Your home is an incredibly personal space. Designed not as an electronic accessory but to complement your home, we recognised not just the importance of form but also that it cannot be divorced from function.

The sphere is the simplest of forms, its surface constant and naturally perfect. Enveloping its contents in a protective way, the shape embodies the spirit of Cocoon and allows the camera to be positioned where you need it.

Cocoon's Subsound® technology profiles infrasound and audible sound waves to create a protective 'cocoon' inside your home. Subsound® allows Cocoon to detect activity well beyond the room you place it in, through walls and on other floors.

The study of low-frequency sounds (below 20Hz) outside the range of human hearing, or 'infrasonics' has long been used by seismologists for earthquake detection and geologists to study rock formations deep within the earth.

The same technology used to detect shock waves travelling through the planet can now be used to detect movement throughout your home.

With built-in machine learning, Cocoon understands what activity in your home is normal, so when an unusual event occurs you can be alerted and take action.

We've achieved the ability to protect a whole home from one beautifully crafted device that's intelligent enough to learn what's normal for your home.

We understand how incredibly important your personal space is. From a team with a strong security background, SSL and firewalls are just the basic layer of Cocoon's data security.

When you're at home, Cocoon indicates remote viewing by another user with sound and pulsing LED. Remote viewing can be easily disabled until you go out, so you're always in control.

Cocoon only pushes video to your smartphone if there is an unusual event detected or you request it, meaning everything stays locally (in your home) unless it absolutely needs to be uploaded.

Video and other data is encrypted both at rest and during transmission (256-bit AES) and decryption keys are only held on your registered mobile devices for added protection. Our cloud never sees your encryption keys, guaranteeing that your data can never be leaked.

We have working prototypes running in our alpha testers' homes including the Subsound® detection and learning software and a functional version of our mobile app.

We have identified and are working with our UK manufacturing partners. Cocoon's enclosure is designed and has been produced. Our electronics Bill of Materials (BOM) is complete and our first PCB design with production components is in testing.

We will soon begin work on

• PCB validation and testing
• Design for manufacture
• Supply chain setup
• User experience design
• Completion of our software feature set including setup process

In short, we have prepared our technology, or core team is in place and we are ready to execute on our go-to-market plan.

Cocoon's founders believe in a vision of beautifully designed smart home products that put people at the centre of the experience. We believe technology should effortlessly and securely fit into people's lives. This people-centred approach is at the core of what we do. We are ready to take the Cocoon prototype through the manufacturing process into your homes.

Sanjay Parekh, Commercial
Former CEO of WebExpenses and chartered management accountant. Sanjay ensures that we operate as efficiently as possible and is focused on our supply chain, production and distribution.  He is passionate about quality.

Dan Conlon, Product Management
Founder of successful technology businesses Donhost & Humyo. After Humyo was acquired by Internet Security company Trend Micro in 2010, Dan directed the roll-out of its storage technology in Japan where the technology was sold as a hardware device.

Nick Gregory, Hardware Engineering
Electronics engineering graduate with years of experience. Former Donhost & Humyo CTO. Nick spent five years building security infrastructure for global cloud security leader Trend Micro and now works on Cocoon's hardware and security.

John Berthels, Software Engineering
John has enjoyed working on big systems and cryptography in his former roles at Humyo and Trend Micro. He now leads the development of our software and Subsound® technology.

Colin Richardson, Marketing
User experience and customer guy. Colin worked at security companies McAfee and Trend Micro before starting Cocoon. Colin looks after our marketing strategy and spends lots of time learning from our prospective customers.

We want to make homes safer with a simple yet powerful solution that is truly effective.

We've been working on Cocoon since the start of the year and now need your help to set up our manufacturing and tooling. We are dedicated to transforming home security and need your support to build a community not just a company.

Why support us

• You don't use the security you have or don't have any useful security.
• You love to know what's happening in your home when you're out and about or away for long periods.
• You love great design and want to be the first to have an iconic home security device.

Your money will only be used to build your product - all funds pledged will be ring-fenced for tooling and component costs only.

We've developed our prototype that with your help and the team we've assembled should mean that we successfully deliver on our plans. We are at an early stage in our development and we may find that through our testing and refinement process that unanticipated problems occur.

We are manufacturing in our home country (United Kingdom) to reduce some of the risks. However bringing any new idea to market results in unforeseen issues which we will endeavor to minimise to ensure Cocoon is delivered according to our planned schedule.

