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Connected Objects Imaging

CamBuddy Pro controls your camera from smartphones, tablets

Smart controllers that allow photographers to operate their cameras via smartphone have become much in-demand, especially for interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs). That’s largely because they allow people to control the main features of those typically bulky cameras right from the palm of the user’s hand.

CamBuddy Pro is a Wi-Fi-enabled smart controller for ILCs that offers live-view, time-lapse and four built-in triggering sensors. It works in conjunction with a free Joopic app for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, and works up to 100 feet away from the camera. CamBuddy Pro starts shipping in December. Future pricing is $149. But Kickstarter backers have been able to order one for a pledge starting at $89 for early birds. Its makers are out to raise $30,000 by Nov. 13.

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Connected Objects Personal Transportation

Atom Fliye connected hoverboard lets you zip, if not fly, around the neighborhood

Hoverboards have been heavily hyped for the past year or so despite the fact that none of them that have reached the market actually do what the name implies –- namely, hover above the ground in the air, like they did in the popular “Back to the Future” movies.

Atom Fliye is a connected hoverboard that has a single, wide wheel. It promises to travel 7 ½ miles on a single charge, and can go uphill and ride down stairs, as well as travel over rocky surfaces or grass, its makers say. A companion app is being developed for Android and iOS mobile devices that can be used to start the board. It also adds anti-theft functionality. The app shows users the exact speed the board is traveling at, mileage and battery-life. It also enables users to adjust everything on the board, including its speed.

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Connected Objects Luggage and Bags Robots/Drones Travel

Travelmate robotic suitcase follows wherever you go while traveling

Frequent problems that travelers face, especially while on their own, include not having enough hands to carry everything and suitcases hitting other travelers’ legs while being wheeled around. And then there’s the universal problem all travelers face when trying to figure out how much a valise weighs to avoid airline charges.

Travelmate is a robotic suitcase that responds to the user’s gestures and will follow him or her around without being carried or pulled, making traveling easier. The autonomous robot companion is also smart enough to avoid any obstacles in its way thanks to its Follow Me system’s built-in sensors that detect and avoid obstacles including people and furniture. Its GPS chip helps orient the suitcase and allows users to know the location of the suitcase at all times, in conjunction with a companion app for unspecified mobile devices. Travelmate uses artificial learning and machine learning to optimize its movements, while its omni wheels allow for increased stability and range of motion.

Travelmate also has a touch-enabled lock system that scans the user’s fingerprint to open the suitcase, while a built-in scale that will accurately measure the weight of a suitcase’s contents. It touts a battery life of four hours when in full autonomous mode and up to 100 hours in stand-by mode when it’s used just like a normal suitcase. Multi- colored LED lighting is featured on all Travelmate models and informs the user of the suitcase’s battery level.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Unleashed unleashes full potential of your camera via remote control

Placing all the controls of an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) into the palm of a user’s hand can make it much easier to get that perfect photo.

Unleashed is a small Bluetooth module that attaches to an ILC and offers full wireless remote control of it. The device is used in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices. The app lets users change all the important camera settings, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance and exposure compensation. Unleashed automatically reconnects to the user’s smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy, so there’s no need to reconfigure Wi-Fi settings each time it’s used.

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Imaging Wearables

TimeCap helps you capture once-in-a-lifetime moments

One problem with cameras — no matter how good they are — is that it often takes too long to take a photo or start shooting video with one. The result is that many people often miss unexpected, but highly memorable moments that they would have loved to capture and share with others.

TimeCap is a wearable camera that attaches to one’s shirt or other garment and continuously records video. The device then streams the video footage through the user’s smartphone and stores it in the cloud. It also takes 5-megapixel still images. TimeCap turns on and off by holding the power button for three seconds. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi support, as well as 32 GB of internal NAND flash memory, good for 24,000 photos or 4 hours of HD video.

The device works in conjunction with an Android and iOS app that lets users control recording, as well as various other features including social media sharing.

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Connected Objects

Pixcil plus smartphone turns any surface into virtual whiteboard

editors-choiceInteractive whiteboards are convenient tools for people to use to draw and write on to communicate ideas with anybody else in the room at the same time as other people around the world. But they can be too expensive than the average person can afford.

Pixcil is an inexpensive digital pen that turns virtually any surface into a virtual whiteboard when used in conjunction with a smartphone. It captures writing and drawing in real time and stores the info in a secured database. From its accompanying app, users can invite people to view or write on the board, as well as make changes such as the color of the virtual pen being used to write.

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Connected Objects Writing

Cronzy is a pen that lets you write with a rainbow

Several years ago, at least some of us thought it was a major achievement when manufacturers introduced pens that could write in more than just blue or black ink. They were a dream come true especially for kids, artists and teachers who no longer needed to carry around separate pens for writing and correcting mistakes on their students’ tests, term papers and homework.

Cronzy is a pen that goes many steps further than most multi-color pens because it can write in pretty much any color that any user would want and can even match scanned colors also. The pen is capable of writing in more than 16 million colors, its makers say. Its main mechanism is based on solenoid valves like those used in various other devices and the pen features a special algorithm for mixing colors.

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Automotive Connected Objects

YAB Bluetooth dongle helps find your car in a crowded parking lot

Two of the most frustrating parts of parking a car are not getting back to it before a parking meter has expired and not being able to remember where the vehicle was parked. The latter is especially the case when it’s a huge, crowded parking lot.

YAB is a small USB dongle that reminds users when their parking meters are going to expire and keeps track of where they’ve parked their cars. It automatically saves the car’s location on the user’s Android smartphone or iPhone when the engine shuts off. YAB communicates using Bluetooth Low Energy. YAB ships in December. Future pricing isn’t provided. But Indiegogo backers can order one for a $29 pledge. Its makers reached their targeted funding of $11,916 July 30.

This is a device that may appeal to any consumer who has ever received a parking ticket because they didn’t get back to their car before the meter expired, or who has been unable to find their car in a crowded lot late at night after seeing a movie or concert.

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Automotive Connected Objects

FenSens sensor protects your fender

Many accidents occur when parking a vehicle, often because it is hard to see exactly how much space one has when backing up into a spot. Parking sensors significantly cut down on such accidents, but the vast majority of cars don’t have them and they can be too costly for many consumers to afford.

patent-claimedFenSens is an affordable wireless, connected and sensor-based parking assistance system that works in conjunction with an app for Android and iOS mobile devices. The patent-pending device gets attached to a vehicle’s front or rear license plate frame and is easy to install in less than five minutes. FenSens enables uses to see (through a visual display), hear (through beeps), and feel (via vibration) any near-by objects in a driver’s blind spots from the convenience of a mobile phone screen. An alarm buzzer sounds if FenSens is tampered with and the device will allow users to register it with specific phones, making it useless for unverified mobile devices.

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Sleep Wearables

SnoreCoach coaches you to sleep to reduce snoring

Snoring is a nuisance for both the person who does it and the partner who sleeps with that person because it can significantly reduce the amount of sleep both people get each night.

patent-claimedSnoreCoach is a small sensor that attaches to the back of the user’s shirt via a Velcro patch and communicates with a companion SnoreTrack iOS app that’s been designed to help change the wearer’s sleep patterns. The app helps users change their sleep patterns by prompting them to sleep in positions that are less conducive to snoring. The patent-pending SnoreTrack’s sound analysis algorithms identify people who snore frequently, and determine whether or not that snoring is likely to respond to more favorable sleep positions.