Boundary partners with i4PD and IDB to create ‘disruptive’ home security alarm
Robin Knox & Paul Walton of Boundry
Home security tech specialist Boundary has signed contracts with the consultancy i4 Product Design Ltd (i4PD) and product developer Invent, Design, Build (IDB) to bring its disruptive smart home security alarm to life.
With a strong track record for designing hugely successful consumer products for prestigious brands such as Flymo and Bosch, i4PD is working with Boundary to achieve its mission of creating a beautiful, user-friendly smart alarm.
The company is working with Boundary to create a user-friendly smart alarm, carrying out the industrial design and engineering design work needed to take the system to the manufacturing stage. Among i4PD’s success stories is the recent Indiegogo launch of a client’s wellness device, which went on to secure more than $2m (€1.76m) in funding.
Andrew Chalmers, project manager at i4PD, said: “Our team working on the Boundary project are entirely focused on creating a beautiful product, while providing all the functionality that consumers expect from a smart home security system but at an affordable build cost. The suite will include a control hub complimented by an app to allow remote control of the alarm from their smart phone. The user will also be able to set or unset the alarm using a key fob as backup.
“We will use our experience to make sure the system has the right balance between functionality and aesthetics. We don’t simply want the smart alarm system to be secure, but also easy-to-use and desirable.”
Focusing on the system architecture and regulatory compliance of Boundary’s product will be IDB, a Glasgow based company that specialises in helping entrepreneurs go from an idea to launch and beyond. Having worked previously for Honeywell and Ericsson, IDB’s founder, Derek Liddle, specialises in bringing innovative IoT sensor products to market, making him a crucial source of expertise for Boundary’s product development.
Derek Liddle, Andrew Chalmers, Paul, Robin, Ross, Lisa Woo
Previously as technical director of CENSIS, the Glasgow based Innovation Centre, Derek created the successful IoT Centre (Internet of Things) helping companies to accelerate their adoption of IoT solutions and the institution to secure a further UK£9 million (€10.1 million) in funding.
Mr Liddle said: “Boundary is a great project to work on. They are moving away from the obscure, complicated control panel which users find difficult and are bringing the user experience bang up to date with a solution that is not only modern and user-friendly, but also offers grade 2 alarm system security and police response.”
IDB is providing Boundary with electronics and embedded system design, which will include secure connectivity to both sensors and third parties. Due to the very specific and stringent industry standards that must be be met, IDB has carried out a great deal of diligence to ensure that the requirements for a grade 2 alarm system will be in place.
Robin Knox, co-founder of Boundary, said: “We are enjoying working with both i4 and IDB as we continue to refine and develop our smart home alarm. Both firms have strong track records in achieving fantastic results and are exactly the safe hands on the tiller that Boundary needs.
“We are passionate about supporting the local start-up scene and tech community here in Scotland, so with both companies being local to us, we are sticking to our ethos of using home grown talent wherever possible. Both companies are well versed in the application of IoT in products and we believe that the continued rise of connected devices means that the time is right for Boundary’s connected security as a service offering.”
Boundary has big plans for the coming months, including the launch of its Kickstarter campaign, which will go live in early 2019 and aims to sell between 500-1,000 units, raising between £50,000 to £100,000 (€56,000 – €112,000) in investment.
In addition to these funds Knox and his co-founder, Paul Walton, will be drawing on their previous fund raising experience to generate a further £2 million (€2.25 million) in investment over the course of 2019, including an angel round early in the year.
Knox and Walton have a successful track record with start-ups, having successfully exited their previous business, Intelligent Point of Sale, which sold to iZettle, which was then subsequently acquired by PayPal in 2018 for $2.2 billion (€1.94 billion).
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