warning. Rather than a warning at 50 miles to empty, MyKey provides a warning at 75 miles to empty
• If MyKey is in the ignition, features such as park aid and BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert cannot be deactivated

Additional MyKey features that can be programmed through the vehicle’s message center setup menu:

• Limited top speed of 80 mph
• Traction control system, that limits tire spin, cannot be deactivated
• Limited audio volume to 44 percent of total volume
• A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph

These features should go a long way to keeping our teenagers safer on the road in their early driving years. However having just returned from a trip with my 17 year old son, it’s a pity that the system can’t do anything about their road awareness. “Didn’t you see that car parked in the middle of the road?” “No!”  :(

Filed in categories: Car Gear, News

Tagged: Car, Safety

Ford’s MyKey Do Not Disturb Technology Prevents Distracted Teenager Driving originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 7, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Does it make me weird if I’ve never been drunk and I’m 47 yrs old? I’ve just never seen the appeal of getting inebriated. But that’s just me. If you often find yourself a little tipsy and blurry eyed, you might want to order the Talking Breathalyzer. This device can be customized to play different audio files relative to your alcohol level. It’s open source so you can add your own MP3 sound bites. The creator stresses that this device is for entertainment purposes only because it does not display a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) reading. But it does have an alcohol sensor inside and reports your alcohol on a 1-10 level. Might be fun for parties if you don’t mind spending $199. How many beers can you buy for $199?

Filed in categories: Health Related Gadgets, News

Tagged: Safety

When you’re too snookered to read an LCD originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 7, 2011 at 9:01 am.

One of the worst things about summer is hearing the news report of a child’s death because someone forgot their infant was in the carseat.  They go in to work for hours, and it’s too late for the child when they finally remember.  A grandfather who suddenly became a care-giver for his grandchildren was determined no harm would come to his grandkids because of a minute of forgetfulness, and he created the Suddenly Safe ‘N’ Secure Systems car seat alarms.  There are two versions of the car seat alarms.  Each has a receiver fob for your keychain.  The B-101 Safety Seat Alarm System ($44.95, left) has a transmitter that attaches to the car seat; press a button to “arm” as you are buckling the child into the safety seat.  The D-201 Deluxe Padded Safety Seat Alarm System ($69.95, right) has a weight-sensitive pad that goes under the safety seat that automatically arms the transmitter when the child is placed in the seat and disarms it when the child is removed.  When you move more than 6 feet away from the car, the armed transmitter will cause the receiver to emit an 80dB alarm and vibrate.  If my daughter was still small enough for a car seat, I would buy two of the Deluxe Padded Safety Seat Alarm Systems – one for each car.  Russ, the inventor, says you can buy extra receivers so each driver can have one.

(via WFMY in Greensboro)

Filed in categories: Car Gear, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Child, Safety

Keep Your Child Safe in the Summer Heat originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2011 at 7:57 am.

We may soon be seeing self-powered LED illuminated tires on our bicycles. NightBrightTyre has announced the CYGLO Tire, which uses a motion sensor within the tire to switch on high powered, tough and durable LED bulbs when the bike starts to roll. These LEDs are built into the tread or wall of the tire and can either flash or glow steady, so when the wheel turns at any speed, a perfect ring of light is formed. No word yet on availability or pricing. Full press release after the jump.

Today, NightBrightTyre (NBT) announced a unique breakthrough in cycle safety – CYGLO Tyres.
CYGLO Tyres is a patented technology allowing any tyre to have high powered LED bulbs installed into
the tread or potentially the wall of the tyres. The bulbs can either flash or be permanently displayed
with a variety of operation modes.

The CYGLO Tyre invention made its debut in 2002 on the hit BBC TV Show Tomorrows World – Best
Inventions shortly after inventor James Tristram came up with the idea, and won the program by a vast
majority. Now, 8 years later and patent granted, NBT has BBC Dragons Den star Dominic Killinger as
Chairman and announces the official launch of CYGLO Tyre.

NBT is currently introducing CYGLO to a number of global tyre and bike manufacturers as well as
distributors from across the world, planning the mass introduction of this giant leap forward in cycle
safety. At the same time, NBT has approached the EU Nocturnal Safety Department about how this
breakthrough can contribute towards the 2013 Euro NCAP safety standards for the need to feature
illuminated or reflective materials on vehicle sides, a requirement for all vehicles manufactured after 2013.

Additionally, Chairman Dominic Killinger said “it’s possible that CYGLO Tyre could eventually
supersede the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations need for reflectors on bicycles by massively
enhancing the visibility of cyclists on todays roads.” He continued “for those thousands of people that
use a bike for work, like postal workers, police, paramedics and couriers, this is a breakthrough in road
cycle safety that hasn’t been seen for decades, probably since the bell was introduced!”

NBT are now seeking a partner that can turn this invention into a mass produced commodity, adding
just pence to the cost of a tyre, there is nothing to stop every bike from having CYGLO, permanent
safety running lights like all other road going vehicles today.

CYGLO Tyres can use flashing blue or red lights for the emergency services using bicycles, simple
red for the rear and white for the front for everyday cyclist or a multitude of colours flashing or solidly
displayed for the millions of recreational bikers out there.

CYGLO Tyres are set to revolutionise cycling safety and aren’t just limiting themselves to bikes, they
could even explore being used on motorcyles, cars and utility vehicles especially after the recent
announcement of Mini introducing illuminated tyres.

Filed in categories: News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Bicycle, Safety, Spotlight Gadgets

Bicycle Riders can be Safe and Flashy with CYGLO Tyres originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 4, 2010 at 2:45 pm.

I’m the mother of a young girl, and I want to know everything I can about where we are so that I can keep her safe.  I know there is a free registry in North Carolina showing where registered sex offenders live.  You type in an address, and you can see the locations of registered sex offenders living nearby.  It’s very usable, if you are at your computer.

