Month: March 2015

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Emvio watch lets you know when it’s time to calm down

A number of smartwatches and other bands can measure heart rate, but they’re generally focused on fitness activities.

As previewed last month, Emvio is a specialized smartwatch that eschews apps and general notifications in favor of the primary task of measuring your heart rate variability as an indicator of stress level. As such, rather than use fancy color e-paper or LCDs, the watch face is a thin LED strip on a square slab that displays basic numbers. Rising stress levels are noted with a vibration. These are sent to a smartwatch that tracks stress levels over time and offers suggestions on how to calm down. The campaign owner, Darta Systems, seeks to raise $250,000 CAD (about $198,000 USD) by April 21st. Emvio watches cost $206 CAD (about $159 USD) although the campaign is offering early bird pricing as low as $167 (about $129 USD).

Emvio joins a number of products such as last fall’s successfully crowdfunded Olive smartband and the more versatile Spire wearable that measures breathing. But in an era where more smartwatches are measuring heart rate, much of its functionality could wind up being incorporated into an app.

Categories
Games Maker/Development

Hackaball ball will get your kids off the couch and outside

Time and time again, traditional video games have gotten a bad rap as enablers of a sedentary lifestyle. These days, with both console and mobile games increasing in popularity, many kids are spending much less time outdoors, their eyes instead glued to a screen.

Hackaball wants to lend a helping hand in getting them moving again. At its core, Hackaball is a computer kids can throw around. Inside the product’s tough, transparent case sits a plethora of motion sensors, 9 LEDs, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope, all of which can be programmed by using the companion iPad app to create games. With it, kids are limited only by their imagination as they can think up of many new ways to play with Hackaball. Additionally, the product comes with unlockable features that become available the more it’s used.

All of this fun is ultimately educational, with the companion app serving as a light introduction to programming — which makes sense given that there’s mention of future Arduino support for Hackaball. Hackaball’s ultimate enemy just happens to be the demographic they’re targeting: children’s attention spans. The $69 product is estimated to be delivered in December 2015, provided a successfully funded $100,000 campaign goal by April 3.

Categories
Automotive Connected Objects Imaging Sensors/IoT

LyfeLens dash cam keeps watch over your car, steers incident video to phones

Dash cams are slowly becoming more popular in the U.S. as a way to record evidence of what may have happened should there be a collision involving the front of the car while driving. But automobiles are vulnerable from all their sides even when they’re parked.

LyfeLens strives to create greater accountability to those who would harm your vehicle. The aerodynamic car sentinel can record  video using its windshield-facing or interior-facing camera, track the car’s location via GPS, and alert a smartphone when it detects a break-in. It can record video on a microSD card or send it up to the cloud and on to a smartphone. During less urgent times, it can take advantage of its 4G cellular connection to create a mobile hotspot in the car. LyfeLens costs $199 and is expected to ship in fall 2015.

Anyone who has ever experienced a hit-and-run would appreciate the value of having LylfeLens on the job. Clearly, though, the biggest technical challenge is keeping it powered while it passively monitors its surroundings, records video and  serves up Internet access. The company claims the product has a high-capacity internal battery that can power a few days of active and standby use, but is looking into methods such as wired installation and solar.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Neptune Suite makes the smartwatch the center of your digital life

editors-choiceLots of companies are hopping on the smartwatch bandwagon these days. Most, like the Kickstarter record-setting Pebble Time watch, are accessories to smartphones; others include a  and make them standalone devices.

However, no family of products has done as much to elevate the smartwatch as the king of all devices as the Neptune Suite. Montreal-based Neptune, which first found crowdfunding success exponentially crushing its Kickstarter goal for the chunky Neptune Pine, has switched to Indiegogo with a bangle-like smartwatch called the Neptune Hub. It’s packed with technology. But that’s just the beginning of the Suite’s story.

Continue reading “Neptune Suite makes the smartwatch the center of your digital life”
Categories
Cooking

Fourneau Bread Oven cooks bread at home, saves dough at bakery

Despite the current war on bread, most people eat bread every single day. Unfortunately, this gluten-infested treat is slightly complicated to make. Those with bread makers may take the plunge, but everyone else usually opts to visit the bakery instead.

Now, the Fourneau Bread Oven lets timid bread-lovers make their own. This little metal hatch goes straight into the oven. When preheating is done, stick the loaf into Fourneau and close the door. The Fourneau Bread Oven provides the type of tight steamy space the loaf needs to bake without any hassle. The folks at Fourneau also offer a peel (otherwise known as that giant wooden spatula bakers use) and a book of bread recipes.

There are plenty of DIY methods out there to designed to cook bread at home without a bread machine, but they’re all fairly makeshift. Fourneau is a good option for those looking for an easier alternative. The device appears to only cook baguette-type bread, which may limit its appeal going forward. Still, backers who would like one can donate $195 for delivery in August 2015. Fourneau is hoping to raise $90,000 on Kickstarter by April 7.

Categories
Connected Objects

Diginote lets you take digital notes without the lag

Digital notepad devices are handy devices, allowing users to jot down ideas when there’s no pen or paper nearby. A common problem with most digital notepads, however, is that there’s a noticeable lag when writing.

The Diginote digital notepad is a device aims to overcomes this pesky lag issue. The device comes equipped with a stylus, but if users prefer, Diginote’s makers note that any ballpoint pen can be used on the device as well. A version of Diginote without Bluetooth capability has already been designed and costs $59. With its current Indiegogo campaign, its maker is hoping to release a Bluetooth model for $69, provided that the campaign can raise $5,000 by April 6. Both versions of the device are expected to ship in July.

