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PROVO — Out on the playground and in life, it could be said this father-son duo is inseparable.
Four-year-old Kimball keeps his dad busy.
“His nickname when he began to walk was Boy Boy because he had the energy of two kids in one kid,” said father Spencer Behrend.
But on the 4th of July in 2013 at one of the states largest parades, the inseparable became separated.
“That was the worst experience. A crowd of thousands of people," Behrend said. "The worst-scenarios go through your head."
In the blink of an eye, Kimball disappeared into the mass of onlookers. Luckily, they found him unharmed a short time later.
In the days that followed, an idea was born: “It’s a virtual leash,” said Behrend.
He calls it the Kiband, named after that little ball of energy, Kimball.
The prototypes are being manufactured in a facility in Orem.
“It alerts you when the child is beginning to wander, not after they’re lost,” Behrend said.
It locks on a child’s wrist much like a watch, and using Bluetooth technology, syncs to a smartphone.
“When the child approaches the custom perimeters that you've set from your phone, the band first vibrates reminding them that hey, mom and dad said 'stay close,'” said Behrend.
It has a range of up to 200 feet and an alarm with adjustable volume so it can be heard in even the busiest places, keeping parents one-step ahead.
“You know right away from that alarm which way to go,” Behrend said. “Providing that piece of mind is something that I love to do and it doesn't feel like work. It just feels like fun.”
Contributing: Mary Richards
