Children

Payton's Charm sounds the alarm on kids in hot cars

Payton's Charm sounds the alarm on kids in hot cars
VI Enterprises has taken to Kickstarter in order to raise production funds for Payton's Charm
VI Enterprises has taken to Kickstarter in order to raise production funds for Payton's Charm
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If CO2 levels indicate that a child or pet is present (and exhaling) inside the vehicle, and if the temperature climbs dangerously high, Payton's Charm sends a text alert to the user's smartphone
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If CO2 levels indicate that a child or pet is present (and exhaling) inside the vehicle, and if the temperature climbs dangerously high, Payton's Charm sends a text alert to the user's smartphone
VI Enterprises has taken to Kickstarter in order to raise production funds for Payton's Charm
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VI Enterprises has taken to Kickstarter in order to raise production funds for Payton's Charm

While we may think that it's only irresponsible, negligent people who leave infants or pets in hot cars, it can also sometimes happen to preoccupied folks who simply forget that they've got an extra passenger on board. Payton's Charm is designed to alert them, should that happen.

Developed by Alabama-based VI Enterprises, Payton's Charm is named after a young girl who passed away from heat stroke after being forgotten in the family car by her father. It's intended to be permanently plugged into the vehicle's power socket, although it can also run for up to a month on one charge of its battery.

An integrated accelerometer detects when the car has stopped moving, at which point the device begins monitoring the air temperature within the vehicle, along with its carbon dioxide content. If the CO2 levels indicate that a child or pet is present (and exhaling) inside the vehicle, and if the temperature climbs dangerously high, Payton's Charm sends a text alert to the user's smartphone.

If CO2 levels indicate that a child or pet is present (and exhaling) inside the vehicle, and if the temperature climbs dangerously high, Payton's Charm sends a text alert to the user's smartphone
If CO2 levels indicate that a child or pet is present (and exhaling) inside the vehicle, and if the temperature climbs dangerously high, Payton's Charm sends a text alert to the user's smartphone

If the user doesn't respond to that text, a second alert is sent to another predetermined phone number. Should that message also go unacknowledged, the device sends an alert to emergency services, with the vehicle's GPS coordinates. A message is also sent to the user if the battery is getting low.

Payton's Charm is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where a pledge of US$201 will get you a unit – assuming it reaches production, that is. One year of cellular service for the device is included in that price, after which a "low monthly fee" will be required. The planned retail price is $349.

Prospective backers might also want to check out the ChildMinder system, which causes a key-ring alarm to sound if drivers walk more than 15 feet (4.6 m) away from a pressure-sensitive pad upon which their backseat baby is sitting.

Sources: Kickstarter, Payton's Charm

3 comments
3 comments
grtblu
People love black cars and SUV's. It would be interesting to see how long these take to heat up to dangerous levels in direct sunlight, windows closed, starting from say 85 degrees outside. Is it 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or what? This knowledge about how long you can dash into a store before your pet pookie dies, or even worse junior. While this device is useful, brains and knowledge are more useful and brains don't suffer from dead batteries or out of coverage.
MerlinGuy
"While we may think that it's only irresponsible, negligent people who leave infants or pets in hot cars"
Okay...
"sometimes happen to preoccupied folks who simply forget"
If you are so self absorbed that you forget you have a child in your car then you are "irresponsible, negligent" by definition.
undrgrndgirl
no merlinguy, that is NOT he definition of irresponsible and negligent. often times these tragedies happen when someone is taken out of their routine. i'm guessing you don't actually have kids...
the device sounds great, but it is cost prohibitive.