Will this chip prevent parking tickets?
That’s the hope of the creators of startup Aware Stack
Driving in the city can be hard.
At some point, you’ve probably left the mall or doctor’s office and spent the next half hour stumbling around a parking garage, looking for your car in vain. And if you’ve ever used metered parking, you might have received your fair share of parking tickets just by losing track of time.
Co-founders of startup Aware Stack felt your pain, and wanted to make parking your car a little smarter. So Dani Abel Rayan and Drew Bratcher, both engineers, created a Smartphone app and a $9 Bluetooth device called AwareCar.
The device – no larger than a quarter – can be left in your glove compartment and will keep your phone connected to your car, sending you reminders to set a timer if you’re parked at a meter, and letting you know if you’ve walked too far to make it back in time.
“Many people don’t remember how many minutes they have remaining and tend to get back at just the last minute,’’ Rayan said. “This just makes it more simple.’’
If you’re in a garage, the barometer tracks your altitude and lets the app know on which level you parked your car.
“People always forget where they park,’’ Rayan said. “In this scenario, when you leave your phone, it takes a snapshot of where you left your car. You don’t have to remember to do anything.’’
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Best cars for Boston parking:
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The device was pretty simple to build, Rayan told Boston.com, since many of its functions use sensors (like a pedometer, barometer, and compass) that are already built into phones.
The app knows whether you’ve parked at a metered spot or parking garage using public information available in most major cities, and sends you the appropriate reminders so you’ll avoid getting a ticket – which can sometimes cost as much as $100.
AwareCar’s Kickstarter page has already raised over $66,147, far exceeding Rayan and Bratcher’s goal of $15,000. The extra funding has allowed the pair to add more features to the app based on user feedback, including automatically setting your phone to Do Not Disturb mode while driving, and IFTTT integration, a web-based service that lets multiple apps work at once.
The device can be pre-ordered but won’t be shipped till December, Rayan said. Maybe it’s the perfect holiday gift for your forgetful friend.
Drew Bratcher and Dani Abel Rayan
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