There’s a parallel universe where grandparents are much more tech-savvy than their grandchildren, but this one probably isn’t it. The funny video behind ThermBot’s thermometer does, however, demonstrate that regular thermometers are antiquated and can do with an upgrade. Meet the ThermBot. It’s smaller, simpler, smarter, and faster than that icky thermometer you put in your mouth, or that contactless thermometer gun everyone is brandishing outside their establishments nowadays. Barely the size of a 9V battery, the ThermBot comes with a pop-out port that allows it to plug into a phone or a power-bank. Once plugged in, the ThermBot works as a contactless thermometer, reading your temperature from a distance. The ThermBot’s digital white-on-black backlit LCD display is much easier to read, provides accurate temperature readings in under a second, and the device itself is a whole lot smaller than the conventional hand-held thermometer-gun… but that isn’t all. The ThermBot’s pop-out USB-C port serves a much larger purpose. Once you plug it into your phone, the ThermBot allows you to send your temperature reading to your fitness apps, integrating another aspect of health into your digital-health monitoring dashboards. For people who find themselves keeping regular tabs on their heart-rate or even their blood pressure, the ThermBot provides you with another facet of health-monitoring, and automatically integrates with apps like Google Fit and Apple Fitness. You can set the ThermBot up with IFTTT too, allowing your readings to go directly to your HR as a Slack message along with a sick-leave request, or allowing you to ping your physician if the temperature is too high or low. The ThermBot doesn’t do things differently, however, it gives your regular thermometer a few feature upgrades (and a massive size reduction) to help it serve you better. I’m personally conflicted by the fact that the ThermBot doesn’t have its own battery (and needs to be plugged into an external source). One could argue that the absence of the battery helps the ThermBot to last longer and eliminates the need to constantly charge it. The ThermBot also comes with a standard USB-C port, but if you do happen to use an iPhone, the ThermBot comes with a lightning power adapter in the box too. Besides, it’s difficult to ignore how incredibly compact and sleek the ThermBot is. Its rounded form, stainless-steel body and glass paneling just gives it the kind of sleekness that’s more consistent with consumer-tech. At just 0.05 lbs (22 grams), it’s much lighter than any standard contactless thermometer, and is small enough to store in your pocket or even backpack, allowing you to easily travel with it… probably in an alternate universe where the planet isn’t affected by a deathly pandemic. For this universe, however, the ThermBot does a pretty darn amazing job of being a simple, small, smart thermometer that works the instant you plug it in. Designer: Eli Ostreicher ($60 off). Raised over $280,000. At home or on the go, ThermBot delivers instant temperature readings with 100% accuracy plus smart home assistants & IFTTT integration. Measures just 2.23 inches (56.8 mm) in height and 1.26 inches (32 mm) in width. Get clinically accurate results in under 1 second. No app install or download required. ThermBot works as is out of the box. Requires no battery ever because ThermBot draws power directly from your smartphone, power bank or tablet. ThermBot comes with a USB-C to iOS / Apple Lighting power adaptor and a USB-C to USB power adaptor. Built for people on-the-go. ThermBot’s slider button makes it easy to slide out the Type C connector on-demand and retract it when you’re done. Never worry about losing the cap. Not just a thermometer but also a smart home enabled IoT device. Thanks to its BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) chip, ThermBot can integrate with your favorite wellness tracking apps and smart assistants as well as the IFTTT protocol, transforming ThermBot from just another thermometer into IoT device, perfect for quick, meaningful interpretation of results. Change from Fahrenheit to Celsius with ease. Simply hold down the side button for 2.5 seconds to toggle. Quiet and non-invasive. ThermBot is ideal for taking the temperature of a child or patient without distressing or disturbing them. ($60 off). Raised over $280,000.