What if we told you that there’s a cup holder for your car that can double as an anti-theft security device? Yeah, we didn’t immediately buy the idea at first until we saw this.
This gizmo is called the Knight. It’s a “do-it-all security and safety monitoring device” built by US-based startup Keep Technologies. It deters would-be robbers from breaking into any car by using sounds and red lights as warnings when somebody peeks into the car windows, and sounds off a 120dB siren and starts recording footage when somebody enters.
The Knight uses various sensors, including infrared and microwave, to eliminate false positives. It can also track location and even detect unsafe driving behavior like hard braking or sudden accelerations.
The device is equipped with 4G cellular connectivity so it stays connected to a cloud 24/7 and is able to send notifications to users’ smartphones whenever unauthorized entry is detected. The video recordings and location are uploaded to the cloud instantly during a break-in, and owners can view the live feed from the Knight’s camera and track their cars in real-time using their mobile devices.
The Knight connects to the OBD port via a cable that can run underneath the floorboard and the center console and onto the cup holder. The device itself is then slid in and can be locked in place and activated with just a few twists. The best part? The Knight is an actual cup holder, too, so you’ll still have somewhere to put down your cup of coffee whenever you’re behind the wheel.
Want to see it in action? You can check out the video below:
According to a report by TechCrunch, the company is eyeing a price tag of $299 on the device and a yearly subscription fee of $50. Higher-level professional monitoring is then pegged at about $30 a month. Keep Technologies is planning to fully launch the product midway through 2022.
What do you think of this? If this were available in our market, would you get one?