Some of the issues which may be challenging are below:

FCC and CE testing
The device has to meet FCC and CE certification standards, but until the final prototype is built we will not be able to do the actual testing. This may mean we need to revise the electronics to pass the tests, which could cause delays.

Sourcing
We have identified and are working with our manufacturing partners and component suppliers, but until we know from this Indiegogo project how large our first production run will be we can't get delivery commitments or finalise our negotiations with the manufacturers.

Manufacturing
Although we have developed multiple software businesses in the past and have experience of hardware products, manufacturing isn't without risks. One key challenge is quality control. We have decided to produce the first production run locally to minimise the manufacturing risks, by being close to the manufacturing process we can ensure tight feedback loops and personal involvement in quality control.

• How does Cocoon work?
• How does Cocoon hear activities in a home?
• If humans can't hear infrasound, how can Cocoon?
• What is SUBSOUND™ and how is this different from infrasound?
• Why is SUBSOUND™ better at home monitoring than other technologies?
• Will Cocoon work in areas with high infrasound presence, like homes next to wind turbines?
• Can Cocoon recognise off-schedule or irregular events in a home?
• How does Cocoon know which sounds are “normal” and which constitute a security threat? Will Cocoon alert users to abnormal sounds that are not security threats, like accidentally dropping a bottle on the floor?
• How do users enable Cocoon's security features when they leave home?
• Can Cocoon accommodate multiple-occupancy, multi-user households, in which occupants come and go at different times?
• How can only one Cocoon listen to and protect an entire house?
• If Cocoon is so sensitive, won't it pick up users' neighbours' movements, too?
• Cocoon listens to and watches homes all day - how does it protect their privacy and how will it safeguard householders' data?
• Will Cocoon integrate with other services like IFTT, Apple HomeKit or SmartThings?
• Some crowdfunded smart home products underwhelm backers - what product quality assurances does Cocoon offer?
• If something sets off an alert elsewhere in the house from the Cocoon how can the user know how to deal with the alert?
• What happens if I have guests - will Cocoon consider this an unusual event?
• What happens if an alert triggers and I can't access my phone?
• What happens if my phone line is cut or my internet connection is lost?
• Does Cocoon need to use a telephone line?
• What power fitments will Cocoon support?
• What happens if an intruder cuts the power to the home before attempting to break in?

How does Cocoon work?

Cocoon detects activity in the home using its built-in infrasound and other sensors (motion detection, audible sound analysis) and uses machine learning algorithms to separate activity that is normal for your home that you might like to know about. We call this technology Subsound®.

Cocoon connects over the internet via our cloud service to your smartphones using geo-fencing to determine who's at home. This presence information is combined with learning your schedule to identify unusual events that occur - e.g. a front door being opened downstairs when the family are in bed or an unknown person moving through the property when you are away from the home. There's no need to create traditional 'zones' that you get in standard alarm systems or for the installation of other sensors.

Cocoon sends notifications of unusual events to your smartphone from which you can access live and recorded audio and video from your home. If you have a large property and you want greater camera coverage then more than one Cocoon can work together to provide this.

How does Cocoon hear activities in a home?

If you picture your house as being underwater, you can see that a door opening or closing upstairs or a person moving around will make the water move in various ways around the house.  The same effect happens with the air in your house. An appropriate sensor can detect the air pressure changes or 'ripples' which correspond to activity in the home.

Cocoon is packed full of high quality sensors that it uses to detect these ripples caused by activity in the home and convert them into digital signals. Each action is different and creates its own digital signature, like a fingerprint, that Cocoon uses to build profiles for what is normal in your home.

If humans can't hear infrasound, how can Cocoon?

Humans hear within the audible range of 20Hz - 20kHz but infrasound is classified as sound below that of human hearing (below 20Hz). Cocoon uses a powerful microphone to detect infrasound.

What is Subsound® and how is this different from infrasound?

Subsound® is the combination of sound wave detection (audible, and infrasound), digital profiling and machine learning. Subsound® lets Cocoon detect and make sense of the noise created by activity throughout your home so it can notify you if anything unusual happens so you can take action.

Infrasound is simply a frequency of sound wave so low (<20Hz) that we can't hear it. Infrasound can be created by many things in and around the home but on its own it has a very low chance of correctly indicating unusual activity.

Why is Subsound® better at home monitoring than other technologies?

Subsound® technology enables Cocoon to detect and profile activity throughout the home without the need for additional sensors. This means that you only need one small Cocoon device in order to keep the typical home or apartment secure, eliminating the need for expensive wired home security systems and you don't have to remember to arm or disarm it.

