Gardien Alert device warns when child is left behind in vehicle
Puerto Rican firm Momentum Creative Lab LCC announced the launching of a disruptive technology, Gardien Alert, designed to send an alert when a child is left behind in a car, as well as the protective seat that also meets this need.
Founders Mark Gómez and Víctor Hernández unveiled their invention at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, as Gardien Alert is the result of a Trust-sponsored program, Startup.PR.
Statistics show that every year, on average, about 38 children die from hyperthermia in a vehicle in the United States and its territories, but the most alarming number is the 100,000 annual cases where the incident occurs, but the child manages to be rescued, they noted.
Gardien Alert was created to deal with a real and often fatal problem. It is a preventive system that uses a sensor that is placed in the child protective seat and sends signals to a mobile application. This application, in case of emergency, will send signals to the linked telephone and to selected contacts if the person is away from their mobile phone.
Momentum Creative Lab LCC was established in 2013 with the goal of creating solutions to assist in daily tasks. That same year, two children died inside vehicles as a result of heatstroke.
“The events that took place in 2013 … led Víctor and me to think about how this type of event can occur and what solutions existed at that time,” said Gómez. “After convincing us and giving us the task of starting the development of the product, just two months after starting the project, I went through a situation that impacted my wife and me for the rest of our lives.”
“Although thankfully there was nothing to regret, we were victims of this type of forgetting, which led me to get involved in the development of the product. Since 2013, Gardien Alert has gone through countless tests and iterations that have taken it to what it is today, a robust and high quality product created entirely in Puerto Rico with global export capacity,” Gómez said.
Since establishing their venture, Gómez and Hernández have participated in four business development programs and competitions —EnterPrize Next in 2013; Innoventure in 2014; Hit 3001 in 2015 and Startup.PR in 2016 — that allowed them to develop and gain traction for their product concept.
“This project is very special because it solves an unexpected but common and very shocking problem,” Science Trust CEO Lucy Crespo. “These young people have integrated technology into a daily use device for parents. At the Science Trust we’re very proud to support this project as part of our mission to invest, facilitate and develop capabilities to advance the economy of Puerto Rico and the welfare of its citizens.”
The creation of Gardien Alert, totally designed and created in Puerto Rico, not only promises to relieve parents of the uncertainty of an accident, but has opened doors in Puerto Rico to perform similar technologies, the founders said.
So far, the project has opened opportunities for local manufacturers: Curtis Instruments Inc. in Carolina; MarCo Industries in Fajardo; 3A Press Corp. in Lajas; PRAMA Corp. in Mayagüez, Phoenix Cables and Amity’s Designs in Aguadilla.
Parents will be able to get the device at Aliss, USA Baby, Mi Pequeño Angelito and Paraíso Infantil. The device is also available at www.gardienalert.com.
More than 50 families have already obtained their solution, company officials said.
