A ski-alarm device with Bluetooth technology from Lund will soon hit the market, writes 8till5. PowUnity has developed its first product NeverLose to prevent ski thefts and to make it easier to find lost skis in powder snow.
The connected alarm device was developed with Bluetooth expertise from Lund and tested during the summer in New Zealand. Stefan Sinnegger and Grega Gostinčar, two former international students of a master’s program in entrepreneurship at Lund University, came up with the concept and were then joined by an Austrian entrepreneur and a businessman from Skåne.
NeverLose is attached to the skis and awakes when the skis are in motion. Whenever a ski is dropped in the snow, it alerts you with an audio signal of 100 decibels. NeverLose connects to the mobile phone via Bluetooth and, by turning on an alarm function when setting down the skis, it also works as an alarm in case someone tries to steal the equipment. The device can also work for bikes and other sports equipment due to its anti-theft capabilities.
“There are devices that combine accelerometer and Bluetooth but, to my knowledge, no one does it in a product that is both shockproof and waterproof,” says Johan Carlberg, who joined PowUnity last summer.
Production of 12 000 units will begin the last week of November in Europe. Prior to the start of production, the company is also launching a crowdfunding campaign with the goal to bring in at least 50 000 dollars (over € 46 000). NeverLose should be on the market anytime between December and January, and the device will cost 99 euro for a pair.
PowUnity, currently based in Innsbruck, Austria, aims to follow-up this device with other products using the same technology. To ensure the development of next generation products, the company expects to bring in € 500 000 in a future round of investment.
