Month: February 2015

Categories
Lifestyle

CoordiMate helps math lovers coordinate their Cartesians, stamps graphs neatly

An important part of any math curriculum is learning about graphs. The Cartesian coordinate system is taught so that kids can learn all sorts of important facts about algebra and dimensions. However, drawing endless graphs can be annoying and yield sloppy results.

CoordiMate was designed for just such situations. This tiny tool is a self-inking stamp that seamlessly places a perfect Cartesian coordinate on any piece of graph paper. To use, just push down on the center for a neat graph. The ink dries quickly so that pencil mistakes can be easily erased without any smudges. This product is made from recyclable materials. It’s plastic and looks like a cross with a little face in the middle.

CoordiMate is a great tool for kids learning about math. The company should really consider marketing their product to schools so that kids can buy it directly at school. There’s no mention of how long the ink lasts or if there’s any way to refill it, a definite drawback. Still, for their own, backers can donate $15 for delivery in April 2015. Coordinate hopes to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Food and Beverage Technology

SalivaScanner scans salads, sandwiches, soup for spit

If an order placed at a restaurant isn’t to one’s liking, there’s always the recourse of complaining or sending it back. Letting the food out of sight, however, leaves it open for all kinds of potential revenge if one has been something less than a gracious guest.

Tpatent-claimedhe SalivaScanner from San Diego-based Klein Electronics is a handheld device that scans food and can detect certain enzymes that are only found in human saliva. The company’s CEO notes that detecting saliva in one’s food has become more important than ever because Ebola can be transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids. The scanner’s LCD will indicate if there is saliva in food and, if so, how much. An accompanying Android and iOS app will display more details and track data including the location of the incident and potentially report it to social media sites. No pricing for the device is listed at the Kickstarter campaign and none of the three rewards for pledges that are listed include the device itself. But Klein says the target price is $199. He is looking to raise $85,000 in order to finish developing the product.

The device might have some appeal as a novelty. But using the Ebola outbreak to help sell the device borders on fear mongering. And consumers who are so paranoid that they need to scan their food for saliva would likely be better off not eating out at all, or at least consider complaining to restaurant staff in a more civil way.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Pop & Stop pops open a cold one, stops beer waste

It’s frustrating when a beer drinker opens up a cold one and somebody carelessly knocks it over–especially when it’s an expensive brew. Equally frustrating is when somebody wants to save the rest of that bottle of premium beer for the next day (or up to 48 hours later) after passing out drunk before being able to finish it.The two-in-one bottle opener and sealer Pop & Stop was created mainly to address the catastrophic problem of beer waste.

The keychain-sized product is designed to be portable and replace the bottle opener that many people already carry. It won’t cut your leg if it’s in your pocket and move the wrong way, like some traditional metal bottle openers will. More importantly, it has the added advantage of also serving as a sealing device for a bottle after it’s opened. Backers who pledge $6 will get a molded unit when it ships in May, while those who pledge $8 will get a 3D printed one immediately. The Denver inventor who made it is looking to raise $8,500 by Feb. 21.

There is a huge potential market for Pop & Stop. Unfortunately, it won’t work on some twist-off bottles. So, if the drinker’s favorite beer only comes in that kind of bottle, the product will have little appeal to that person. The molded version has a smoother texture than the 3D printed version, and also features stronger plastic. But the molded version is not recyclable, a distinct drawback.

Categories
Camping

Propane Porter keeps grill masters safely fueled while camping

Getting a propane tank from store to home is one thing. Transporting it to one’s favorite campsite is quite another. Propane Porter is designed to help those who love grilling and camping to transport this important item safely, and with some added organization conveniences for good measure. The product will be made of a double walled, polyethylene plastic, with two notches (an upper and lower) for appropriate restraining devices. It will be sturdy enough to use as a stool when flipped over, able to be used as a cooler, and there will be a spot for storing and toting cooking utensils for the grill.

This seems like a product that will work well. It will especially have great appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. And when it comes time to hook that tank up to the grill, backers might also appreciate having Loopy on hand. Other potentially useful items at the campsite include TrackBelt360, Ulta-Mitt and POD tents. This campaign seeks to raise $47,000 on Kickstarter. Backers get one product for $35, with an expected delivery of October 2015.

Categories
Home

Dolfi ultrasonic laundry device uses good vibrations to wash out bad stains

The only way to wash delicates and other fragile material is by doing it by hand. This means filling a sink with water and trying hard to work the soap through the fibers. However, the gentle nature of hand washing usually means that the job isn’t ever done well.

Dolfi promises to change all that. This little device shaped like a bar of soap uses ultrasonic technology to wash clothing. To use just fill a sink with water, clothing and detergent and place Dolfi inside. It vibrates providing a gentle way to clean clothing for 30 minutes. Dolfi plugs into the wall, so let’s hope the cord is properly insulated.

As the campaign states, this tool is great for travelers and for those who like to take good care of their unmentionables. Interested backers can have their own for a donation of $89 with delivery in August 2015. Dolfi is hoping to raise $100,000 with the help of Indiegogo.

