Month: April 2015

Categories
Fitness

U-Liner will make you finer, offers exercise in a small package

People don’t exercise enough. That’s just a fact. Part of the reason is that most think they need expensive gym memberships or complicated fitness devices to get their workout on. That’s just not true.

The U-Liner delivers dynamic workouts in a small tear-shaped package. This device has the ability to work out the arms, legs, abs, back and more. It folds out in unique ways and provides resistance for strength building. Best of all, it doesn’t actually look like a fitness device, and blends in seamlessly with any home’s decor.

U-Liner is a lot like the Tao WellShell. However, Tao provides realtime feedback with the help of an accompanying app. The U-Liner team may want to consider such an addition going forward. Still the device is simple and clever, providing a bit of physical exertion anywhere. One U-Liner will cost backers a donation of $22 by June 2015. This little product has a funding goal of $5,000 on Indiegogo.

Categories
Features

Out There: BorderBot patrols the land to dispatch intruders with inhuman efficiency

Out There is a feature that highlights weird, wacky or woeful projects.

Immigrants and other pesky intruders plague our borders and homes. (Bear with me here). Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to patrol for such unwanted guests?

The potentially aptly named BorderBot (the product actually doesn’t have a name, but this will do) helps patrol borders and homes to keep them secure. This impressive robot can walk over blocks, as shown in the animated video (you were expecting actual prototype?). The campaign fails to detail exactly what the robot does if it finds intruders. Will it shoot them down? Will it call for reinforcements from more animated robots? Or will it turn them to ash to be whisked whence they came? Backers must donate to this campaign in order to find out! For $5,000, backers won’t actually receive the robot, but will get a t-shirt. Score.

The Portland, Oregon-based creator needs to watch the Terminator movies in order to get some ideas for immigrant handling since he’s clearly against free-range intruders. BorderBot is looking for $245,000 in funding. But really, who could put a price on apocalypse-welcoming security?

Categories
Personal Transportation

Virtue Pedalist combine car and motorcycle, makes Smart cars feel fat

Cars are a costly necessity for many consumers who need a way to travel to and from work each day where there are no public transportation options. In addition to the upfront cost to buy a car, there’s the frequent need to buy fuel that’s bad for the environment and the, hopefully less frequent, need to repair the vehicle.

Virtue Pedalist, the latest vehicle from company Virtue Cycles, combines elements of an electric bicycle, cargo bike, velomobile (bicycle/car combination) and a tadpole tricycle (a recumbent tricycle with two front wheels). It has two front wheels, one rear wheel, and an outer shell that shields the driver from sun, wind and rain. There are three modes of riding it: pure pedaling, pedal assist in which its electric motor multiplies the user’s pedaling power, and electric-only throttle mode.

Although riders can cycle as fast as they want with the first two modes, the throttle-only speed is limited to 20 miles per hour so that it can be legally classified as a tricycle, rather than a moped or scooter, under regulations in California and most other U.S. states, according to its Kickstarter campaign. The Pedalist will cost $4,499 and ship in November. The company is hoping to raise $100,000 by May 21.

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Categories
Automotive

Gleamfire saves water for washing cars, may save California from dusty rides

Washing your car is a great way to keep it clean and preserve its paint job. Frequent trips to the car wash can be costly, though. And washing it yourself uses a lot of water.

patent-claimedGleamfire hopes to save water while also delivering a super clean car. This product goes beyond the bucket, as its campaign says, and uses only one and half gallons of water to get the job done. The clear cylinder holds the water and no-rinse car wash soap. To use, insert the washing mitt into the cylinder and pump up and down to rinse it. The pump contains a filter so it keeps the mitt in clean water eliminating the need for additional fresh water. The special soap doesn’t require an additional rinse, so washing the car with the mitt is enough to get it sparkling clean.

Gleamfire offers a great way to save water, especially important right now in California with its epic ongoing drought. It uses simple innovation to cut down on the water usage and cost associated with washing one’s car. Those who would like one will need to donate $97 for delivery in April 2016. Gleamfire is looking to raise $129,000 on Indiegogo.

Categories
Aquatics

Inflatable SipaBoard propels paddleboards with engines, removes remnant exertion

Paddleboarding has become one of the most popular forms of water entertainment. Riders stand on top of the board and simply paddle around. However, this is one of the more serene, slower-paced water sports out there.

SipaBoard hopes to amp up the volume on paddleboarding. This newfangled inflatable floating platform comes with an electric engine to get you moving faster. With three hours of life, the engine is strong enough to propel boarders upstream for more difficult waters. The engine runs on a battery pack that can be recharged. Multiple packs can be used for maximum runtime on the water. Simple buttons on the board help control the engine for uncomplicated use. In addition, a compressor helps inflate and deflate the board quickly.

