Local Entrepreneur Is Building a Better Thermometer

iTherm image provided

The modern thermometer was created almost 300 years ago, and yet the technology doesn’t seem to have aged a day. In fact, when you go to the doctor, or even take your temperature at home, even with a digital thermometer, it still seems like we are all still using the same prototype from the 1700s. But Boston-based entrepreneurs are trying to change that with the iTherm, an armband and app that measures and monitors human temperature with a smartphone, even when sleeping. There’s also an alert system.

Marcos Oliva, an entrepreneur, app developer, and cofounder of the iTherm, says that the idea came to him a few years ago when his first child was born. “When he had his first cold and fever the pediatrician told us: ‘Watch out that the temperature does not get too high by giving him antipyretics every eight hours for two days. If there is no improvement bring him back,'” Oliva says. “That night my wife and I organized shifts every two hours to monitor the fever and the next day the whole family was very tired. With the birth of my second child the sleepless nights increased.”

The iTherm project is based on solving real problems the way that many parents do when their kids are sick. “We do not want to build ‘cool technology.’ We are parents that want to help parents by using biosensors to solve day-to-day problems. iTherm is the first step of the other devices that will follow,” Oliva says.

iTherm is a product for toddlers (ages one to eight years) built with a fully customizable and intuitive app. It stays connected to an Android or iOS device with Bluetooth. “You can program iTherm to send you text alerts based on body temperature thresholds that you create,” Oliva says. “Now you can know when your baby’s fever spikes anytime, right away. Best of all, all of the temperature data is stored for quick reference and easy diagnosis.”

The iTherm focuses on monitoring body temperature and helps children with a fever rest better. It also allows for more peaceful rest for parents so that they don’t have to wake up every few hours to check their child’s temperature. “There is no need to wake up your child to check his or her fever,” Oliva says.

After working on the project for 18 months there’s now a working prototype, and Oliva has put the invention on Indiegogo.com to crowdsource funding for the unique device.

Retail price will be $39. To contribute and get an iTherm of your own, click here.