Kevin, the world's first virtual roommate, is now available for purchase on Kickstarter. In a form of a home speaker introduced at this year's CES event in Las Vegas, Kevin is engineered to simulate homeowners' activities to prevent criminals from breaking in.
Swiss startup Mitipi is now opening orders for the Kevin speaker which is designed to protect homeowners from falling victim to burglaries. The company's innovative approach to home security has been widely lauded by critics and experts in the field.
Also read: AI could easily make fake adult film by swapping faces with porn stars
"While competitors in the home security space push boundaries towards inventing the most advanced surveillance systems to solve the problem of burglaries, Kevin takes a far more innovative approach–that prevention is always better than cure," says Mitipi in a statement to IBTimes Singapore.
The Kevin speaker uses a 32-bit dual core chip for low power consumption. It has 4 gigabytes of storage so users can save pre-recorded or customized sounds.
The speaker is housed in a hardware that emits light, shadow effects, and sounds. Using smart control capabilities, it naturally copies an actual person moving around the house performing daily tasks. This sends a message to scenting burglars that the house has people in it.
When imitating sounds, the device uses a smart logic that considers multiple factors such as time zone, region, language, weather, and home type. Preferences can be set according to the users.
Using a mobile device app, the Kevin speaker can do its functions seamlessly. It also has buttons for users to control.
"Having spent extensive time talking with the victims of burglaries, it's clear that home protection needs to evolve beyond surveillance, reporting, and alarms," says Julian Stylianou, Mitipi founder and chief executive. "We envisage a world where burglars only exist in history books, and we want to add value and innovation to the world of home security, by offering a prevention-first solution."
The Kevin speaker is now available on Kickstarter for US$149 for early buyers.
