We’ve already seen one mobile app that rewards kids for keeping parents updated as to their whereabouts and well-being, but Evado Filip takes a different approach. Earlier this year the London-based company launched VIVOplay, a wearable mobile communications and location device designed to help families stay connected.

Watch-sized VIVOplay uses a combination of GPS, WiFi and GSM technologies to let parents and kids easily get in touch with each other whenever they need to. Featuring location and date/time/alarm features built-in, the water-resistant device lets parents send short messages to their child, such as ‘“dinner is ready’.” With the VIVOplay’s calling functionality, meanwhile, parents can designate five predefined numbers via the parental mobile app that accompanies the device, thereby limiting the numbers their child can call. Parents can also create “safe zones” and get notified when their child strays outside them; baby monitor functionality is available as well. Last but not least, an emergency button gives parents a way to instantaneously broadcast their child’s location to all five pre-programmed numbers, and to record all sounds around the device.

Evado Filip explains: “”VIVOplay delivers all the benefits and independence of a cell phone and minimizes the concerns that keep parents from buying mobile phones for children aged 5-12. VIVOplay is flexible enough to be worn as a wristwatch or fit into custom accessories to meet changing tastes and keep it from getting misplaced.”” The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Evado Filip is gearing up to launch VIVOplay early this summer; no word on pricing so far. Eventually, however, the company sees a broader range of applications for the device, such as keeping the elderly safe as well. Safety-minded entrepreneurs: One to get involved in?

Website: www.evadofilip.com
Contact: contact@evadofilip.com

Spotted by: Alexia M

Robohand has already provided an inexpensive, open source substitute for those who can’t afford commercial prosthetics, but what about amputees who want to remain stylish? The UK’s Alternative Limb Project is helping that audience boost their self esteem, with its fashionable, unconventional prosthetics.

Founded by Sophie de Oliveira Barata, a graduate of the London Arts University who specialized in special effects for film and television, the project aims to enable amputation patients to creatively customize the prosthetics they use. Rather than accepting dull and practical prosthetics, customers can create their own bespoke limbs that convey aspects of their personality, while also helping them to remain fashionable. So far, the startup has built a ‘stereo leg’ with built-in speakers for a songwriter, a modular anatomical design for a former soldier and a floral prosthetic for a young mother, among others. The studio also produces realistic-looking limbs for those who want to reconstruct their previous appearance.

Losing a limb can be a distressing event for patients, affecting their body image, and therefore self esteem. The Alternative Limb Project helps amputees to better express themselves and regain a body they feel is truly theirs. Are there other health products that could be personalized to make patients more likely to use them?

Website: www.thealternativelimbproject.com
Contact: info@altlimbpro.com

Spotted by: Murray Orange

Foldable bicycles may bring unsurpassed convenience to the pedal-powered commuting world, but with their attractive flexibility can sometimes come a price in comfort. Integral suspension systems are often sacrificed for that foldable convenience, but the Loopwheels – a spokeless wheel from UK-based Jelly Products – aims to offer a more comfortable ride.

“Most folding bikes do not have suspension because conventional suspension forks add weight and bulk to the bicycle,” explains Jelly Products. “Replacing the spoked wheels with Loopwheels provides full suspension in a bike which hasn’t got room for a traditional suspension system.” A patent-pending design, the 20-inch Loopwheels feature a spring system instead of spokes to cushion the rider. However, each Loopwheel weighs only about 300g more than its spoked equivalent, offering a more comfortable ride with only minimal weight gain.

Loopwheels recently surpassed by some 50 percent their GBP 40,000 funding goal in a Kickstarter campaign. Cycle-minded entrepreneurs: one to get involved in?

Website: www.loopwheels.com
Contact: info@jellyproducts.co.uk

In such a tough industry – and with extra competition from digital alternatives – it’s no wonder that even larger publishing institutions are looking for new business models for their output. We recently wrote about Random House Australia’s Mailbooks For Good scheme, and now it seems the UK branch of the company is also innovating. Black Crown is a web-based story-game that will use micropayments to unlock extra narratives and social elements.

