Whether it’s a revolution or just a timely opportunity, the sharing economy has undeniable momentum. Driven by the economic incentive, multitudes of people are seizing the chance to post properties that they currently live in, as well as vacation properties that they might own. The growth in this sector has not arrived without controversy. The established base of hotels and tax authorities in some of the larger markets are reacting to inevitable decline in their customer base. In addition, the technologies and laws to support the individual property owner willing to host perfect strangers need to mature
One new startup company, ThoughtCopter LLC, of Columbus, Ohio has created an innovative device to help property owners retain some peace of mind during the process of renting. The Lock-Bot is an upgrade to the well-known lockbox that property owners have been using for years. It takes advantage of a property’s Wi-Fi signal to add some extraordinary features, such as the ability to create unique codes for each renter that are usable only during certain timeframes. This prevents people from sharing codes or using them when they’re not supposed to. The Wi-Fi capability also allows the owner to receive text messages letting them know when their renter has checked in and out.
In a city like New York, where the property owner’s neighbors might be more accessible to a traveler than the owner herself, the Lock-Bot has software designed to facilitate instant communication. This remedies any confusion for the renter (who is likely in an unfamiliar place) at the time of check-in. ThoughtCopter also promises that the device will constantly check on itself over the internet to ensure that nothing in the system has been tampered with.
“The internet of things needs to provide real value to people. The Lock-Bot empowers both the property owner and the renter to connect in a way that’s immediate and timely, right where the communication needs to happen,” says Rick Gonzalez, founder of ThoughtCopter and inventor of the Lock-Bot.
The trend for this new economy favors empowering the individual; first with web communities to post and share their properties, and now with technology to help them manage the transaction. As controversy continues to hover over the new sharing economy, the Lock-Bot sits in its arsenal of defense. After a successful development and testing phase, ThoughtCopter is launching its first KickStarter campaign to raise production funding for this new device.
www.Lock-bot.com
www.kickstarter.com
Contact:
Rick Gonzalez
ThoughtCopter LLC.
rick@lock-bot.com
210-912-9309
