TK- 002 Smart Kiwi - Bluetooth Tracker (Part I)

(For a primer on Bluetooth technology and the Internet of Things, check out my last post, Smart Kiwi - NFC Brainstorming)

Some of the most common correspondence we receive are from people who have lost their Kiwi at school, in an art gallery, or simply just buried someplace at home.  It got us thinking, why couldn’t we make Kiwi smart?  We’ve got a chassis that can hold it and the tools tools and know-how to make it possible! 

As a proof of concept, we decided to install a Tile® Tracker first. It’s a tried-and-true great product, and of course, we wanted to start with something that we know will work.  Cam had an old one at home, so we took it apart and, replaced the battery and made few structural modifications. 

What Does a Tile Tracker do?

The Tile Tracker is both incredibly simple yet its usefulness is undeniable. I found this very useful gif by Isabel Drukker that explains it’s utility quite simply:

https://www.isabelxdrukker.com/new-page/

The Tile is essentially a low-voltage bluetooth device that enables everyday objects to interact with your phone

DISSECTING a TILE®
TRACKER

My Old Tile Tracker

One of the original Tile models, the battery has long expired. Perfect reason to bust it open and see how it works.

The case was sealed shut, so we carefully cut it open with a Kiwi. It’s incredible how the Board, Battery, Speaker and Button can all be packed into 1.5”.

Here’s what we need

Adapting our Design

The first step was to figure out how to fit the hardware into the handle. By scanning the hardware on a flatbed scanner, we got the exact plan dimensions, then all we had to do is measure depths. From there, a little modeling in Rhino made it easy to to figure out the optimal orientation. Conveniently, all the parts seemed to almost fit perfectly into a Kiwi!

Using Rhino CAD software, we figured out the best way to get the hardware to fit inside a Kiwi

3D Printed Prototype of the Tile electronics

Using this we are able to find the right way to logistically organize everything.

Building the heart of the Kiwi

Using the CNC to mill out the inside of the handle, making sure everything would fit.

Fits like a glove!

And there you have it, A Kiwi Ready to get smart!

Accommodating the Hardware

With the battery replaced, the Tile worked as good as new! With a little soldering, we were able to reorient the Tile to fit the dimensions we had determined.

Functional Requirements

The two primary concerns that we had are A) securely connecting the battery t o the electrodes in the new orientation B) Ensuring that the button can be accessed, this allows the user to securely sync the Tile with a phone.

It works!

We were able to use the existing battery connections and a small gauge wire from a cat5 cable to power the board, making sure it’s durable enough for us to play around with it.

Almost....

While the components fit in their respective places, the two halves of the Kiwi don’t quite fit together.

Up to now, we’ve got a working tile built to fit, and we’ve proven that it all fits nicely inside! Next up, a second iteration of the Kiwi that ensures everything fits. Check back soon to see how it goes!

In the meantime, we’ve also been testing it in the Kiwi Carrier. Check it here