Although only a few mysterious clues about the project have so far been revealed, the story appears to be set in a dystopian world where a kind of deadly chemical or virus has been released. Users can already sign up to become involved in the plot through the website, which uses a bespoke version of Failbetter Games’ StoryNexus platform. Like other text-based games or interactive novels, readers will be able to make decisions to drive the narrative. Unlike other StoryNexus titles however, which are free to play and are created by the community, Black Crown is written by a debut author signed to Random House – to be announced upon launch later this month – and users will be able to “unlock story strands, expedite the narrative and acquire items and status within the world” using micropayments, the creators say.

Rather than paying a flat fee up front, the model means that readers essentially pay to keep reading – much like Total BooX‘s pay-per-page e-book service. Random House hopes it will provide a new option for monetizing digital reading, using interactivity as well as premium content to entice consumers. Could micropayments work for other episodic forms of entertainment?

Website: www.blackcrownproject.com
Contact: www.randomhouse.co.uk/contact

Spotted by: Alexia Maury

Asthma is a condition that has no cure, but can be treated with regular use of an inhaler to take in medicine. However, this can often be an annoyance for sufferers, and innovations such as the T-Haler have already tried to make the activity more fun through gamification. Now the NEXThaler is a rethinking of the device that releases the correct dose only when the user is breathing in at the optimum rate.

Created by the UK branch of pharmaceutical firm Chiesi and product developers Cambridge Consultants, the inhaler is smaller and more convenient to carry than traditional models and doesn’t require users to have a separate peak flow meter. Instead, the device has a built-in sensor that detects when the user’s airflow is at the optimum rate to receive the medicine, which comes in the form of extrafine drug particles. Users only need to breathe in, wait for the inhaler to release the drugs and replace the cap to reset the mechanism for the next dose. Chiesi has already released the NEXThaler onto the market in Germany and hopes to roll out across Europe in the coming months.

The NEXThaler makes the process more convenient for asthma sufferers and also boosts their health by ensuring the dose is applied correctly and efficiently. Are there other conditions that could benefit from redesigning commonly-used devices?

Website: www.cambridgeconsultants.com
Contact: www.cambridgeconsultants.com/about-us/contact-us

Spotted by: Smith Alan

Many of those with hearing problems have consigned themselves to wearing a hearing aid – which can often be cumbersome and expensive. The SCS1000 smart watch has already made steps towards helping deaf people remain aware of their surroundings, and now UK-based project BioAid is harnessing the power of smartphones to provide an easier and cheaper way to amplify the sounds around them.

The concept is quite a simple one: the app takes in sounds from the user’s surroundings using the iPhone’s built-in microphone, amplifies it using algorithms tailored to the user, and plays it back through either the loudspeaker or headphones in real-time. Users can configure the app using one of six settings to best suit their condition, which can then be fine tuned even further. Professor Ray Meddis – emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Essex, who is part of the team at BioAid – explains more about the project in the video below:

While it’s true that the system currently requires the hard of hearing to keep their iPhones on them as well as use headphones, the team hope that – with advances such as smaller Bluetooth-enabled headphones and smart watches – that an app such as BioAid could become a feasible and inexpensive way to improve the quality of life of deaf people. For now, a beta version of the app is available for free on the App Store. Investors – one to get in on early?

Website: wwww.bioaid.org.uk
Contact: bioaid-lab@googlegroups.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

Our relationship with food is often related to other senses beyond taste, something that London’s Edible Cinema picked up on with its movie-synchronized menu. Now another UK project has created the Heinz Beanz Flavour Experience, which pairs five different varieties of the food with matching bowls and a musical spoon for a synaesthetic effect.

The brainchild of food experience agency Bompas & Parr, the campaign was designed to launch five new flavors of the popular household product – Garlic & Herb, Cheddar Cheese, Fiery Chilli, Barbecue and Curry. For each flavor, a bowl with characteristics that matched the taste was created to enhance the experience for diners. For example, the Garlic & Herb version was matched with a bulbous bowl that is scratchy to the touch, while the Fiery Chilli has a spiky bowl. The group also made a spoon that when placed inside the mouth, sends sound vibrations through the jaw, allowing the eater to hear relevant noises and music. For example, the barbecue flavour spoon produces blues music combined with sizzling sounds.

