Two long-time friends are trying to tackle the issue of ‘screen time’ - encouraging kids to venture outside to promote healthy pursuits.
It was something they wanted to address after hearing from family and friends, who were worried about the amount of time their children were spending in front of computers, televisions, phones and tablets.
Putting her background in design engineering to good use, co-founder Katherine Pace created a wearable bracelet that counts steps.
Co-Founders of Elanation, Katherine Pace and Aimee Atkins. Source: SBS
The Sydney-based company, named their brightly coloured design the ETURBO, which has grown into an award winner in North America and China.
The ETURBO also links to an app.
On the Elanation app, Kids can use their steps to unlock videos, play games and socialise with their friends.
The ETURBO integrates with an app that allows the kids to 'cash out' these steps and unlock games and videos. Source: SBS
"Families [in Australia] are lifestyle-oriented, and we’re outside a lot. We wanted to curate an experience that celebrated the outdoors with technology enhancing that experience, and a lot of the time it is either I let my kid touch an iPad or I don't. We believe there is a better way, a way to bridge it," explains Pace.
Her partner in the business Aimee Atkins agrees. After beginning her career in children's entertainment, keeping the process simple was always going to be at the core of her new offering.
"The kids go outside with their ETURBO and count their steps. They come back to the Elanation app and they get to unlock these videos with athletes teaching them tips and tricks. What they do is engage with technology but they are prompted to go outside and use their skills in the real world. So there is a really healthy loop of play both outside and online."
Enlisting athletes from professional sports like rugby, cricket and football for the instructional videos was easier than anticipated.
"A lot of these athletes want to give their time back to kids that are coming through. Because of our mission and what we are trying to do, they are willing to give up their time,” says Aimee.
ETURBO is a wearable device for kids that currently retails at $99 Source: SBS
On an upward trajectory since launching their wearable in December 2016, the ETURBO is now stocked by major sporting retailer Rebel Sport.
Convincing parents the $99 price tag was reasonable was almost as important as having their core market, children aged 5+, thinking their product is hip.
"We have a rule that if the design is handed out to an eight-year-old, and if the first thing they say isn't ‘cool’, then we take it back to the drawing board," says Pace.
With a spike in uptake, it looks like so far the founder’s assumptions are right on the pulse.
Want to find out the secret to small business success? Tune into #BizSecretsSBS at Sundays 7am on SBS, stream on SBS On Demand, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
