Sean Stephens wants to change the way we think about the Internet of Things. In his office environment several workers complained it was too hot, while others complained about cold. He wanted a temperature monitoring device that could collect and store data from several points in the office, but nothing was cost effective and easy to use. This led Stephens and his co-founder James Daigle to develop qBiq, a connection piece for the ‘Internet of Everything’. The Toronto (Newmarket) based company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for their product that they hope can change the way we think about the Internet of Things.
Four different styles of qBiqs sense different inputs: Temp, Feel for humidity, Glow for light intensity, and Move for motion. Each sensor is a one inch cube with wi-fi capability and a unique QR code. USB battery recharging is expected to give about six months of battery life. Inside qBiq’s anodized aluminum shell is a motherboard, 32 bit and 50 megaHertz ARM processor, micro USB jack, 3.7 Volt, 500 milliamp hour lithium polymer battery, and 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 IEEE wi-fi hub.
The app that controls qBiqs is compatible with iOS, OS X, Android and Windows. Open source accessory files are already available for users to download and 3D print brackets and accessories for their qBiqs. PerfectlySoft Inc is the programming partner chosen to help users develop new applications using qBiqs.
Sean Stephens answered a few questions for us about the development of the qBiq. He said that style / quality and cost were the competing constraints when building the actual devices. The desire to create a new genre of IoT device meant that developers needed to want to use the device immediately. Sourcing a rechargeable battery small enough to fit in the cube and efficient enough to last a few months was also a difficulty for the team. The greatest manufacturing challenge heading into this first production run has been analyzing the numbers and deciding how many units can be produced vs sold, and how this affects component and assembly costs.
The qBiq project is hugely ambitious, and the novelty of four different types of sensors is a great way to have specialized functions for each piece. The campaign video and campaign page are full of different ideas about how qBiqs can be used in the home, office or even a bar. The campaign ends on January 20, 2017 and if successful first units are expected to ship in June 2017.