TracknStop breaks new ground in vehicle antitheft

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(Image: TracknStop)

20 June 2014

Applications for tracking cars are not new, nor are the widgets that sit in the cars themselves to do it. However, what is new about the system developed by Irish start-up TracknStop is that it has the ability to safely stop any car to which the technology is fitted, through tracking information that can be viewed on its app, or desktop, all without invalidating the warranty of the car.

Co-founder and ideas man Stephen Kehoe said that the system has so far been fitted to everything from a 70s Fiat 500 (or Bambino to those of a certain age) to a €200,000 Mercedes that does not even have an ignition key.

Gradual stop

The system works by taking control of the ignition or fuel system within the car and effecting a fuel run out effect. In a demonstration, a manual, diesel VW Jetta, had the system triggered from an Android phone while travelling at approximately 80kph. The dashboard lights illuminated to indicate a fuel fault and the fuel supply was reduced in stages until the vehicle coasted to a standstill.

A key point about the operation is that it is gradual, and so does not tend to induce a panic in the driver, but rather the experience feels like running out of fuel. All the electrical systems still work too, so windows, doors and hazard lights function, but critically systems such as servo-assisted and ABS brakes remain operative.

Kehoe emphasises this as a sort of duty of care to the driver, who in most cases would actually be the thief, but the system allows the car to be safely stopped so that authorities can apprehend the suspected thief, but also recover the car safely.

Another important element of the system is that even though the fuel supply is interrupted, it does not require the fuel system to be bled to restart the car. This is critical for diesel cars. The TracknStop system merely effects a fuel starvation or ignition cut out but requires nothing bar re-activation afterword to restore full operation — facilitating law enforcement or emergency services in either clearing or recovering the vehicle.

Unique package

Kehoe said that while similar facilities have been available in part in various cars previously, though usually in the luxury market, the TracknStop system brings together a unique set of capabilities and can be fitted to almost any car. It also features an anti-tamper facility so that in the event of a thief discovering where the device is and interfering with it, the device triggers a default mode of non-operation and so the car will go nowhere and alert the owner. The system also boasts anti-jamming technology.

Tristan Fagan-Guimond is technical director of Big Dog Digital, the development company that worked on the programming but now has become part of the TracknStop team. He demonstrated how the application can be set up to monitor multiple cars, as in a company fleet scenario or just a large family, and showed how ‘fences’ or operational areas can be configured. Say for example, you had a newly qualified offspring who was not allowed to drive beyond certain boundaries, the system can save a number of such geo-restrictions with various alerts that can be triggered to say when one has been breached. Equally there is a privacy mode whereby the active tracking reporting can be turned off, such as when a company car is used by an employee with usage rights outside of office hours. In that case, after say 18:00 the tracker will stop automatic reporting until 09:00 the next day.

Kehoe said that the system is patent pending but that is now ready for commercial use. He said that ideally, the company would look to partner with one of the large breakdown assist companies to provide the trackers, fitting and the back-up, such as call centre and law enforcement liaison.

Safe and effective

Kehoe said that the phenomenon of carjacking, though nothing new, with its recent incidents would be dramatically improved by the widespread use of such a system. Citing European figures for car thefts, which run at about 3,288 per day or 1.2 million per year, he said imagine if the police did not have to chase those cars but rather had a safe, effective and immediate means of stopping them. This is what the TracknStop system provides.

Tested and developed in conjunction with Dublin Institute of Technology, the system has been well received by all in early talks with the company, and the intent is for it to be available to the general public, as well as commercial customers.

As regards cost, the price is not fixed yet, but Kehoe is confident it will be less than €200 for purchase and fitting, with an app subscription fee of under €20 per year. As such, this is likely to be a very affordable solution. It would make even more sense if, as has been mooted with insurance companies, insurance premiums can be reduced as result of having the system fitted.

For more information and demos see the company site.

 

www.tracknstop.com

 

TechCentral Reporters

 

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