STEMP temp patch 1

If you’re a parent, you know the dilemma of what to do about a sleeping sick child. You want to know what’s happening with their fever, but you don’t want to wake them up. What to do? The folks behind STEMP — Smart TEMperature Patch — think they have a solution. They have created a small module that you can stick to a patient’s body, and it will wirelessly report the temperature.

The module inserts into a disposable bandage that uses medical-grade adhesive. The device runs for up to 30 days on a single charge, and you just place it on its USB base to power it up again. The long battery life is due in part to the use of Bluetooth Low Energy for the wireless connection. The temperature module is waterproof, and can even be worn in the shower. And unlike most home thermometer solutions, the STEMP provides continuous monitoring so that you can see trends over time. The smartphone app can also be set to trigger alerts if the temperature goes outside preset limits. You can also monitor more than one STEMP unit with a single smartphone or tablet, in case the whole family is sick at the same time.

The product is the target of an Indiegogo campaign, and the organizers hope to ship the product by this fall. The retail price has not been set, but Indiegogo backers can get a STEMP system for a contribution of as little as $35. The product initially will support iOS devices, but the organizers say that they intend to add Android support as well.