Offender Locator by ThinAir Wireless is an iPhone application that lets you see offenders’ locations wherever you are.  The program will use the GPS location to show you a map of offenders’ addresses, or you can select an address from your contacts, or manually enter an address.  You can also see pictures of the offenders and their offenses.  It’s another tool to help protect the safety of  your family.

Offender Locator costs $1.99 for iPhone.  There is also a version of Offender Locator for Blackberry and Facebook.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: iPhone App, Safety

Offender Locator App for iPhone by ThinAir Wireless originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 19, 2009 at 9:00 am.

Imagine driving a vehicle with atleast one small child strapped in a car seat behind you.  The child is reading a book or playing with a doll and suddenly it drops to the floor of the car.  The child desperately wants that item but cannot reach it due to the safety restraints, so the child begins to cry and whine, pleading for you to help which you cannot safely do because you are driving. The Snack and Play Travel Tray by Star Kids Products is designed to help reduce the likelihood of the above situation occurring.  The idea for the Snack and Play Travel Tray comes from a mother of two, Alyson Probst.  I am sure she, not unlike any other parent, has experienced the situation described above.  Unlike the majority of parents though, she decided to put her entrepreneurial inventiveness to good use in developing this product.

I know with Spring and Summer approaching, alot of people will be taking longer trips with their little ones, so lets see how if this product deserves to be consider.

SPECIFICATIONS/OVERVIEW:

• Strap buckles around car seat, stroller, or child
• Foam insert collapses on impact
• Padded rim keeps toys and snack on the travel tray
• Two mesh side pockets
• Sturdy nylon fabric
• Dimensions:
  • Tray area 10″ x 15″
  • Side walls 2″ deep
• Weight:  1 lb.
• Fabric contents:
  • Cover:  100% nylon
  • Filler: polyurethane foam
  • Mesh:  100%  polyester
• Crash tested
• Certified lead-free
• Awards:
  • National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA Honors)
  • Mother of Invention – 2006 Whirlpool Brand Mother of Invention Grant – First Place Winner
  • iParenting Media Aware – Winner

The item is nicely packaged in a convenient and simple, clear plastic zippered bag.  Opening the bag, I find the tray, the strap, a single-page press release from Star Kids Products and that is about it.  Not much to it.  No instructions, which to me, implies ease of use.

The nicely size tray (10″ x 15″) is completely covered in a navy blue nylon material.  Nylon is a great choice to cover this tray because it provides durability and it is extremely easy to clean.  Clean-ability and durability, if everything I owned would meet those two requirements, my life would be easier.  Over the course of this review, the Snack & Play Tray has nicely collected tons of snack crumbs and a fair amount of milk without incident.

The tray is entirely filled with polyurethane foam, which has two huge advantages:  1) the tray is extremely pliable and 2) it weighs practically nothing (1 pound).  Safety of the product was my biggest initial concern,  specifically during a vehicle crash.  The foam is utilized because it will easily collapse upon impact.

The label in the package includes the following comment about the crash test.

“The Snack & Play Tray was crash tested at a federally recognized laboratory and passed the FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) 213 requirement.”

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 is the standard that specifies requirements for child restraint systems.

Just because the tray will easily collapse under impact, does not mean you are completely off the hook.  You still need to consider the toys your child will be playing with while using the tray.  Not allowing sharp, pointed, hard objects that could become harmful projectiles in an accident.

Regardless of how soft and safe the tray is, if you have brick or a knife on it, nothing good will come from it if an accident occurs.  Extreme, I know, because no child will have a brick or a knife on the tray but you get the point.

Installing the Snack & Play Tray is a snap, actually it’s two snaps.  A strap with two hard plastics buckles, one at each end, easily slips around the back of the car seat and accepts the buckle slide-ins attached to the tray straps.  The great thing about utilizing a buckle at opposite ends of the strap is that you can just leave the strap not attached to the tray in position, making on-going installation simpler.  We ran the strap behind my youngest daughter’s car seat once and then just unbuckled the tray and stored it away when she did not want to use it.

The tray has 2″ high foam side walls on three of four sides, which are  great to help contain toys and snacks on the flat surface.  The side that sits closest to the child’s stomach does not have a wall and is cut out for an ergonomic fit.  Unfortunately the lack of the wall on this side did lead to some objects falling into my daughter’s lap and on a few occasions she was unable to get them because they were under the tray.

Side flaps with two polyester mesh pockets per side nicely hang down on each side of the car seat, providing storage that is accessible to the child.  Each side has a small pocket and a larger one, roughly double the size.  When installed, on the right side (child’s perspective) the smaller pocket is closest while on the left side it is farthest from the child.

The pockets have elastic at the top that helps keep objects inside.  These pockets can hold drinks, snacks, books, toys and miscellaneous items within reach of the kid which is nice.

In conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised with the Snack and Play Travel Tray by Star Kids Products.  When first approached about the product, I was expecting nothing more than a cheap gimmick exploiting parents need to keep their children happy while traveling.

I found the tray to be a well constructed, easy to clean and safe product that fills a need of every parent traveling with a young child.  Compared to the majority of other products reviewed on this site, the tray is a simple, low/no tech solution but it works great at a inexpensive price.

I would highly recommend the Snack and Play Travel Tray by Star Kids Products.  I know that we are planning on taking it with us on our trip to Florida this summer.  Hopefully it will help keep our 3-year old occupied.

Filed in categories: Car Gear, Kid Gadgets, Travel Gear

Tagged: car seat, Child, Kid, Parent, Safety, Travel

Star Kids Products Snack and Play Travel Tray Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 29, 2009 at 7:02 am.