Autonomous SmartCan Gets One Step Closer to Alleviating Consumer Chores With Help from Protolabs’ Cool Idea Award

Digital manufacturing leader Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) today announces that smart home company Rezzi has been selected as the latest Cool Idea Award winner for innovation in automated consumer electronics technology.

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Smart home company Rezzi's SmartCan has been selected as a winner of Protolabs' Cool Idea Award. SmartCan is a motorized garbage can attachment and mobile app that autonomously brings trash to the curb and returns the garbage can to its base once emptied. (Photo: Rezzi)

Rezzi’s premier product, SmartCan, eliminates the need for homeowners to drag their garbage cans to the curb by providing a motorized trash can attachment and corresponding mobile app. Users can set the specific day and time they need their trash to be at the curb for pickup, and the SmartCan attachment will get it there autonomously. Once picked up by collectors, the SmartCan heads back to its base after sensing the vertical movement.

"We want to help people eliminate unnecessary chores from their daily lives," said Rezzi CEO and SmartCan creator Andrew Murray. "We see an opportunity to take IoT beyond just turning off lights or turning on music, and really help alleviate the burden of the mundane physical tasks that everyone faces. Rezzi is looking to build on the progress of notable smart home and IoT companies to do our part in redefining this consumer landscape."

Rezzi plans to bring SmartCan to market by late 2020, and with the help of Protolabs and the Cool Idea Award, the company has been able to rapidly accelerate its current phase of product prototyping and testing, bumping up its production schedule by nearly six months. SmartCan’s entire mechanical structure was manufactured by Protolabs, including the main body fabricated from sheet metal, the drive train assembly and the 3D printed plastic cover.

"Much like what autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners have done for keeping a clean home and what smart doorbells have done for home security, SmartCan completes the recurring task of taking out the garbage," said Vicki Holt, President & CEO of Protolabs. "We’re seeing more and more autonomous products in the consumer electronics industry, aimed at reducing time spent doing less desirable things and enabling more time for valued activities."

About Protolabs

Protolabs is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. The technology-enabled company produces custom parts in as fast as 1 day with automated 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding processes. Its digital approach to manufacturing enables accelerated time to market, reduces development and production costs, and minimizes risk throughout the product life cycle. Visit protolabs.com for more information.

About Rezzi

Rezzi is developing IoT devices that enhance our consumers’ residential experience. By removing chores from their daily lives, Rezzi’s smart home devices allow consumers to take back control of their time with the assurance that the tasks will be completed. Rezzi’s first product, SmartCan, removes the smelly task of taking out the trash, one of America’s most hated chores. Rezzi’s founding team is backed by individuals with decades of experience in consumer tech, IoT, and smart home devices and works with companies such as Protolabs who have over 20 years of experience in prototyping and manufacturing. The company is headquartered in Somerville, MA. To learn more, visit www.rezziot.com.

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