vobuzz

Hi there, I'm Vöbuzz :)
Vöbuzz is happy (no EMF pollution)
And this is the health index, well done!
Oops! Vöbuzz is sad...
Now there is plenty of pollution! Do you want to know how you can reduce it?

Remote school and teleworking during the Coronavirus Lockdown have increased the number of hours we spend with the technology at home. We do numerous work, family or friends video calls, online live streamings, work with collaborative tools, watch series or movies online… All in all, ending in lots of data transmitted between the phones, computers or tablets and the routers or mobile communication towers, which translates into a 24-hours exposure to tremendously high electromagnetic pollution.

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are already present in our body during chemical reactions for digestion, nerves signals, heartbeats, and so on. But, we are surrounded by plenty of man-made EMF whether electrical appliances devices such as microwaves, ovens, computers, screens, fluorescents lights, routers (WiFi) or mobile communication towers, satellite GPS, radars and the power supply network.

The problem your project solves

There’s scientific evidence that EMF can be harmful for any living being. Several studies confirm the negative effects on animals, such as cows, rats, and bees [1]. The latest ones are probably those most affected by EMF radiation [2]. Even more, the bioinitiative report, a summary of the reports of 29 scientific studies about the biological effects of the radiations, collects plenty of studies that corroborate the adverse risks on the human body. And prestigious organizations such as the WHO or IARC have already warned about the cancerogenic effects of the uncontrollable exposure to EMF.

Environmental exposures to artificial EMFs from common wireless devices like laptops and mobile phones can interact with our fundamental biological processes in the human body. It does not kill or make you sick in a flash, it is slow and long-term wear. It may cause sleep disruption, depression, headaches, memory loss, loss of energy, tiredness, loss of sexual appetite or irritability. Or maybe a dread disease like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, fertility problems, brain tumors, or weakened immunity system. The long term exposure to EMF has debilitated our immune system. We are more vulnerable and easily invaded by viral infections. Some theories are pointing out a clear relation between Covid-19 and Electromagnetic pollution (5G) which has rapidly spread in industrialized countries, where the citizens are more subjected to EMF [3].

Do you turn off the wifi at night? Do you stay at a secure distance when you use electrical appliances such as ovens, microwaves, or washing machines? Do you use your phone in bed? We should have some breaks of radiation, especially at night. Our daily routine is 99% technology-dependent and we do not want to accept that it can be harmful. Maybe we are abusing, are we addicted? We have all heard different theories that we usually categorize as alarmists and we are skeptical to accept them. There’s a global ignorance of the EMF risks, the waves are invisible and they cause long term effects. Thus, there is nothing that can immediately warn us, we can not see the side effects right at the moment, so it’s difficult to judge. Simple measures such as turning off the phone or router at night turn to be so difficult to adopt regularly. The comfort of being 100% connected usually prevails over the possible negative consequences. We are lazy, we don’t remember or even, we don’t know how to alleviate it.

On the other hand, the governments and industry are not taking enough precautions against the EMF pollution over the citizens. The current public safety limits do not sufficiently protect public health from EMF exposure. There’s an imbalance between the speed of the industry and the slowness of the law. Telephone operators and large electric companies insist that the exposure values of the users to radiation are so low that there is no appreciable danger to health. And they just finance studies that only come to light when they are favorable to their interests. But even so, the third part of them accepted that it has effects on health. The value rises to 80% when the studies are financed with public funds.

[1] Redlarski G, Lewczuk B, Żak A, et al. The influence of electromagnetic pollution on living organisms: historical trends and forecasting changes. Biomed Res Int. 2015; https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/234098

[2] Favre, D. Mobile phone-induced honeybee worker piping. Apidologie 42, 270–279 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-011-0016-x

[3] https://medium.com/@leopoldo.orsini/a-few-words-about-the-covid-19-aae5baf3a23d

The solution you bring to the table

Description

We want a create a movement towards a #LowRadiationLifeStyle. Our project aims to gather the evidence of hazardous levels of electromagnetic pollution at our homes, provide guidelines for reducing the generation and exposure and, most importantly, promote the society to take action. Vöbuzz is the voice that helps you to acquire a healthy technological lifestyle.