Theproduct joins other paddleboarding enhancers such as the Roll-Up Sail, which provides extra speed as well. SipaBoard pushes the envelope further with engine power, a new development for this sport. For their own, backers must donate $1,490 for this product. SipaBoard is looking to raise $150,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Podcasts

Backerjack Podcast #16: Cyclops Cameras, Talking Trash, and Smart Homes vs. Smartphones

In sweet Episode 16 of the Backerjack Podcast, Steven Sande and Ross Rubin check out some of the latest products seeking funds and preorders:

  • Flex Cam PIC, a whimsical and inexpensive still and video camera that wraps around objects and comes in a range of colors and silly characters. It has some similarities to Podo.
  • GeniCan, a clip-on to your garbage can or recycle bin that builds your shopping list by scanning the barcodes of products you’ve consumed. As we note, it has the same goals as SmartQsine.
  • Oomi, a comprehensive and tightly integrated Z-Wave-based home control system that features easy setup. It rivals another recent ambitious smart home project, Paigo.
Continue reading “Backerjack Podcast #16: Cyclops Cameras, Talking Trash, and Smart Homes vs. Smartphones”
Categories
Connected Objects Home

GeniCan smart garbage builds your shopping list, engages in trash talk

As noted in classic Sunny Delight commercials and ads for the Keurig 2.0 brewer, we must always be prepared for the possibility that a random mob might barge into our homes demanding something to eat or drink. That’s not the time to find out a shopping trip is called for. As a result, a number of products have sought to save us from prolonging consumption interruption by reminding us to reorder or automatically doing so.

While some of these products focus on goods while they’re in the process of depleting, GeniCan steps in at the end of their lifecycle. A barcode scanner that clips onto a kitchen garbage can or recycling bin, GeniCan adds disposed items back into a shopping list under the assumption the owner would like to order that item again. For products without a barcode, the GeniCan incorporates voice recognition for less automated list building.

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Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Whimsical Flex Cam PIC makes you smile, captures it in stills and video

With smartphone cameras constantly improving and the cost of their camera components dropping, there’s the impetus to put cameras into just about anything — cars, doorbells, pet collars and… things that look like mutated Gumbys.

Flex Cam PIC takes what appears to be a low-end smartphone camera (5 megapixel stills, 720p HD video) and throws it into a rubbery casing that allows it to be wrapped around a great variety of objects from bicycle handles to hula hoops. The device sports 16 GB of flash memory and a small internal battery that’s good for only about an hour of video. Taking a cue from the action cam world, it shoots with a wide angle (124°) and is waterproof. While it offers remote activation via Bluetooth, images and video are transferred over USB for higher-speed transfer.

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Categories
Smart Home

Oomi smart home system does it all with easy setup and simple control

The home automation space is filled with products that promise both straightforward setup and ease of use, using the smartphone as the brains behind it all. Some achieve this feat, but require accessories all over the place for the system to work. And if does work, many products wrongly assume the smartphone is the best piece of technology for total control — having to wait for an app to open just to turn on a bulb is inefficient to say the least.

Fantem thinks a smart home should be much easier to set-up, and its Oomi smart home system is the result of that. The system is primarily made up of an Oomi Cube and Oomi Touch. The former is the star of the show, a Wi-Fi and Z-Wave enabled device filled to the brim with all kinds sensors, cameras, and a motion detector all to learn the rhythms of a user’s daily life and react to anything unexpected. The latter is a 7-inch, edge-to-edge glass tablet with physical buttons that makes setting up any part of the connected home as easy as a tap and a touch.

The primary parts of the Oomi system don’t operate by themselves. A few accessories expand the capability of the system and truly make a home connected. A user can turn any outlet into a smart outlet with the Oomi Plug, while the Oomi Multi-Sensor adds the Oomi Cube’s wealth of sensors into any other part of the home. Ambiance is covered by the Oomi Bulb, while entertainment is handled by the Oomi Streamer. This accessory adds both browsing and streaming capabilities to any TV in the home, pushing home alerts to the screen alongside of them.

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Categories
Cooking

GoSun Grill captures sun’s rays to char your burger even at night

Grilling is one of the preferred ways to cook, especially in the summertime. Most require propane or charcoal to work, however, making them less than convenient at times.

patent-claimedThe GoSun Grill changes all of that with its solar technology. Fold out the reflectors in the sunshine for two hours and enjoy hours of cooking time. The thermal battery stores the solar charge and lets the grill be used at any time, even at night. This grill can roast, boil, steam, or bake anything you want. It doesn’t require any dirty fuel and is completely portable. The grill cooks anything evenly from 360 degrees for delicious, cleanly-made food.

The GoSun Grill certainly changes the game of grilling. Not only does it display awesome potential for cooking, but also demonstrates the power of developing solar technology. For one, backers will need to fork over $399 with delivery in September 2015. GoSun hopes to raise $140,000 with the help of Kickstarter.