Maker Spotlight — Andrea Rust and Antonio Rodriguez

There is no doubt that we have entered into an era of instant notifications. A chime for a new email. A buzz for every Facebook like. A ring for important phone calls. An endless bevy of interruptions calling us to our phone screens. But what if when you got home, you could put your phone in a drawer without the fear of missing an important email from your boss or the phone call that you’ve been waiting for? What if the solution was something elegant? An art piece on your shelf instead of another plastic tech gadget. And what if it could also be used as an assistive technology device for the deaf and hard of hearing communities.

That’s what Andrea and Antonio thought too. Their journey began when they decided that they needed a way to connect all of the smart devices they used in their daily lives into one stylish solution. And this father daughter duo was up for the challenge.

Antonio Rodriguez is a serial entrepreneur, hardware and software engineer, technology enthusiast, and is hard of hearing. Andrea, having intimate knowledge of the deaf community, is a designer with a passion for assistive technology. Antonio and Andrea started at a local makerspace, but without the knowledge of how to use the tools available in the facility the project got off to a slow start.

“That is when we discovered TechShop. Not only did TechShop have all of the tools we needed to rapid prototype and then some, but it had knowledgeable staff that was able to guide us through the process. With their help, we were able to prototype at more rapid rate, arriving at our latest product design much faster than we could have imagined possible, and much more affordably than had we pursued other avenues.” While at TechShop Austin, Andrea and Antonio created the first of their Pretty Smart Lamps. A lamp that not only comes in a variety of styles, it integrates all kinds of great features like Facebook notifications, alerts for phone calls and emails, and adjusting the temperature of your smart thermostat. The gentle pulsing lights help to alert you to incoming messages and there is even a double tap feature that helps you find your phone.

In 2015 the duo ran a successful Kickstarter campaign raising over 300% of their initial goal.

“As new members, we were able to go from prototyping, to launching a KickStarter campaign in just 4 months.” And even sent a specially designed lamp to each of the US TechShops.

In a recent update from Pretty Smart Homes,

“We’re working on a wearable that acts as a command center will, like the Pretty Smart Lamp, include lots of functionality and focus on design.

Our product is a useful gadget for anyone who loves the latest technology while including special usability to meet the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. In doing so, we believe that we can change the world of assistive technology, to be better, more beautiful, and more affordable.”

Check out their website to get your own Pretty Smart Lamp and to stay up-to-date with all of their new products. http://www.prettysmarthomes.com/

There are big things in the future of Pretty Smart Homes and we are happy to call Andrea Rust and Antonio Rodriguez two of TechShop’s Everyday Makers.