It’s the last month of the year and the time when companies refrain from pushing new products or ideas to avoid being neglected in the midst of the holiday rush. But over on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, entrepreneurs are fearless and confident, launching new projects and hoping to get your attention with their innovative products.
In the following post, I will take a look at the most original projects that you can pledge for this month, then list others that are also worth looking at. Read on to discover them all, and keep in mind that, as with any crowd-funded project, you have to exercise your better judgement and no outcome is really guaranteed.
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Skulpt Aim
I have recently started swimming, running and hiking, lost 24 pounds and noticed a tremendous improvement in the muscular mass in my biceps and calves, but I still have a long road ahead to reach the body I want to have, especially in the abs and triceps department.
The Skulpt Aim is the perfect device for people like me. In less than a second, this small unit measures body fat percentage and muscle quality in individual muscles, helping you decide which body areas need more work for you to achieve your fitness goals. The device syncs via Bluetooth 4.0 with iOS and the web, with an Android app coming at launch or soon after. Honestly, the Skulpt had me at “individual muscles” and I instantly pledged, despite the fact that I might have to wait to get the Android app.
The Skulpt Aim lets you know the fitness status of any muscle in your body.
Entry price is currently $129. Estimated delivery is May 2014 and the project is completely funded with 37 days to spare!
BiiSafe Buddy
Having spent an entire week last month panicking over the loss of my Galaxy S3, I can positively assure you that there is nothing worse than the uneasy feeling you get when you imagine someone else going through your phone, apps and data. That’s why I can’t recommend small bluetooth trackers like the BiiSafe Buddy enough.
If you haven’t purchased a similar tracker already, now is your time to go for one. The BiiSafe Buddy is a small coin-like device that you can attach to your valuable things, pets or people. It connects to your phone via bluetooth, and notifies you when the two are separated. The BiiSafe can also be used to share the location quickly, send an alert in case of emergency, and comes with adjustable light, sounds and more.
BiiSafe Buddy is a lost-and-found tag with a check-in option and an emergency alert system.
Entry price is currently $35 for the Christmas Special. Estimated delivery is February 2014 and the project is fully funded with 18 days to go.
PowerUp 3.0
The paper airplane, the geek’s ultimate analogue gadget, is now finally joining the digital era with the PowerUp 3.0. It’s a small smart module with a propeller that attaches to a paper airplane and connects to your phone via bluetooth, allowing you to use an app to control it. There’s even accelerometer support so you can tilt your phone to manoeuvre the plane. That’s all there is to it, but what else would you need from a smartphone-controlled paper airplane?
PowerUp 3.0 makes any paper airplane into a smartphone-controlled gadget.
Entry price is currently $30. Estimated delivery is May 2014 and the project is fully funded with 49 days to go.
Ninja Sphere
Ninja Sphere is an open source hardware and platform for monitoring and controlling your environment. Thanks to a central gateway unit with Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi and ZigBee connectivity, and two waypoints and a smart socket, it uses triangulation to pinpoint the location of your devices, notify you of modifications to the environment, and let you control many smart appliances and devices like the Philips Hue, the Belkin WeMo, and more. It even integrates with the Pebble to allow you to manage these devices, and supports gesture recognition.
Ninja Sphere is an open source central hub for all the smart devices in your home.
Entry price is currently $249 AUD. Estimated delivery is June 2014 and the project is completely funded with 35 days to go.
Plugaway
If you’re not yet ready to turn your house into an automated and connected place with the Ninja Sphere, but still want to add a touch of smart to it, the Plugaway might be your solution. It’s a smart plug that syncs and connects with your smartphone to allow you to turn on and off any appliance in your home. It also monitors the energy consumption, and can be used to schedule any on/off times you want. Plugaway is available for different types of sockets, open and configurable, and should work with ifttt.
Plugaway is a smart plug to monitor energy consumption and control your appliances.
Entry price is currently $30 AUD. Estimated delivery is April 2014 and the project is fully funded with 28 days to go.
More Projects
- Node CO2 Sensor: a sensor that measures CO2 levels indoors.
- Voice Beanie: a beanie with built-in bluetooth speakers so you can enjoy music and warmth together.
- Haloband: a wearable double NFC tag in a band.
- Smartbell: a WiFi doorbell for security and video chats with your visitors.
- SwatchMate: a color capturing cube for designs and inspiration.
- Rocki: a WiFi music system that lets you stream your music from any phone to any speaker.
- Nuviz: A head-up display for motorcycle helmets.
Which projects have you backed this month? Which ones are you considering? Let us know in the comments below!
