Assistive app that helps caregivers notice potentially dangerous situations around kids who require constant supervision
Current Status
Our early traction is focused on initial de-risking:
a) Founders had hundreds of conversations with parents across past 10 years; b) participated in Berkeley STEP incubator (‘24) & NSF iCorps NorthWest (Nov ’25); c) during formal customer interviews 19 discovery families agreed to participate in Beta-test; currently internal alpha ongoing; d) App prototype approved in Apple’s TestFlight, 6 sub-versions, multiple redesigns and 2 name changes. N.B. product video shows prior-version of the product (named SafetyLens at that time)
Problem or Opportunity
Families caring for children with severe mental disabilities often must provide constant “protective supervision” to prevent injuries caused by behaviors such as climbing, accessing dangerous objects, or wandering. Caregivers frequently must intervene within seconds, creating extreme stress, burnout, and significant economic cost. In the U.S., protective supervision already represents tens of billions of dollars in annual care spending and is fully manual work.
Solution (product or service)
Our startup (legal name Helping Robots Inc.) builds an AI-powered safety assistant that uses computer vision and sound recognition to monitor environments through everyday mobile devices, like iPads or smartphones. When potentially dangerous situations are detected, the system immediately alerts caregivers and can trigger distraction responses to interrupt risky behavior before injury occurs.
Business model
Phase 1: 6-12 months, B2C - directly to families and caregivers, $20/month subscription model, collecting initial evidence of efficacy and user retention metrics;
Phase 2: 12-24M - publishing evidence and start of B2B - schools, ABA-centers, therapy orgs. Batch licensing, potentially integration with existing CCTV installations.
Phase 3: 36M+ - medical insurance and government.
