One of the main issues with the latest trend of activity trackers is that users just might not have them on at all times. Everybody knows that they need to stay active to be healthy, but how active is active enough? SmartMove is a new kind of activity tracker that monitors all movement and exercise because its sensor is embedded in an insole for a shoe similar to the original Nike+ sensor that started the activity tracking renaissance, SmartMove can tell when a user is sitting or standing, and tracks movement and activity data to report fitness habits to its own proprietary app. Available for $99, SmartMove will keep users moving as soon as August 2014.
Month: April 2014
The Premise. Keeping your bike out of the rain prevents it from rusting and means it’s going to function at its best. This is important to not only students and those who ride their bike to work, but also to professional cyclists.
The Product. Bike Poncho provides an alternative to those who don’t have a garage or basement where they can store their bike. If you want to take your bike on the road and have it attached to the back of your vehicle, the bike cover will also work to protect your bike from road debris. The poncho is made of a material that is waterproof, UV and wind resistant, oil resistant, washable and aerodynamic. And when it’s not in use, it folds up neatly to a compact pouch that fits conveniently under your bike seat or can be stored in a book bag.
The Pitch. The video for the $35,000 campaign is into showing rather than telling. While you may not hear anything but upbeat music with an accentuated rhythm, it still effectively demonstrates how the bike cover slides over a bike and protects it from the elements so easily that a child can do it. This doesn’t appear to be a particularly difficult product to use, and so a great deal of explanation regarding how to use it isn’t really necessary.
The Perks. There are six tiers from which a backer may choose. For $250, a backer gets a Bike Poncho with an expected delivery of September 2014.
The Potential. While this may be a product in which students and those who cycle to work have an interest, it’s possible that professional cyclists may be the only niche who are willing to pay the amount that is being requested for the product. Especially since there are several types of bike covers out there for considerably less that do the same thing – even a two-toned one.
There’s something refreshing about being surrounded by plants –especially when there aren’t any bugs involved. Pria offers the opportunity to have live plants in your home and not have to worry about whether or not they are getting enough light to stay healthy. The aluminum or wooden dowels house an LED light that is good for 30,000 hours, and the entire product seems to assemble by snapping the magnets together in the appropriate places. For $125, backers get the aluminum version, or $220 for the wooden version with an expected delivery of October 2014.
MacBook owners have either heard or been victims of the horror stories that befall the fragile yet necessary chargers. With their two prongs for winding the cable for storage, it seems like the perfect design, yet time after time the cable becomes frayed. The team at JuiceBoxx have come up with a snap-on case for the MacBook charger that fits snugly around it and provides enough extra width to keep the charger cable from breaking its insulation and fraying. While the solution is very low-tech, it does aim to solve a problem that can be several times more expensive to replace. MacBook owners living in fear of damaging their chargers can have a JuiceBoxx in one of four colors for $20 by November 2014.
There’s little that’s more awkward than telling people that they need to bring their own chair when you’re having a house party. So The Set Bench gives you access to good looking seating nearly instantly. The modular bench comes in multiple frame colors and top options. They also come in lengths of 18 and 24 inches, which can easily connect if you prefer. A more clever version of this would be the Smart Furniture bookcase that can become a table and chairs, or the MOVE bed and desk combo. If you have kids that are into building stuff, OLLA is a product that lets them build their bedroom furniture. For $149 backers get a complete Set Bench product and an expected delivery of July 2014.
The Premise. Getting kids to brush their teeth might as well be pulling teeth. Whether it’s because they just don’t want to or because of the association with an approaching bedtime, enforcing good dental hygiene often becomes an intense battle of wits and perseverance.
The Product. Parents can now rejoice with the arrival of the gaming toothbrush, or Grush. This children’s toothbrush is chock full of motion sensors and accelerometers, designed to work in tandem with any Android and iOS devices to turn brushing teeth into a fun game. With multiple games to choose from, young brushers can chase monsters out of their teeth, conduct an orchestra, or groom cute animals while really fighting the true enemy: plaque. The brush has replaceable heads so that money can be saved when it’s time to change out the toothbrush, and the Grush also records data on how children are brushing their teeth. That data can be used by parents to know how children are taking care of their chompers and to show to the family dentist so he or she has a clear picture of the child’s brushing habits as well.
The Pitch. Grush co-Founders Ethan Daniel Schur and Dr. Yong-Jing Wang give a quick demonstration of the Grush and what it can do for everyone in the family, including the dentist. Outside the video, Grush gives a solid breakdown of what to expect from the games and how the device works. Grush wants to raise $50,000 to develop both the platform’s software and hardware.
The Perks. Parents can get a Grush Brush with 2 replacement heads, access to all of the games and the cloud storage for brushing data for at the early discount of just $30. Parents with multiple children can get a double pack for $115, while developers who want to create new features for Grush can get a developer kit for $360. The Grush system is expected to launch in March 2015.
