This year the TechCrunch Disrupt NY organizers set aside the last day for hardware vendors. As a social bike fan, I was immediately drawn to the cool white bike parked in front of Sobi‘s booth. The other hardware startup I liked, Applosophy, will take some more explaining.
Sobi’s bikes are ruggedized, heavy metal two-wheelers that should survive well in city settings. The bike has also been given high-tech powers that include GPS, cell-phone chips, and a keypad. The Sobi system lets city bikers find the nearest shareable bike, reserve it, and then unlock it with a special code they enter on the keypad.
After you remove the massive U-lock, you’re free to ride away. When you’re done, you can essentially park it anywhere–the GPS, remember–but you’ll get a credit if you return it to a Sobi hub. NYC-based Sobi sells its system to cities, who are then free to devise their own hourly rates.
Sobi’s Founder and CEO, Ryan Rzepecki, was on hand to answer questions. I had seen what MIT’s Senseable Cities did for the city of Copenhagen with the shared e-bike Wheel program, so I had to ask about the possibility of Sobi variant of this.
Rzepecki thinks a people-powered bike is fine for relatively flat New York City–he’s kind of right. However, he said–thankfully–that he is looking into partnering with electric-bike manufacturers.
I look forward to trying a Sobi e-bike soon.
And then there’s Applosophy. Shai Cohen, this startup’s Head of Technology, is looking for investors to develop a prototype for what can only be described as a smart spoon. The spoon will be embedded with accelerometers and other sensors that will detect when the spoon with food makes a successful landing into a child’s mouth.
The design calls for a signal to be sent to tablet computer, which will then provide a reward in the form of a game or other digital diversion. The spoon makes great sense for parents with difficult young eaters or perhaps children with developmental problems.
Applosophy has some significant IP, which is currently receiving patent review.