Pddle: IoT Revolution in Rentals
Autonomous paddle-board rental system, integrated hardware and software for a seamless experience.
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About pddle + IoT | Romania | 6 months + Key outcomes
COMPANY NAME:
pddle — Paddle Smart Rentals
COUNTRY:
Romania
INDUSTRY:
Sport & IoT Technology
TIMELINE:
6 months (MVP)
Key Outcomes:
Designed and manufactured custom PCBs for solar-powered smart lockers.
Achieved sub-second latency for locker unlocking via mobile app.
Fully automated payment flow using Stripe and pre-authorization logic.
Scaled to 5 locations in the first summer season with 99.9% uptime.
No queues, no front desk, no keys. Two, three taps and you're out on the water, in nature.
About the company:
Launched in the summer of 2024, pddle is Romania's first automated rental network for nautical sports equipment. The company's mission is to democratize access to water sports, eliminating queues, unnecessary human interaction, and rigid operating schedules. Through IoT technology, pddle transforms a maritime container into an intelligent, energy-autonomous rental point.
The Context & Challenge
"The traditional rental model involves permanent staff on-site, cash management, and equipment security risks. The main objective was the complete elimination of the human factor from daily operational processes."
Goals/Objectives:
Building a system that can operate in remote locations (mountain lakes), where Internet connectivity can be unstable and access to the electrical grid is non-existent. The system needed to be robust enough to withstand vandalism and extreme weather conditions.
Pilot location: National Library of Bucharest
Precision Engineering: Server-to-Locker Architecture
Custom Hardware
We designed from scratch PCBs based on ESP32 microcontrollers that manage locker sensors and electromagnetic actuators. The system is 100% solar-powered, with intelligent battery management for cloudy days.
MQTT Protocol & Real-time
For instant communication between the mobile app and lockers, we used the MQTT protocol over 4G cellular networks. The architecture ensures door opening in under 200ms from payment confirmation.
Want a mobile app like Pddle Smart Lockers?
Reply within 48h. No strings attached.
Core Team
- Product Owner: Alex Popescu
- Hardware Engineer: Mihai Ionescu
- Full Stack Developer: Andrei Radu
- UI/UX Designer: Elena Dumitrescu
"The Clean Code Culture team transformed a complex hardware-software idea into a reliable finished product. Their 'clean code' approach wasn't just about software, but also the cleanliness of circuit design and user experience. The system has been running without human intervention for 3 months."
— Founder, pddle
Pddle
Download the app and unlock a locker
Want a mobile app like Pddle Smart Lockers?
Reply within 48h. No strings attached.
Services used in this project
The services behind this build. See what each one covers and how it would apply to your case.
Sector
Autonomous retail