IoT Reaches the Hobby Fisherman Thanks to smartLure's Model Zero Sensor-Packed Bluetooth Lure
Clever lure includes accelerometer, gyroscope, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and more, all linked to your smartphone.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is extending its reach to beneath the waves, courtesy of a new sensor-packed fishing lure from Japanese specialist smartLure: the smartLure Model Zero.
"Since the Stone Age, anglers have been trying to learn more about fish behavior through observation," writes smartLure's Yuki Okamura. "The fun of fishing is not only in just catching fish, but also in using knowledges to solve the puzzle of how to catch fish each new day on the water."
"Our product enables anglers to understand fish behavior deeply by analyzing and incorporating a variety of data points. We collect data from all over the world for scientific analysis; we organize and analyze the data by fish species, underwater environment, lure type, color, and action. Our goal is to present information on when and how to fish for the best results."
The smartLure Model Zero, the company's first commercialized design, is equipped with a built in sensor system driven by a battery and charged through contacts on its underside. The sensor package, which can be swapped between lure bodies, includes a water-detection sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, pressure sensor, light sensor, and temperature sensor, data from which can be captured over a five-hour period and passed to a smart device running Android 8, iOS 13, or above over Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (BLE).
"Here are the features we are planning to introduce to our application," Okamura writes. "Visualize the tracings and the actions of the lure; track the locations of casting lures on map; present weather information, moon age, and tide, combined with the data collected by the lure; display photos of fish, landscape, and baits. Our application integrates and organizes all the collected information including data from the sensor which is helpful for fishing."
The smartLure Model Zero is being funded on Kickstarter with physical rewards starting at ¥14,980 (around $139) for a single lure in Silver Shad, Red Gold, or Japanese Ayu designs. The device is expected to ship in February 2022.