Device knows where users have parked and alerts them if meter is expiring

Innovation
Telecommunications
Device knows where users have parked and alerts them if meter is expiring

Device knows where users have parked and alerts them if meter is expiring

Telecommunications

AwareCar is an app and Bluetooth device that enables smartphones to be contextually aware of a user’s car, so parking can be made easier.

Getting a parking ticket is probably one of the most dreaded day-ruiners, contesting with delayed trains that end up being cancelled. But AwareCar wants to change that by enabling users’ smartphones to be contextually aware of their car. The company has developed an app and Bluetooth device, which hope to relieve users of parking disasters.

The AwareDevice sits in the car’s glove box, and its battery will last over a year. As users approach the car, the device notifies the smartphone, and prompts a single swipe launch of the companion app. Then, when parking, AwareCar can detect if the user is in a metered parking zone, and will ask them to enter the time they’ve paid for. The app will then alert users when their meter’s about to expire, or if they’ve walked too far to walk back to the car in time. It can also help drivers locate their car in large parking buildings. The device uses microlocation — detecting movement through small spaces — via low energy Bluetooth, and launches relevant actions based on the user’s environment and context.

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