Smart Smoke Alarm

The Spark: Why do smoke alarms always chirp for new batteries at 3 AM?
The Pitch: A smoke detector with a basic internal clock (or light sensor) that only chirps during the day. Bonus: connect it to your phone and tell it when you’re awake.
Why It Matters: Saves sleep. Saves sanity. Saves relationships.

What Are We Building Here?

The Spark: Why is the sidewalk torn up again?
The Pitch: A geospatial-aware mobile app that tells you what permits are active near your location. Tap a map and get the story: who’s digging, why, and how long it’ll last. Bonus points for photos, project contacts, or community comment threads.
Why It Matters: Empower residents, satisfy curiosity, and cut down on mystery jackhammer rage.

Karaoke Movie

The Spark: What if you muted your favorite film scene and read the captions out loud yourself, as the character?
The Pitch: Use captions as a script. Choose your scene. Grab a friend. Voice your favorite moment as Gandalf, Elsa, or Ripley. Could be an app, a party game, or even an acting class warmup.
Why It Matters: Great for fans, budding voice actors, or anyone who wants to yell “YOU SHALL NOT PASS” into a hairbrush.

Personal Network Employment Stats

The Spark: How’s the job market really doing — in my network?
The Pitch: A tool that scans your LinkedIn connections for job title changes, open-to-work signals, and other public cues. Aggregate the trends and show employment data like a mini Bureau of Labor Statistics — but just for your world.
Why It Matters: Spot career shifts, get hiring insights, and feel the pulse of your professional bubble.

House Listener

The Spark: What if your house could hear and learn?
The Pitch: A microphone device that continuously records and classifies ambient sounds in your home — dripping faucets, clinking glass, dog barks, HVAC weirdness. Like a smart stethoscope for your home’s health.
Why It Matters: Early warnings for leaks, break-ins, or mechanical failures. Smart home monitoring meets marine biology acoustics.

Cough Drop Suckers

The Spark: Kids hate cough drops. Kids love lollipops.
The Pitch: Put a stick on a cough drop. Make it feel like candy — but with throat-soothing magic. Flavor it better, brand it smarter, and win cold season.
Why It Matters: Parents win. Kids win. Pharmacies win. Why didn’t we do this already?

Birthday Candle Gun

The Spark: Lighting candles one by one is slow, messy, and feels oddly dangerous.
The Pitch: A handheld device that punches candles into the cake and lights them at the same time — like a festive nail gun but for sugar and fire.
Why It Matters: Faster birthday setups. No more burnt fingertips. Your inner gadget nerd gets a small victory.

Smart Scale for Exercise

The Spark: Assisted pull-ups are inconsistent and clunky.
The Pitch: A smart exercise platform that subtracts a fixed weight (e.g., 20 lbs) in real-time. Stand on it, and it offers resistance support only when you’re over the limit. Perfect for developing strength while tracking progress.
Why It Matters: Builds consistency and measurable improvement for bodyweight training. Could extend to rehab or physical therapy.