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| source// Kickstarter/TeslaSuit |
I’ll level with you, I have a bit of a Kickstarter addiction. Something about the combination of sleek promo videos and future tech, with the occasional hilariously-misjudged product, just takes me to my happy place.
Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a good battle with their self-control so as to not empty one’s bank account into the coffers of bright, young entrepreneurs?
If you’re an early adopter, a tech geek or just have an enthusiastic interest in the cutting edge, browsing Kickstarter campaigns is like attending CES, but without having to actually talk to anyone (which is a bonus). Seeing a campaign coming to fruition is particularly satisfying, so maybe take a look at our last Kickstarter article so see what took off and what flopped.
From self-cleaning clothes to a full-body, virtual reality feedback suit, this is the kind of stuff that tech nerd dreams are made of. So, if you think your self-control can handle it, let’s take a look at some of the delights that Kickstarter has to offer us this time.
10. Ruggie: The World’s Best Alarm Clock
Right, real talk, I don’t trust morning people.
Unfortunately, I recognise that they are the ones who set business hours and, being the chill night-owls the rest of us are, we’ll probably continue to just go with it.
So, if the morning-people seem to have the privilege of dictating everybody else’s body clock by insisting that we get up and do business with them at some ungodly hour, we’re going to need a bit of help resisting the snooze button.
The Ruggie works like a cross between your alarm clock, you life coach and your mum. When the alarm goes off, it can only be silenced by standing on the soft, memory foam mat for at least three seconds, giving your brain time to adjust to the shock and horror of being woken up. You can even programme the Ruggie to say nice things to you whilst you slowly regain consciousness.
The ethos behind Ruggie is that old chestnut, “the early bird catches the worm”. The idea is that you will use all that extra time in the morning to do something productive, as opposed to peering bleary-eyed at BBC breakfast whilst dribbling toothpaste down your shirt.
9. PINE A64: The $15 64-Bit Single Board Supercomputer
How do you fancy getting your hands on a powerful computer, for the price of a round of drinks?
PINE A64 is an open source, 64-bit single board computer. It is claimed to be as powerful as some of the best on the market, but for a fraction of a cost.
Okay, it doesn’t look like a laptop, and I wouldn’t recommend getting it for your gran, but if you’re of the technosexual persuasion then this could be perfect for you.
The PINE64 CPU is a quad-core ARM A53 64-bit processor that runs at 1.2GHz. The GPU is a dual-core MALI-400 MP2 and runs at 500MHz, capable of 1.1 Gpixel/s throughput … still with us?
Basically, it’s nippy, it’s versatile, and it has better graphics capabilities than the original Xbox. It’s modular, making it easy to customise, and you can hook it up to pretty much anything you want, with pretty much any OS you choose – all for a stingy $15 (about £10).
8. ODO: Self-Cleaning Jeans & Tees
Ignoring the fact that this guy can’t seem to get through a meal without emptying an entire drink into his lap, and the voiceover guy sounds like he should be part of a news story ending with “before turning the gun on himself”, these jeans are the answer to every slob’s and klutz’s prayers.
The remarkable fabric has a specially textured surface to make it hydrophobic, meaning that liquids simply roll off it like water off the proverbial duck’s back. It is also woven with silver, which has potent antibacterial properties.
As well as killing odours, this antibacterial protection could well help protect from the dreaded “crotch blowout”, which is thought to be at least partially caused by a buildup of dirt and bacteria that, er, eat your jeans. Yum.
The jeans come with a no-questions-asked returns policy. If you can make the jeans stink within the year, they’ll give you your money back. Dunno about you, but I pity the person who has to make the “crotch stinkiness” judgement call.
7. Carloudy: Futuristic Head-Up Display On Your Windshield
We all know that tapping away on your phone whilst driving is a bad idea but, be honest, the main reason you’d want this is to pretend that you’re living in some kind of sci-fi future (which, of course, we now are).
Carloudy is a head-up display system that can hook up to your phone or bluetooth devices. It will project the information you need onto your windshield in a visible but unobtrusive way and is visible in all lights.
The system is voice activated, so there’s no need to let Jesus take the wheel and, in contrast to current sat-navs, it can be you giving the orders now. The sleek, portable design allows it to sit quietly on your dash, rather that stuck obnoxiously in the middle of your windscreen.
This means that you never again have to lick one of those those clunky sat-nav holders to get it to stick like some kind of peasant, and never again will you be nagged by a robot voice to “make a U-turn whenever possible”.
6. MAD Glass: The World’s Most Advanced Smart Glass
Speaking of HUDs, how would you like to have all of your data brought up right before your eyes, whilst simultaneously cultivating the look of a sci-fi villain?
