Tag Archives: beep

From UPS to Dominos, this self-driving vehicle is the eco-friendly delivery solution of the future

Posted on by

In looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions, especially in the transportation industry, designers have proposed solutions that would decrease carbon emissions from delivery trucks. Why so specific? The problem with these short-distance deliveries is that they burn a disproportionate amount of fuel compared to the size of the package being dropped off.

Here’s where we introduce the Beep, a self-driving vehicle that was designed for these short travels. On Yanko, we’ve featured other green transport vehicles that operate under similar principles: electric-powered bikes or scooters that mail carriers can use for the “last leg” of the package’s journey. The Beep stands out because, unlike other proposed designs, it doesn’t require a driver.

How would this system work in practice? Well, the Beep, with its short, compact design, can easily maneuver through local roads and tight alleys. Since the vehicle drives itself, the restaurant chains or delivery services that use them won’t have to train employees to use them. Quick note: the Beep can also be driven manually if preferred. In those cases, a handle and standing platform will pop out from the back of the Beep, allowing the user to ride it like an electric scooter.

The Beep’s storage container is sturdy enough to protect its cargo from harm. Additionally, the storage container is height-adjustable, so packages of any size can fit securely. Groceries or other food items will also stay fresh thanks to its climate-controlled interior. These two features demonstrate the Beep’s diverse capabilities — particularly, how it can be used to service a variety of different industries.

Designer: Dawn Studio

Self-driving shuttles are ferrying COVID-19 tests at a Florida clinic

Posted on by
Drive-thru COVID-19 tests are only as safe and quick as the systems used to put those tests in the hands of clinics, and a new initiative in Jacksonville, Florida might just improve that weak link. The Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville Transportation Authori...

Stream Music on Dumb Speakers over Wi-Fi with Beep

Posted on by
Beep Smart Speakers

We keep old speakers either because they simply sound better than their newer and plasticky counterparts, or simply because they have some sort of emotional value for us. Beep is one of those little gadgets that breathes new life into old speakers, so we don’t have to throw them away.

When I was around 5 years old, my mother bought a turntable made in Czechoslovakia and a bunch of vinyls. In time, that turntable broke, but the speakers that came with it are functional even nowadays. I may be subjective, but they sound much better (mind you, I don’t mean louder, just clearer) than the speakers you can find nowadays in stores. Sure, the technological advancements that were made in the past two and a half decades cannot be denied, but there’s something about the build quality and the overall sound that makes them better than any other, at least to me. Even though I no longer use them on a daily basis (I made the switch to headphones and to a surround audio system), I would never through them away.

For people in my situation, Beep, the little gadget that turns dumb speakers into smart ones, represents an excellent excuse for wiping the dust off the old speakers and putting them to good use, again. Still, to use Beep with my old speakers, I would have to make some small modifications, as they don’t have aux-in port.

Daniel Conrad, co-founder and CEO of Beep, mentioned in an interview with NBC News that “We really wanted to bring back that experience of people sitting around their hi-fi and listening to music together. Today, people listen to their music on their smartphones or their laptops. It’s a very individual experience.”

Basically, to make your speakers smarter, all you have to do is plug the Beep device in the aux-in port and start streaming music from your smartphone, tablet or computer via Wi-Fi. The company explained why it chose this type of connectivity over Bluetooth, for example, the main reason being the longer range of Wi-Fi.

Beep faces a lot of competition, but with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh as supporters and investors, this gadget has the potential of reaching a greater audience. Too bad that it cannot convert just any dumb speaker into a wireless one.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the aluminum Braven 850 Bluetooth speaker and this NES iPhone speaker dock.

Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring

Posted on by

Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring

There's plenty of sensor gear around for hobbyists to play with, but not so many polished products for the monitoring-obsessed. Cao Gadgets is attempting to fill that niche with its functionally named Wireless Sensor Tags -- small devices which monitor movement and temperature, notifying you if anything's amiss. A magnetometer registers movement by changes in its orientation, and can inform you of door openings or similar disturbances, while the temperature triggers are based on upper or lower thresholds. The $15 sensors (or $12 if you want three or more) have a battery life that should last several years depending on their setup, but there is one catch -- you also need the Tag Manager hub ($50), which plugs into your router via Ethernet. It keeps in frequent contact with any subordinates in its 200-foot range, and if after several attempts it finds one MIA, a warning can be sent in case any of your home guards have walked or fallen asleep. The tags also have inbuilt beepers which can be pinged to track down any rogue possessions they're partnered with, like your keys.

A lot of thought has been put into micromanaging the tags, which are customizable through web-based, Android or iOS apps, and will send out alerts via email, Twitter, or push notifications on slates and phones (text-to-speech is available if you're too lazy to read). If you're into your data, you can also access trigger statistics from the software, complete with graphs. The home monitoring kit is available now, and instead of crashing your browser with too many embeds, we've decided to point you to the source below for the half-dozen demo vids.

Filed under: , ,

Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCao Gadgets  | Email this | Comments