The main issue with Diginote is that most of its capabilities can apparently already be done on existing mobile devices via third party apps. It’s also hard to tell from the campaign video alone if Diginote, as promised, truly incorporates a no-lag writing experience. It’s also unclear how comfortable and natural the writing experience is.

Categories
Food and Beverage Maker/Development

Edu-CADO makes growing guacamole trees easier on green thumbs

Many young children, both boys and girls, love playing around and roughhousing in the dirt. And while getting one’s hands dirty is undoubtedly fun for kids of all ages, it would certainly be nice if parents could inject a bit of education into the mix at the same time.

The Edu-CADO promises to do just that. Edu-CADO is an educational gadget that ultimately helps kids and parents work together to plant a guacamole tree. The device’s avocado seed holder is a modern take on the old fashioned method of sticking toothpicks in the seed and balancing it over a glass of water, though the Edu-Cado is notably toothpick-free. The green plastic Edu-CADO contraption offers a more stable way to balance an avocado seed over a glass of water as it houses a pocket for the seed, holes for the roots, and four hardy arms to hold it all together. Though specific measurements aren’t provided, the device appears to be compatible with pretty much any size glass or mug you might have in your cupboard.

Edu-CADO provides a fun activity for both kids and adults who want to exercise their green thumb. It also presents a new and improved way for nature-oriented homeowners to plant a tree in their own backyards. Other easy and fun gardening items worth checking out include NutriTower and Powerguard Greenhouse. This campaign seeks to raise $9500 by April 13, 2015. Backers can pick up one product for $7 with an expected delivery of Aug 2015.

Categories
Wearables

RE-vibe wearable minds your focus so you can mind your work

In a world filled with a million and one distractions, maintaining focus on tasks at hand can be pretty difficult at times. For children in the classroom, nearby classmates, along with the temptation to start daydreaming, often make it difficult to focus and complete work assignments. For adults, smart devices, computers, friends, family, and responsibilities all contribute to a lack of focus and lack of production. Compounding the problem is that adults don’t always have someone hovering over them to make sure that the work that needs to be done is being attended to.

patent-claimedThe RE-vibe wearable is an extremely simple wristband designed to do one thing and one thing only: be that helpful tap on the shoulder when needed. The product employs a proprietary algorithm which monitors when a user is most likely to be distracted. When a potential distraction is detected, the device’s embedded vibration motor begins to shake, thereby alerting the user that it’s time to get back to work. Key to the RE-vibe’s utility is that its algorithm was written as to prevent the user from becoming used to the vibrations, thereby making the wearable an effective tool in the long run. The device which has no screens or buttons on the outside, has a recessed button hidden underneath the strap which can be toggled to one of four modes, all designed to address various levels of distractedness. Re-vibe is available for $89 with an estimated ship date of September 2015. The campaign is looking for $25,000 for mass production.

Previous products dedicated to keeping people focused have targeted specific subsets of users, such as writers or drivers. RE-vibe is one of the first focus-oriented products casting a much wider net, housing appeal for teachers trying to corral thirty children, individuals with a lot on their plate, and even professionals looking to address the effects of ADHD and autism.

Categories
Kids/Babies Sleep

Glow Away may help kids scare off the boogeyman

Convincing kids to sleep in their own bed when they are afraid of the dark is a borderline impossible task. Indeed, many parents consistently and actively seek out solutions designed to keep their little ones under their own covers and sound asleep through the night.

Glow Away is one such solution. Glow Away consists of glow in the dark bedding coupled with a 20 page illustrated storybook. The main character in the book teaches kids a mysterious spell. Then, the spell “magically” appears atop of the covers, in glow in the dark form, when the lights are turned off. Kids are led to believe that the spell is very real, with the glow in the dark blanket serving as irrefutable proof.

While some may see this as creative, the product arguably cheats parents of the opportunity to teach their children about legitimate tools that they can use to deal with fear. VeggieTales DVDs and books offer more solid solutions as both convey learning foundations that extend beyond childhood. Other creative sleep items for kids include Nap Time and Dreamphones. This campaign seeks to raise $20,000 by April 4, 2015. For $129, backers get a Glow Away book along with a coordinated fitted sheet or two pillow cases.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wearables

With the Tritium altimeter, all you’re missing is Tony Stark’s suit

Altimeters are crucial to successfully executing a skydive, second, of course, only to the parachute itself. For the most part, altimeters are gauges with nothing but numbers on them, something that could be a tad difficult for newcomers to make out while falling through the sky at 200mph.

Although safety supersedes looks, the Tritium altimeter is designed to be representative of both. The Tritium is a stunner, taking the looks of Tony Stark’s arc reactor and applying it to an altimeter. Instead of numbers, the product is outfitted with 16 super bright LEDs, each representing 1000ft. Depending on the altitude, the LEDs change color from green (>6000ft) to amber (4000-6000ft) to red (<4000ft), indicating when exactly to enjoy the dive, start tracking the landing point, and when to ultimately pull the parachute. Tritium works in altitudes up to 16,000ft, and lasts 10 hours on a single USB-enabled charge.

Although the company is looking to make an easier to read altimeter, no numbers on the device may present some problems to skydiving newbies. The company behind the £110 (~$164) Tritium, AO2, is looking to ship the product in July 2015 provided its £66,000(~$98,100) campaign is met by April 25.