Since Google Glass went public (albeit with limited success), the idea of smart glasses has clung on. It seems likely that head-up displays will happen at some point allowing us to do away with pocket-hogging smartphones, but in what form remains to be seen.
Mad Glass is currently one of the only smart glass projects live on Kickstarter and is billed as having all pf the capabilities of a smartphone, and more.
These include social data such as calls and messages, GPS head-up navigation, real-time translation, and augmented reality games.
The unit can be mounted on most glasses and comes in three colours so that you can match it to your style (so long as your style is one of three colours).
5. OneCook: The Robotic Private Chef
If you’re the kind of person that burns ice cream, or you’re simply too busy to funnel food into your stressed-out body, then maybe you could do with a bit of a helping hand.
OneCook claims to be able to take the place of a personal chef, whipping up delicious meals at the touch of a button. The cooker is WiFi enabled and you can control it from your smartphone, allowing you to come home to a hot, healthy dinner after a long day doing whatever it is you do.
The system is actually remarkably good value at just $99. Not actually cheaper than just cutting your own damn vegetables, but you’re basically paying not to have to eat your own cooking.
It can figure out meals plans and even pricing estimate for you; recipes can also be shared between machines, and it actually learns your tastes over time, so you could download your mum’s cooking and never have to bother with adulting again.
4. Olmose: Reuse Technology For Your Security
Being the spoilt bourgeoisie that we are, you’ve probably got some old tech lying around somewhere.
Well, you may as well put it to good use with Olmose. This system transforms your old cracked smartphone into a top-of-the-range smart surveillance system for your home (or your car, but you do then run the risk of someone putting your windows through to snatch the well-displayed phone).
Just download the app onto the old and new phones, set up the camera and you can remotely monitor your valuables/pets/babies from wherever you need to be.
It can send you notifications and even check the identity of anyone who passes within its field of vision, meaning that you will be notified if a baddie starts rifling through the family silver.
The charging stand for the device is designed in such a way that it will filter out any false alarms such as fireworks, storms or even marauding pets, ensuring that you don’t get an emergency notification every time the dog tries to hide one of your shoes.
3. Blipcast: Send TV Audio To Your Smartphone’s Headphones
Anyone who has ever tried to do their daily yoga routine set to the dulcet tones of Black Ops II will know that headphones are a wonderful thing.
No everyone wants to hear you marathoning Dexter at 3am, but hooking headphones up to your TV is a a massive pain. Either, you plug them in and sit six inches from the screen (not a recommended viewing distance for Dexter), or invest in a pair of bluetooth headphones and watch the battery life tangibly drain out of them before the first ad break.
Blipcast allows you to indulge in late-night Netflix binges without disturbing your friends and loved ones. The device plugs into the audio output of your TV and streams the sound wirelessly to your smartphone. You can then plug any headphones you like into your phone and listen via that.
As well as late-night TV marathons, Blipcast would also be great for public spaces such as gyms and bars so people can watch public television’s without subjecting everyone else to the inane yammering of sports commentators. It would also be absolutely ideal for anyone who is hearing impaired.
2. Mojoe: The Travel Mug That’s a Coffee Maker
Hey, we get it, you’re a busy guy. You’d never have the time to indulge in an activity as leisurely as waiting for your coffee to brew.
Luckily, this is the latest in a long line of activities that you can now do on the move, presumably whilst you shout at some poor lackey down the phone and fire off an email closing a major deal with Beijing.
The batteries only last for a single brew, but you can charge them up from either a computer, power outlet or from your car, so you’re never likely to be more than a few minutes from freshly brewed coffee at the push of a button.
You can use whatever temperature water and drink directly from the brewer, allowing you to fully caffeinate on the go, perhaps on your commute, so that you’re energised and ready for a hard day’s business.
1. Teslasuit: Feel What You Play
Rejoice, tech nerds, because it looks like virtual reality is finally on its way.
But with so much effort having gone into making immersive gameplay, well, immersive, it seems a shame to spoil the illusion by not including tactile feedback into the experience.
The TeslaSuit allows you to feel what you play via a variety of electrical transmitters that deliver mild shocks, creating the sensation of touch.
You’ll be pleased to learn that the actual working suit looks less like a futuristic sex doll and more like a normal, if slightly Steve Jobs-esque, jacket. It doesn’t just work with VR either, as you can connect wirelessly to pretty much any device.
The different shock points deliver different kinds of sensations, but we’re trusting the designers not to make it too realistic, as true-to-life sensation whilst playing Call of Duty might tend to put you off the whole experience.
Anything here catch your eye? Do you know of an awesome Kickstarter campaign that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.
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