I need an idea person.

[DRU]

I've always been a software guy. Hardware kind of scared me. I stumbled upon this open-source microprocessor platform, though, called Arduino, and now my mind is running a million miles a minute.

It's basically a motherboard that comes with a very basic programming language to program it. You can go to Radio Shack and buy things like WiFi adapters, GPS signals, motion detectors, thermometers, cameras, light detectors, etc.

So then you can solder those onto the board and program them accordingly. We could trigger events based on things in the atmosphere. These events can be anything available as web services online.

For example, we could send out real-time Tweets or Facebook updates when the temperature in a room falls out of a given range, or when an object starts to move. Imagine packages automatically tweeting or texting the truck driver when they fall off the truck and are left behind.

Some people have made things like cat toys that automatically take pictures and post Tweets in real-time when the toy starts to move (assuming the cat is playing with it).

I've always been big into payments because there's a residual model there...you could give away the product and make a killing on commissions with transactions running through the solution.

I'm having trouble thinking of a practical use-case, though. I mean, I could trigger a payment based on the motion of your tooth brush, or based on pushing your garage door opener, or again, based on temperature in a room, how bright or dark the room is, how fast the thing is moving, where exactly the thing is located in the world, etc.

So, give me an idea, I'll build the hardware, program the software, develop a website for it, etc. and we can make a bunch of money together! If we could come up with a practical use and get a patent on it...we'd kill it.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Route tracking on forklifts in a large warehouse. Use the data to create the ideal WH layout, increasing efficiency.

Route tracking already takes place using RFID chips. However, if you could do the implementation significantly cheaper than current implementations you might have something.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by FAX

So far as I know, they're totally manual.

You hire a consultancy who hires a guy who stands around and watches people come in and out of your store. After awhile, they write up a report and suggest you move some stuff around.

Oh, and send you an enormous bill.

That's about it.

FAX

The important thing in this type of implementation would be the software in place behind this time study. How would you break down the results to be understandable by the stores? Do you have a consultant that flies around to places helping them understand the raw data they're receiving? Do you have a sortable listing solution that ranks different aspects of the results?

How durable is the technology? If it's placed on a shopping cart it has to be pretty durable to withstand the constant pounding it will be receiving. RFID is going to have problem transmitting the results efficiently and accurately. GPS is generally not quite precise enough for an application like this.

An idea that popped into my head is using the temperature feature of the technology. If you have temperature working in concert with another tracking feature you might be able to narrow it down a bit more. Refrigerated sections will have lower temperatures and most aisles should have different temps especially if it's able to break down by .1 degrees. Pretty simple to track with thermometers around the store and should be easy to integrate into a tracking system.

[Fish]

Step 1: Make it do fart noises.
Step 2: Profit...

[tooge]

Temp and movement changes make me think engines and efficiency.
Also tagged animals for research, on plates in restaurants, on inmates, I'd guess the uses are endless.W

[hometeam]

Take your ideas on shark tank~

[TimeForWasp]

I have one.
I know they already have remote start for automobiles. How bout one that starts your car when it's cold out and runs the heater for a while, then shuts off. Starts back up when it gets down to a certain temp and would also do the same thing in the summer time when it's extremely hot and runs your A/C to keep the car at a comfortable temperature.

[Rukdafaidas]

I work with restaurants and it's startling how often they'll have a cooler or freezer go down.
When they do, they lose a lot of groceries. Use this to text the owner when the cooler or freezer temp gets up to a certain temp.

[T-post Tom]

Digital chastity belts. Probably a few big markets overseas.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Groves

A networked chicken coop door actuator. A nice iphone front end, too, please.

Suburban chicken keepers will love it.

Already been done...

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

DRU is so rad.

Why do you post in a .1 font size?

[ghak99]

Originally Posted by Rukdafaidas

I work with restaurants and it's startling how often they'll have a cooler or freezer go down.
When they do, they lose a lot of groceries. Use this to text the owner when the cooler or freezer temp gets up to a certain temp.

Wow... Farms with enclosed animal housing have had hundreds of thousands of dollars riding on temperature monitoring technology for a decade or better. Tell those restaurant owners to blow some dust off their moldy old wallets and cover their ass.

[bevischief]

Midgets and poop.

[ElGringo]

Quick and easy idea...for alarm systems.

Make x number of machines, that once you leave the perimeter it activates alarms. For example I have a family of four. All 4 have this device in their wallet in whatever way. If none of the 4 devices are in the perimeter alarm is active, if any 1 of the 4 devices are in the perimeter the alarm is dis-activated.