The Potential. The Grush isn’t about to make children stop asking for an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4, but really kids just want to interact with the world and have fun. These two principles are what the Grush is about from the user perspective, so kids won’t mind that they’re brushing their teeth at the same time. However, as with any new toothbrush, one concern is the availability of replacement brush heads. Pediatric dentists will probably keep a handful of these at the ready to deal with their most stubborn customers, while parents will gladly pay up just to not have to argue with kids on a nightly basis. However, as with any new toothbrush, one concern is the availability of replacement brush heads.
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Tree-zel mounts your canvas indoors and out
Which poet was it that said, “I think that I shall never see. A place to mount something on as convenient as a tree.” Thankfully, none. Tree-zel lets you keep your artwork sitting securely in the holder and mounted in a convenient spot while you take that breather. The mount presently has a couple of aliases, Tree-sel and Tree-zle, since it can also be mounted to a tree for outdoor painting. The industrious prototype will likely be appreciated by nature painters and still life artists for being easy to use and having space-saving functionality. For $200, backers get a complete product, with an expected delivery of June 2014.
Hot tubs are the perfect remedy for the winter blues. The only problem is that snow and ice on the cover can make those soothing hot dips hard to access. Hot Cover gives backers the chance to get into their tubs with ease. This heated cover uses insulated coils to melt any frosty debris on the tops of hot tubs. All of that heavy snow and ice goes away easily with this battery-operated system. One early Hot Cover costs backers a $199 donation or $299 at a regular price. The Hot Cover needs to raise $20,000 in its 27-day Indiegogo campaign.
The Premise. Sharing photos is something almost everybody likes to do. Doing so should be easily and unintrusive, combining the excitement of receiving a social media notification with the surprise of an unexpected gift.
The Product. The Appnificent Eclipse is an addition to the smart photo frame market that integrates the features that users are used to applying to their photos when sharing them through social media. This way, using the Eclipse app, owners can take photos, doctor them to make them more attractive, add messages or emoticons, and then share them only to invited users via their Eclipse frames, Twitter, Facebook, and Dropbox. The frame itself connects to a home wi-fi network with a simple push of a button and can hold up to 2GB of photos for viewing as static images or part of a slideshow.
The Pitch. Appnificent Co-Founder Rod Spongberg introduces us to the Eclipse, showcasing how easy it is to connect the frame to both a wireless network and users of the Eclipse app. The rest of the campaign’s site goes over how to use each of the Eclipses features, from applying filters and sharing to adding emoticons and messaging. Appnificent wants to raise $75,000 to handle the tooling and production of the Eclipse. At $100,000 a stretch goal to double the frame’s storage from 2GB to 4GB will be unlocked.
The Perks. The Eclipse is available to backers who pledge $115 in either Charcoal Grey or Optic White. The device is also available with a custom protective travel case at the $165 level. All frames will be delivered In August of this year.
The Potential. There have several digital photo frames posted to crowdfunding sites in the past, and the most common “new” feature is the ability to wirelessly send photos securely. In that, the Appnificent Eclipse offers little in terms of innovation, but what makes it attractive is the large, high-quality display and the Instagram-like features that can be selected through the app before sending out the photo. The Eclipse is a strong choice for anyone in the market for a digital photo frame, but doesn’t quite offer enough to make consumers want to replace their existing frame.
The Premise. Most people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. This can have many causes, but the two leading reasons for back pain are bad posture and immobility. Office workers may find it hard to address either of these problems due to their sedentary jobs.
The Product. ChairBot makes sitting at one’s desk, but staying mobile with good posture, possible. The chair features a moveable seat that splits in two. The seat, either manually or automatically set by a timer, will alternate supporting each leg. What this means, is that the user stands on one leg, while sitting on the other. When the chair switches sides, the person’s weight shifts keeping them in constant motion to avoid injury caused from sitting too much. Good posture is maintained because the person is in a standing position, without actually having to stand.
The Pitch. ChairBot’s campaign video features Simon Hong, its creator, talking about the dangers of sitting too long and why it causes pain. He goes into the scientific reasons for back pain and his explanation is actually interesting and informative. Hong is aiming to raise $100,000 in his 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. Backers looking to avoid back pain need to shell out $2,700 for the ChairBot… ouch. The top two reward tiers come with a crystal etched version of the ChairBot for super chair enthusiasts. Hong also offers a footstool specifically designed to go with his chair for $100. Reward tiers that include the product have an estimated delivery date of November 2014.
The Potential. There have been so many products aimed at fixing the various aches and pains of office worker bees. Most back support systems are attachments or accessories for existing chairs, like PostureME. ChairBot, however, really pushes the envelope with its weight switching capabilities. A couple of drawbacks of this product are that the desks of people using this product need to be at a higher position for standing and that a constantly moving chair may make it difficult to focus on actual work. The price is also very high for a powered chair. Other power or motor chairs go for around the same price or even less. Still, ChairBot’s ergonomic possibilities and well-thought out design make it a great tool for serial sitters in pain.