The kSafe is a smart safe designed to turn temptation into motivation by locking items away until the user has earned them through either hitting an activity goal, spending time at a specific location such as a library, or simply waiting until a pre-determined time for the lid to unlock. The device is currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign.
Users can put whatever they like inside the kSafe, providing it fits inside the round 186 x 196 mm (7.3 x 7.7 in) container. For example, if you spend too long playing games or watching television, you can lock the controller away in the jar, and have it open only when you've reached your step goal, checked in at the gym or waited until a pre-determined time of day. The jar can also be used as a password-protected lock box.
The safe links to iOS or Android devices to set up rules for when the lid will unlock. For fitness-related goals, the product will work with your phone's built-in tracking, as well as Fitbit wearables. The company is currently working to extend support to more devices.
Checking progress towards a goal can be handled either on the connected smartphone or by pressing a touch button on the device itself, with a ring of 360 LEDs around the handle providing visual feedback. If you're 25 percent of your way towards your goal, then a quarter of the LEDs will light up.
The idea behind kSafe might sound familiar – it's actually very similar to the same company's Kitchen Safe product that hit KickStarter in 2013. Gizmag reached out to the project's creators to clarify what the newer product offers over its predecessor, with the team highlighting the greater versatility afforded by the connected nature of the kSafe. Whereas the Kitchen Safe simply allowed users to lock things away until a specified time of day, the goal of the kSafe is to turn temptations into motivations via fitness and location-based goal setting.
As with all crowdfunded products, the kSafe isn't actually available to buy as of yet, but you can secure a unit for an early bird pledge of US$79. Assuming the project is successful and all goes to plan, kSafe smart safes will start shipping in a choice of black and white, starting October 2015.
Sources: Kickstarter, kSafe