Subsound® gives the peace of mind that the whole home is actually safe whereas regular smart cameras can only protect what they can see and suffer from false positives (e.g. rapidly changing light levels in the room monitored or vehicles passing outside).

Will Cocoon work in areas with high infrasound presence, like homes next to wind turbines?

Yes, Cocoon is smart enough to learn what is normal for your home and only triggers when an unusual event occurs within the walls of your home.

The term "Infrasound" on its own refers to any low-frequency sound waves. Just as our ears and brain can tell the difference between the audible noise of door closing and a train rumbling past, the sensors and software in Cocoon can tell the difference between the infrasound profile of a moving door and a wind turbine.  

Can Cocoon recognise off-schedule or irregular events in a home?

Yes. Cocoon actually works by understanding what is normal in your home and then notifying you when unusual (irregular) activity occurs.

How does Cocoon know which sounds are “normal” and which constitute a security threat? Will Cocoon alert users to abnormal sounds that are not security threats, like accidentally dropping a bottle on the floor?

Cocoon continually analyzes the readings from its sensors. A notable audio event can be processed to extract an audio "fingerprint". Different kinds of sounds, for example, jangling keys, the click of a door or loud music from next door all have different fingerprints.

In this way, Cocoon can turn the raw stream of audio data into a more comprehensible stream of events, with associated data. These events can then be analysed to discover patterns, as Cocoon learns what is normal for your household. This analysis is then used to build a model of what events are expected, tailored to your specific household.

With this model, augmented by information from your mobile app about when you are home or away, Cocoon can decide if a sensor event is likely to be significant, and show it to you.

Over time Cocoon adapts to your home, learning new profiles and adapting to your routine. You can also indicate to Cocoon that a type of unusual event reported to you is OK.

How do users enable Cocoon's security features when they leave home?

Cocoon automatically detects when you are at home and when you have left using geo-fencing on your smartphone so there is no need to arm or disarm it. You can check in on your home any time using the Cocoon mobile app, streaming HD video and audio straight to your smartphone, trigger the built-in siren or contact the Police.  

Can Cocoon accommodate multiple-occupancy, multi-user households, in which occupants come and go at different times?

Yes. Just install the app on each authorised occupant's phone and Cocoon will know who is at home and behave accordingly.

How can only one Cocoon listen to and protect an entire house?

When any wave fits through a gap it will spread out a bit.  The greater the wavelength, the more it will spread out.  Because the 'ripples' or waves of air pressure changes Cocoon monitors are of very low frequency they spread out a lot allowing them to travel a long way around a building, even though the tiniest of gaps.

Cocoon is packed full of high-quality sensors that it uses to detect these ripples which it converts into digital signals. Each action is different and creates it own digital signature, like a fingerprint, that Cocoon uses to build profiles and determine whether activity is normal.

If Cocoon is so sensitive, won't it pick up users' neighbours' movements, too?

Activity in adjacent buildings can cause "background noise" in the infrasound frequencies, but without a direct airflow between the properties, there are measurable differences in the sensor readings, which Cocoon can use to distinguish the two.

If there is a direct airflow, for example if there is a shared hallway or similar, then the area covered by Cocoon is typically smaller and the software within Cocoon can adjust the overall sensitivity during the learning phase. Air pressure changes over time and audible sound helps Cocoon to confirm if an unusual event is specific to your home or your neighbours having a party!

Cocoon listens to and watches homes all day - how does it protect their privacy and how will it safeguard householders' data?

We understand that security must be delivered without compromising the ultimately privacy of the home.

4 of the 5 Cocoon founding team come from the world's leading Internet Security companies such as Trend Micro and McAfee. Having developed cloud storage and internet security products since 2007 they are experienced at securing data on devices and in the cloud and we operate best practices in all of our data centre activity, build and user experience.

When you're home, Cocoon signals remote viewing by another user with a sound and pulsing LED.  Remote viewing can be easily disabled until you go out.

The 'normal' activity data that Cocoon collates never leaves your home. Video is encrypted at rest and in transmission (256bit AES) with decryption keys held only on your mobile devices.  The Cocoon cloud platform never sees decryption keys guaranteeing that data can never be leaked.

Cocoon puts you at the centre of your home security so if an event occurs only you, the authorised user, will have access to the live video feed.

Will Cocoon integrate with other services like IFTT, Apple HomeKit or SmartThings?

We believe in the future of smart home devices working together to improve lives. In support of this vision we commit to always opening our APIs.

Cocoon is a smart, internet-connected device. As we make future releases we will be able to push out new functionality and add features to your Cocoon.

