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Smart alarm Cocoon listens out for burglars with infrasonic ears

Cocoon is more of a smart guard dog than a security system – it listens out for noises that the human ear can’t detect. 

Combining an HD video camera, motion sensors and infrasonic detectors, the Cocoon unit aims to bring smart home security up to the next level. 

To to be exact, down to the next level. The Cocoon unit scans for sounds below 20Hz, which are beneath the typical audible range of 20Hz-20kHz for humans. 

The Cocoon learns how you live to give you peace of mind

Like a lot of smart security systems, the Cocoon does its best to adapt to your routines, creating a generic activity map of your house and day to day activity. 

That way, if something out of the ordinary happens such as a door or window opening, the infrasonic sensors of the Cocoon should pick up on this, even if a break-in is happening in another room. 

Co-founder of Cocoon Sanjay Parekh said: “Security today is about people. It’s about knowing who should and shouldn’t be there. Most technologies aren’t smart enough to do this. Cocoon learns about your home and automatically notifies you if something unusual happens, so you can take action and feel safe.”

One of the key advantages of infrasonic sensors is that they can pick up on unusual sounds as they travel through walls and windows. For this reason, Cocoon says, you’ll only need one of their units to safeguard your entire house or apartment. 

The Cocoon’s HD camera comes with a night vision mode and wide angle lens, allowing a whole room to be monitored remotely. Of course, if you wanted to record video evidence of a burglary in more than one room, you’d need to invest in more cameras. 

Video can be remotely monitored from your phone (iOS and Android are supported) and in the event of more more tech-savvy theives cutting your broadband connection, the Cocoon itself can store some footage locally.  

The Cocoon has launched on crowdfunding site Indiegogo today and the founders are seeking to raise $100,000 (£62,000) for distribution. If the target is hit, Cocoon will start shipping at the end of 2015.

The Cocoon can be pre-ordered now from Indiegogo for the intro price of $249 (£159), with the first 200 units available to buy with a 30 per cent discount ($199 / £129). When Cocoon goes on sale, it should cost around $299 (£189). 

At the time of writing, the project has attracted $36,411 (£22,789) of its pledge target. With 34 days to go, hopefully Cocoon won’t suffer the same fate as smart home Zen master Neoji

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