The campaign combines visual, tactile and aural senses and adds them to the taste and smell of the food to create a complete sensory experience. Although designed to promote the Heinz Beanz brand, it’s easy to see how this idea could be developed into a business in itself – perhaps as a new product, restaurant or event? Plenty of inspiration here.

Website: www.jellymongers.co.uk
Contact: info@jellymongers.co.uk

Spotted by: Smith Alan

Smartphones and the information stored on them have become almost integral to our business and social lives, and we’ve already seen some companies offer mobile backup services for those whose handsets have been lost or stolen. But what if you’ve just left it at home and really need to get in touch with a contact whose number is stored on that very phone? A new app from Telefónica – TU Go – is enabling smartphone customers to use other handsets, tablets or computers to place and receive calls using their phone’s number.

Developed for customers of O2, the UK subsidiary of Telefónica, the idea behind the app is that those who don’t have their phone on them can download the information to another device and log in using their existing phone number. They can then access a dashboard containing all of their contacts, call and message histories and voicemails. TU Go can also be used to initiate new calls or text messages to any number, regardless of whether they also have the app. The data is sent over a wifi or GSM connection, although they appear as a standard call or text on the customer’s bill – and are charged as such. Users can log in with their phone number on up to five devices. The app is currently available at no cost for pay monthly customers using a device with iOS, Android or Windows 7 platforms. The company plans to release the app for those on other tariffs in the near future.

Phones have become much more than just calling devices since the advent of the smartphone, and now it seems we don’t even need the physical handset itself to make a call from it. TU Go could be useful for anyone who has left their phone at home, or let it run out of battery, but could also prove to be beneficial to those who need to contact relatives in emergency situations. Telecoms businesses – one to replicate in your part of the world?

Website: www.o2.co.uk/tugo
Contact: www.o2.co.uk/contactus

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

Travelers heading outdoors usually have to decide which home comforts they’ll have to leave behind. However, we have seen a few innovations that conveniently combine products, such as the Springtime picnic basket that can transform into a set of tables and chairs. Our latest spotting is the Speaker Blanket, a mat that keeps picnickers off the mud while providing music to complement their outing.

Designed by UK gifts company Spinning Hat, the blanket comes with an integrated stereo speaker system and 3.5mm jack, enabling users to plug in their portable music player or smartphone. When they’re finished with the mat, it can be simply rolled up with the speakers attached and comes with a handle for carrying ease. The Speaker Blanket retails at GBP 34.99 and is available for pre-order on the Spinning Hat website.

The Speaker Blanket is an example of combining two items that naturally go together – especially for keen festivalgoers wanting to enjoy music outdoors in the summer weather. What other products could do with being merged for greater comfort and convenience?

Website: www.spinninghat.com
Contact: www.spinninghat.com/contact-us

Spotted by: Smith Alan

Springwise has seen its fair share of food subscription services over the years, covering almost anything from artisan breads to meal and music combinations. Our latest spotting is UK’s Catchbox, a non-profit co-operative that delivers whatever fresh fish has been caught by local fishermen each week.

By signing up for a 12-week subscription, customers pay for a share in the haul of fishermen operating in the Chichester and Brighton area. Catchbox partners with independent businesses using environmentally and socially responsible fishing methods. Members can choose whether they want whole fish or fillets, enough for two or a family, and if they want to receive the goods on a weekly or fortnightly basis. However, consumers don’t get to choose what fish they get – this way the businesses can continue to source their products sustainably, without having to procure them from elsewhere if they’re not naturally available locally.

Boxes range from GBP 46 to GBP 178 for a three-month membership and customers must live near Brighton or Chichester. Are there other ways the subscription model could be further tweaked?

Website: www.catchbox.coop
Contact: info@catchbox.coop

Spotted by: Marko Balabanovic