We have plans to integrate with the main home automation platforms in the same way that we support major mobile OS like Android and iOS at a time that there are clear market leaders.

Some crowdfunded smart home products underwhelm backers - what product quality assurances does Cocoon offer?

We are inspired by high-quality products (Apple, Bowers & Wilkins), we refuse to settle on design or build and know that the longevity of our business depends upon delighting our earliest backers.

Many crowdfunded projects struggle due to the inexperience of the founding team. Cocoon's founding team are successful, seasoned start-up entrepreneurs. 4 of the founders are veterans of Humyo, a maker of storage technology which was distributed in Japan as a consumer hardware device.  

The team have researched and sought advice from others with domain knowledge to ensure any skill or knowledge gaps have been identified and filled.  We have engaged external advisers in the fields of electronic hardware production and hardware supply chain to ensure we continue to knowledgeable resources to consult with as we move towards delivery of our product.

Cocoon is designed manufactured and assembled in the UK. We are doing this to ensure that we can directly oversee that each unit is of the highest quality and to avoid communication and time delay issues that often beset start-ups that manufacture in Asia from the outset.

We believe in an ethical approach to business and as such we're ring-fencing the funds raised from crowd funding. We guarantee they will only be used to pay for components, tooling, production and delivery costs.

We will not use crowdfunding money to pay for R&D, salaries, office space etc.

We offer a 12-month manufacturers guarantee on all of our products and 30-day money back guarantee if you're not happy when Cocoon arrives.

If something sets off an alert elsewhere in the house from the Cocoon how can the user know how to deal with the alert?

The live video stream includes high fidelity audio which a user can listen to for handling an alert out of Cocoon's line of sight.  Multiple Cocoons can work together if the user wishes to extend camera coverage.

What happens if I have guests - will Cocoon consider this an unusual event?

No, Cocoon knows you are home due to its geo-fencing capability. Since the house is active and normal daytime activities are being senses leading up to and during the guest visit, Cocoon will not activate its night time protection mode.

If someone tries to gain entry to your home in the middle of the night and you are in bed then Cocoon will not treat them as a guest and will inform you of an unusual event occurring in the home.

If a guest arrives (cleaner/etc) and you are away from the home then Cocoon will give you live video of the home straight to your smartphone via the app. You can then decide what you want to do - allow entry, trigger the siren, or indeed call the Police (probably not such a good idea if it is a genuine visitor!).

What happens if an alert triggers and I can't access my phone?

If you live with other people you live with can receive notifications from Cocoon if they have the mobile app installed. You can also set secondary contacts so that in the event that your smartphone is out of reception or if it runs out of battery and an unusual event is detected then a close friend, family member or neighbour will be informed. You should select someone that you trust.

We're also planning to offer an optional subscription that includes a monitored alert service at an additional monthly charge.

Again, you have the option to do this in the case of an emergency and don't have to.

What happens if my phone line is cut or my internet connection is lost?

If Cocoon is disconnected from the main or from the internet then the cloud system will alert the user. Cocoon maintains a heart-beat connection to the cloud system, if that connection is unexpectedly dropped the user is alerted that the internet or power has been cut.

Cocoon learns any normal pattern of drops your connection experiences do if your internet connection dips out occasionally for a couple of minutes the system will learn this and will not send you an alert until the behaviour is out of the ordinary.

Keep in mind that Cocoon records activity on the device locally and only pushes it to the cloud (and then your smartphone) when an unusual event is detected. This means that if the line is cut (highly unlikely) then you'll still have evidence of the crime occurring once the intruder attempts to enter the home.

Does Cocoon need to use a telephone line?

Cocoon doesn't need to use the hard telephone (PSTN) line directly. The device connects to your home WiFi network which then connects to our cloud service and your smartphone(s). The system is secure, encrypting data during transmission and at rest.

What power fitments will Cocoon support?

Cocoon will support US, UK and European power fitments.

What happens if an intruder cuts the power to the home before attempting to break in?

If Cocoon is disconnected from the main or from the internet then the cloud system will alert the user. Cocoon maintains a heart-beat connection to the cloud system, if that connection is unexpectedly dropped the user is alerted that the internet or power has been cut.

Cocoon stores some video and audio locally on the device so if an intruder did take out the home WiFi or phone hardline we'd still have evidence that could be used to aid any Police investigation.

In the future, when there are a lot of Cocoons in your neighbourhood, we'll be able to tell you whether it's only the power or phone line to your home that's down or a general problem in the area too!