Connecting people and things (the Internet of things) is regarded as one of the next trends in technology. A Swiss – German start-up company has this vision at the forefront and launched today, in time for the Lift Conference in Geneva, its new service “qipp”. The web application supports individuals to organize their own favourite things, to keep their value, to share them with other people, and to discover new things.
Each of us has things that are particularly important – a bicycle, a digital camera or an heirloom of grandparents. We love these things, but if they are to be kept intact or even permanently up to date, they require care and expertise. qipp, the first digital companion for things people care about, is available in the form of a web application that actively cares about preserving the value or appreciation of things and simplifies the owner‘s life. The ETH spin-off of qipp has been developed by Stefan Zanetti, Manfred Bausch and Claudio Büttler and their young team in Basel and Freiburg.
Zanetti had the idea for qipp several years ago at the ETH Zurich. However, the technical possibilities of the implementation of a digital companion were not quite sufficiently spread back then. Meanwhile, social network approaches and technologies such as NFC and Bluetooth low energy have been introduced so that any everyday things can be connected over the Internet with their owners.
As of now, users can create a digital profile for a beloved thing with qipp, which can be expanded automatically for product information. Things can be protected or shared with friends, and receipts and warranty certificates can be stored.
qipp understands these basic services as a first step, and soon it will also be possible to communicate directly with the products or to directly connect with manufacturers, retailers, suppliers of specialty or support services.
qipp is now launching the web application (www.qipp.com) for mobile phones, laptops and tablets of any kind and will present the manufacturer variant and a first generation of smart tags for everyday products at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in late February.