It consists of Vöbuzz, a cute doll-like device, and a mobile app. Together they are able to measure the invisible electromagnetic pollution in your environment. They sense the artificial EMF from common wireless devices like laptops, mobile phones and daily home appliances: TV, microwave, induction cooker, refrigerator, electrical wires, etc. and track the amount of traffic on your local network (network dangerous intensity). With the measured values, Vöbuzz computes an index of EMF health of your home.

Vöbuzz expresses the room’s comfort through its emotions, lighting in a color, and showing you the index. So, at one glance, you are aware of the situation around you. The app alerts you of the health damage and tells you how you can tackle it with tips and tricks. For example, tips to clean your home, good habits to avoid further pollution or tricks to fortify yourself. For more details, you can check the evolution and see the consequences of your actions on the app. You can also stay updated with information about what is pollution, sources and healthy levels.

To encourage you to take action, the app creates a competitive environment. You can gain vöbuzz’s points by completing challenges for implementing all the tips, setting yourself goals or reducing your EMF generation. You can compare your score with friends and win amazing prizes. Not only promoting individual activism but also collective, organizing events to boost your community and accompany you through the journey towards a #LowRadiationLife. For example, neighbour meetings to set up a #FreeWifi schedule for some hours a day or week.

Technical Specifications

Examining Vöbuzz we distinguish 5 main parts:

The shell that holds all the components.
The PCB (Printed Circuit Board) which contains the microcontroller and all the circuitry for plugging the rest of the components.
The antenas, the sensors capable of receiving wave signals. Each one targets different frequency ranges.
The user interface: a 3.2” display, a wake/sleep button and a couple of LEDs.
The battery and the power switch.

Vöbuzz features:

Mobile app for iOS and Android
Visual indicators:
5 color levels
5 emotions: happiness, calm, sadness, anger and fear
Rechargeable battery, 2.2Ah
Connectivity: Wifi (2.4GHz) and Bluetooth LE
Weight: 300g
Dimensions: 150x120x105mm
Operational environment: -20ºC to 60ºC

EMF meter specifications:

First antena:

Frequency range: 5hz to 400KHz
Electromagnetic field: 0.01 to 12µT ± 0.01µT
Electric field: 1 to 1200V/m ± 1V/m

Second antena:

Frequency range: 10Mhz to 18GHz
Electromagnetic field: 0.01 to 19.99µT ± 0.01µT
Electric field: 1 to 1999V/m ± 1V/m

Competitors and competitive advantage

Our competitors are EMF meters. These devices sense the intensity of the fields for a certain range of frequencies. For example, TrackLife MET01, TriField TF2 and Tech Wellness. You need some technical background to properly understand and use the conventional EMF meters. They usually provide high quality measures with a scientific interface.

We seek to make it easy to understand regardless of your background. In order to be competitive in the market we will use sensors with less precision, which are more than enough to serve our purpose of raising awareness. All these features packed inside a cute little flatmate and extended with a mobile app. Together they give you advice, solutions and challenge you to improve your habits. The latter is the blue ocean that we have identified. (none of the competitors is providing this service).

Market

Our main customer segment is European Youngsters, specially girls under 35 year old. That they want to understand de pollution, take action, be healthier and be sustainable. According to recent studies, girls tend to be more concerned about pollution and climate change than boys. They are also willing to change for the planet, especially the younger generations. It’s a B2C model where the Serviceable Obtainable Market in Europe is approximately 25,4M.

We have conducted more than 50 interviews. Its mission was to validate assumed necesites and work with a design thinking strategy. All the feedback and comments has allowed us to redefine the concept and create a solution that matches the customers pains and desires. Some of the core insights obtained from this qualitative market study are:

71,4% of interviewees consider that their home is EMF polluted and 19% do not know whether it is polluted or not. When asking about if they think that they have an electrical clean house, the average mark obtained 1,8 stars out of 5 (5 stars means healthy home)
There’s fear and doubts regarding the concept of EMF. 60% of interviewees answered that they are worried about having high EMF at home. Most of them have heard about the EMF pollution before but have not considered it seriously.
When talking about some easy precautions, such as turning flight mode at night or keeping secure distance with the router or electrical devices, most interviewees affirm that they are not doing them. The main reasons for not adopting precautions are laziness and acknowledgment.
In order to be motivated to take action they need to know their exposition levels, existing methods of fighting or reducing the pollution and how it can benefit their body. As well as, a complete set of reminders to help in the transition of routine changes.

