We know that there are plenty of users out there who upgrade their phones regularly. Some might be switching phones once every two years when their contracts are up, and there are some who upgrade every year with the release of a new flagship phone. What this means is that chances are you could have an old phone or two lying around at home.
So what do you do with these old devices? Well if you’d rather not have them sit in the bottom of your drawer collecting dust, then the Rico Kickstarter project could be worth taking a look at. The idea behind the Rico project is to take your old and unused smartphone and turn it into a home security device.
We suppose you could always get a cheap phone to do the job, but in the event you have an extra phone that isn’t being used, why not put it to good use, right? Moving on, Rico is a project put together by the folks at MindHelix and it’s basically a device that can act as a home security system by relying on your smartphone’s processing power to make it even better.
By itself, Rico can detect motion, temperature, smoke, humidity, and so on. But by adding a smartphone into the mix, it brings features like cameras, microphones, loudspeakers, cellular connectivity, and more to it. Users will be able to remotely monitor their homes through an accompanying app, as well as make changes and receive alerts while away.
According to MindHelix, “We value it essential to be able to reuse electronics when they would either remain unused or discarded altogether. Why not use that same device in such a way that not only prevents wastage, but gives you more features than before?” It’s a pretty clever idea and if you’d like to learn more, head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details.
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