I'll confess: I take a picture of my stove before I leave on a long trip. I've lived with OCD my whole life, and it's one of the little life hacks I've developed to calm the anxiety—in this case, the very real and totally understandable fear of leaving the gas on and burning down the house.
While I'm not yet in Ome's target demographic, I think the concept of remote monitoring and shutting off the burners will be widely accepted. Smart Knob's press materials focus on senior communities — older adults who are still living independently. The Atlanta-based startup points out that unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires, which affects so many older adults.
The knob, which went on sale Tuesday, isn't Ohm's first foray into the field: the company said the new model was created based on user feedback about its predecessor.
Image credit: Ome
“Over the past few years, we have gathered valuable feedback from our customers and significantly enhanced our solution,” founder and CEO Akshita Iyer said in the release. “We are excited to release the next generation of our Smart Knob with improved design, expanded compatibility, upgraded features and an even easier installation process.”
This second-generation product is roughly half the size of its predecessor and offers a wider range. Ome says the installation process has been streamlined and the new model can last up to four months on a single charge.
Iyer, a Duke University graduate and former “Shark Tank” contestant, found inspiration close to home: Her mother, who has Parkinson's disease, left the stove on one day and nearly started a fire. But not all stories like this have a happy ending.
Ome's $129 solution can be retrofitted to fit *most* ranges, and once installed, it's secured in place with 3M removable adhesive, with a four-pack option available for $499.
The system has remote monitoring and control, as well as the ability to automatically power off when no one is around while cooking, programmable cooking times, and send alerts to connected smart devices.
The new Ome Smart Knob is available for preorder starting today, with shipping in early October.