Categories
Home

MagBlind uses magnets to pick up the slats when they all fall down

Those PVC vertical plastic blinds that come in many apartments or “value” priced newer homes are a great inexpensive way to protect one’s privacy. But if one has pets or small children, it doesn’t take long for a slat or two or more to break. There are very few ways to fix these blinds outside of replacing them – until MagBlind.

The simple, but effective repair kit includes two magnets that attach to the top of the broken slat with 3M tape. Then the metal stem gets inserted into the blinds and the slat stays attached via magnetization. MagBlind is detachable, so one can take it along if moving into a new home with vertical slat blinds.

This seems like an excellent idea and quality product that fixes a very common problem that comes with these blinds. Backers looking for a way to automate these blinds might want to check out EZ Wand, and Tilt My Blinds. This campaign seeks to raise $500 by February 20, 2015. For $2, backers get one repair kit with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Tools

T-Rex tool changes the bar, makes it easier to pry stuff loose

Tearing up flooring can be one of the most time-consuming tasks when it comes to home repairs. If staples were used as a part of laying flooring, it can mean spending hours using a screwdriver to pry them out.

patent-claimedT-Rex is touted as taking those hours and reducing them to minutes. Three groves in this pry bar allow the user to pull out not only a standard nail, but also staples, pin nails, and framing nails. The rounded teeth simplify the task of getting under stubborn staples and getting leverage to pull them out. A dimple near the top allows the pry bar to have a tri-pod type of shape, which helps keep it from bending out of shape or warping over time.

T-Rex is a nifty little house tool, great for those DIYers who own homes. Interested backers might also like to check out TrackBelt360, CaulkKnocker, and Hangman, This campaign seeks to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter. For $10, backers get one nine inch ripper with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Camping

Intra-nets form a web of supersized elevation in the wilderness

While camping in the great outdoors can be a wonderfully relaxing experience, the bumpy, hard ground under a tent and sleeping bag can sometimes provide a not-so-subtle reminder to the notion of roughing it. One alternative to an air mattress is an Intra-net.

The product weighs about seven pounds. It could be considered a super-sized hammock in that it can comfortably sleep two. However, if one’s camping excursion includes the kids, there is plenty of room for them as well. Intra-net can expand to about seven feet by seven feet for the heavy duty version and can hold about 450 pounds total. It can also function as a platform that elevates a pup tent. String it between a couple trees at dinner time and it can provide seating as an air couch.

An interesting idea, to be sure, with lots of versatility. However, one only really appealing to avid campers. Camping loving backers might also like to check out Adventurers Hammock, Air Hammock, and Bungalow Beach Chair. This campaign seeks to raise $12,000 on Kickstarter. For $470, backers get one product with an expected delivery of July 2015.

Categories
Maker/Development

Quirkbot marries straws and brains for childhood fun and games

Strawbees made it so that everyday straws could be connected together to construct all kinds of interesting shapes and forms. Its simplicity stems from its incredibly basic, small structure that is easily understood by all.

Now, another campaign has come along with the intention of expanding the possibilities of Strawbees. The makers behind Quirkbot have created an Arduino microcontroller that can serve as the brains of any Strawbees creation, allowing users to breathe life into them by programming lights, sounds, and motion. Quirkbot is an extremely versatile “toy to make toys,” and as such imagination is the only thing limiting the potential of what comes from the marriage of both. A donation of $63 gets backers the Quirkbot starter kit with one Quirkbot, 10 LED lights, and one Servo motor. The $55,000 campaign is looking to have the product out by August 2015.

An easy to use visual programming interface tries to make Quirkbot accessible to anyone, so that creations like dogs and hula-hooping humanoid figures can be created. Backpack extensions expand on functionality by adding additional sensors, and when it isn’t being used as the centerpiece of a figure, it can be programmed to act as a controller for any game of application. However, these creations are facing an environment filled with imaginative, creative toys all vying for children’s attention, like Snaak and CubeCraft.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wearables

Scarab air pollutant detector warns you about invisible threats

Air pollution continues to be a major problem, especially in urban areas of the United States. Therefore, it would be nice to be informed if there are invisible toxins in the air. The Scarab from Dallas startup Amulet Corp is a multi-sensor, wearable sensor device that does exactly that.

The small, oval device can detect more than 16 invisible threats in the air, including ozone, magnetic fields and nitrogen dioxide. It comes in a choice of white or black, and can be easily clipped to everyday items such as backpacks, baby strollers, belts and purses.

Scarab’s 16 on-board sensors continuously monitor the environment and communicate local conditions and hidden dangers to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth LE. An accompanying app can be downloaded for Android and iOS devices. Backers who pledge $129 will get a “benchmark” version of Scarab in matte black or glossy white when it ships in August. Backers who pledge $175 will get a “premium” SKU of the device styled as a Scarab amulet etched with an Egyptian-style Scarab beetle logo. Its maker is hoping to raise $100,000 on Kickstarter.

The device holds promise. But its application stands to appeal to a much narrower consumer base than wearables that track fitness. Yet Scarab still faces potential competition from wearable environmental trackers like the TZOA. If consumers don’t already have a carbon monoxide detector in their homes, the device could become a life saver. Also potentially useful are its noise level detection circuit (especially if the user lives in an urban area) and UV index sensor (especially if the user is planning to spend a few hours at the beach).