“I would be happy to be less ignorant to the thing that vöbu can teach me” 
affirmed one of the interviewees.

There’s a clear strategy defined for reaching and communicating with the market. We have three channels:

Network of distributors to sell to physical stores specializing in appliances, technological products, sustainable products.. Such as: MediaMarkt, Flying tiger, Ale-Hop, Natura, Worten or fnac.
Online sales through vöbuzz’s website.
And a sales department for reaching the distributors, brand managers and ambassadors to extent to people already aware and have more presence at events.

The customer relationship consists in creating a close and mentoring #LowRadiationLifeStyle community through its instagram profile, facebook page, linkedin profile and website blog. As a place where everyone can consult more tips, news and share their experiences. It is also offered a personalized customer service through a dedicated email account and online chatbot.

Business model

Our business model is defined with several revenue streams:

The first revenue stream is selling Vöbuzz via distributors and our online shopping. A free version of the app will come along with it. We estimate that the unitary price will be worth around €99 with a 40% contribution margin for the distributors channel and 60% in the case of vöbuzz e-commerce. (This unitary price will vary depending on the final costs of the components and fabrication).
The second stream is a premium service for 2€/month. It includes even more personalized tips, detailed reports and more storage of historical data.
Lastly, as an additional revenue, we have the income from some extra services will be added in a future step: monetization of the data by processing it and selling to companies interested in EMF pollution and health, promoting eco-friendly products in the app, offering specialized building inspections and organizing #LowRadiationLifeStyle events.

Vöbuzz co. team is in charge of:

Content creation
Design and development of the product and prototipes
Development and maintenance of the app
Production organization
Marketing strategy
Customer service

And, our key partner are:

Group of mentors and assessors: a bio-geologist or expert in the relation of electromagnetic radiation and human health, doctors, environmental experts, and so. To ensure that we are a reliable source of information by validating our content.
Partners and suppliers for the production of the device:

Collaboration agreement with the Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC), to develop the device technology and perform pre-homologations.
For 3D printing the prototip (Fablab)
Component supplier (Mouser)
Subcontracting of the manufacture of the electronic board, housing and assembly (Zobele)

Wholesale distributors of technological products (MCR)
Logistics company for stock and shipments (SEUR)

What you have done during the weekend

EUvsVirus hackathon has accelerated our project, in just one weekend we have worked on:

Creating a demo prototype of the project: By defining the mockups of the app and designing them with Adobe XD. On the other hand, creating photo-realistic renders of the device.
Processing the information of a preliminary market research: using the value proposition canvas and empathy map in order to identify the customer's pains. And, then, extracting relevant insights and facts that validates the idea.
A clear definition of the problem and solution. Starting with the initial idea, we have examined the problem carefully and taken into consideration new points of view and information regarding the coronavirus lockdown. Considering also the conclusions of the market research, we have worked hard to achieve a solution that matches the pains and has relevant value propositions against the covid-19.
The business model: evaluating the market segment, channels, relationship with the customer, key activities, key partners and revenue streams.
Analysing and defining a hypothesis of impact: by making use of the framework of theory of change.
Obtaining a clear textual and video pitch: by focusing on synthesizing the core ideas of the project into this document, creating a deck (visual support of the video pitch) and working on a convincing pitch for the video submission.

All in all, a very productive weekend!

The solution’s impact to the crisis

With Vöbuzz we mobilize the citizens towards a healthier lifestyle, with responsible and conscious use of technologies. During this crisis we spend more time at home, where we are constantly exposed not only to our wifi and our neighbours’, but also more time in contact with electronic devices. All of this leads to a higher exposure to EMF pollution, thus, a greater risk of weakening our body and suffering the dread long term effects of EMF pollution. To prevent the infection of coronavirus, our bodies need the immune system working at its maximum power. Taking care of our health we are also reducing the propagation and saving lifes.

We do not only aim to concienciate, but rather to eliminate doubts and propitiate the development of new strategies and solutions for cleaning or avoiding radiation. We empower them by having access to the information of the pollution of their surroundings. Even more, vöbuzz is not only a sensor, it processes the collected data and explains to you how to interpret it. And lastly, it calls you to take action. The users improve their health and their community’s well-being. Everyone contributes to reducing the EMF pollution we are exposed to.

Pollution is not only government concerns, all our actions do matter. Society is the motor of change, if we change our routines and consumption model we will force the industry to evolve to healthier technologies. It’s a co-responsibility to avoid future crises, pandemics and diseases!

Our project aims to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good health and well-being), 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), 12(Responsible consumption and production) and 13 (Climate action).

One of the features of the application asks the users how they are feeling today, or if they had any discomfort in their bodies. The system can then find correlations between these and the electromagnetic pollution they have been exposed to. Even better, as it is mentioned in the future section value after the crisis, it can be linked to smartwatches and activity bracelets. With the gathered and processed data (both from Vöbuzz and user’s health), reports can be provided and may be shared with your local authorities to involve them.

The necessities in order to continue the project

Roadmap

The next steps are:

working with the prototype and testing it (both the device and the app) in collaboration with the electronics department of the Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC Terrassa)
continue working on validating the idea and the business plan
creating a community interested in the project to attract potential early adopters
prepare an MVP
and funding: private, public and launching a crowdfunding campaign.

For this first phase, a rough estimate in terms of funding will be €50,000 for developing the prototype, testing, marketing and human resources.

Team

Our team is formed by Imma and Pau{, both fully dedicated to the project}:

Imma Martínez Sellarès CEO

BSc in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering (UPC Terrassa)
MSc in Mechanical Engineering (DTU Copenhagen) Knowledge of 2D and 3D modeling with CAD software, 3D printing technologies, programming languages based in C++ and entrepreneurship. Experience: Two years in the mechanical industry, technical drawings, and one year as an entrepreneur.

Pau López Ribas CTO

BSc in Industrial Electronics and Automation Engineering (UPC Terrassa)
MSc in Electrical Engineering - Automation, Control and Robotics (DTU Copenhagen) Knowledge in the areas of control and robotics, applied to mobile robots, automated installations and monitoring IoT devices. Data and image processing with traditional methods and ML, DL and AI. Experience: Three years working on automated installations and IoT, and one year as an entrepreneur.

During the following months we are planning to incorporate to the team:

a mobile and backend developer
a digital marketing specialist and a community manager
and for the CRM: a sales team and customer service team

Apart from the on board team, a board of advisors will be gathered, from areas related to health and environment to business finance, marketing and strategy.

The value of your solution(s) after the crisis

We are aware that this project is not a sprint. It is more a long distance race which goes beyond the scope of the crisis. And now we are facing this crisis but the problem will still be there afterwards. EMF will continue debilitating us, yet we need to strengthen the body to be ready for future crises.

We are used to the comfort of the new technologies and every time we want them to react faster and to synchronize them instantly. These principals lead technological corporations to bring new solutions to satisfy our needs.

We focussed on homes, because right now almost everyone spends the whole day at home, working, studying, eating, sleeping, socialising… But the day that we can go out again these healthy habits must be applicable to workplaces, schools, caffees, hospitals, public buildings, streets, etc. Thus, at vöbuzz company, we propose a B2B growth option after the crisis.

Moreover, EMF is just the start. As another growth option we are considering to tackle the indoor air quality (AQ) as well. According to WHO in 2014 and still in 2019, 7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution. Which is almost the whole population of Switzerland. We believe that having a little buddy that not only measures AQ (CO2, TVOC, PM10 and PM2.5, NO2 and Radon), but also that informs you about health effects, tips and tricks to reduce air pollution and so on and so forth.

A third growth option, previously stated in the impact section, is the fusion of data with smartwatches and activity bracelets. This synergy allows the users related directly to electromagnetic radiation and health. This way they can know exactly what is harmful and see their health evolving with the actions they take.