Ravioli is a time-honored form of pasta, but one of the most trickyto make. Forming each individual ravioli can take up lots of time. The Fonde rolling pin is designed to make ravioli-making easier. It’s a wooden rolling pin with square slots. When the pasta and cheese are rolled over with Fonde, they form perfect raviolis. One Fonde will cost backers $75 for a 6” pin. While a bit costly for a food device, pasta aficionados will certainly appreciate the amount of time saved by this product. Fonde hopes to raise $1,000 in its month-long Kickstarter campaign.
Author: Julia Herrick
People use lighters all the time, but the traditional lighter design has not evolved quickly. The flame burns awfully close to where your thumb holds the button down. The Linse lighter lets you adjust the nozzle so that the flame comes out away from your hand for lighting candles and other flammable objects. For maximum portability, the nozzle tucks right back into the lighter so it’s not sticking out all the time. Many of us have burned ourselves on lighters, so this is a clever little device aimed at fixing that problem. One Linse lighter costs $4 with estimated delivery in September 2014. Linse hopes to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter.
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Avo offers a betta’ home for your beta fish
The Premise. Fish tanks can be a soothing, interesting addition to the home. The only problem is that they require maintenance and tanks needs to be cleaned. Suddenly the fish becomes bothersome and may seem like a lot of trouble.
The Product. Avo is a self-cleaning fish tank for beta fish. With plants on the bottom, it uses a natural filtration system to keep the tank clean. All fish poop and uneaten food is converted into nitrate which feeds the plants. Avo is its own mini eco-system. It has a stylish design with its own lighting as well that controls the heat of the water. Since beta fish are tropical, it’s essential that the water is warm enough to support their survival. The plants at the bottom of the tank come in pods that are easy to rearrange for different looks. In addition, the filter itself is self-cleaning so there’s really no maintenance for the tank at all.
The Pitch. Avo’s Kickstarter campaign, unfortunately, lacks a video. The rest of the campaign does a good job of explaining the tank’s various features, however. There are lots of photos showing the different places the tank can be displayed. It’s small enough to fit on desks and bookshelves.
The Perks. Early birds have two options for this British product. For £150 and £200, backers can receive the tank and start-up kit for estimated delivery in March 2015. At a regular cost, Avo goes for £200. Reward tiers go up to £2,000 but none include an actual fish! (Probably better for the fish in terms of shipping.)
The Potential. Avo is cool product and idea, but not the first of its kind as the campaign suggests. AquaSprouts is a self-contained eco-system for fish as well. However, its plants sit on top of the tank with water being pumped up and down. With AquaSprouts, it’s possible to grow herbs, however, the tank doesn’t have the same type of temperature control that Avo does. Avo also gets higher points for design, featuring the traditional round fish bowl with a twist. All in all, Avo is a great product for lazy fish-owners who enjoy the wonders of ecology.
Summer comes with lots of water-related activities like swimming, boating and surfing. Sometimes we end up walking all day in our swimsuits, but towels are difficult to keep on our bodies. Towel’On is a towel with sleeves making it super easy to enjoy wet activities while keeping warm. This fuzzy product comes in many different colors, patterns and sizes. While it is essentially a mini-bathrobe, the product uses less material so it’s easier to carry around all day. One big and tall version costs backers $27 with estimated delivery in November 2014. Towel’On hopes to raise $20,000 on Kickstarter, with stretch goals of $75,000 and $100,000.
GoPro cameras are famous for catching awesome action shots. The only problem is that it’s really hard to see what you’re filming without the proper attachments. However, being extreme doesn’t allow for tons of camera accessories. The GoRigit allows you to attach your GoPro to your iPhone, turning the phone into a large display. This case cleverly puts your phone to good use while also eliminating the need for extra gear. It comes complete with weather and shock proofing and still lets your phone maintain its call functions. One costs backers $49 with delivery set for December 2014. GoRigit hopes to raise $35,000 on Kickstarter.
The Premise. Aerial video footage can be expensive and inconvenient to capture. Sometimes, however, to get the perfect shot, you’ll have to travel up to videotape the world below. This requires either a helicopter or ridiculously priced cameras that have the ability to fly.
The Product. A simplified drone, Pocketcopter is a small, portable camera that flies. Using two blades that rotate in opposite directions, this product can capture video from high heights. The way it flies allows the blades to be quiet so their noise doesn’t detract from the footage. With connection to your smartphone, you can operate the app with iOS or Android. A touch screen allows you to control the Pocketcopter along with the video it’s capturing. If the product should become disconnected with the phone, it simply floats down to the ground slowly.
The Pitch. Upon a second viewing of the video, it’s clear that the footage of landscape shown in the beginning few seconds are shot with the Pocketcopter. There’s no clear demonstration of the use of the product and the video is only 25 seconds long. The rest of the campaign explains the product more thoroughly and goes into its various features.This Spanish product hopes to raise €15,000 in a month-long campaign on Indiegogo.
The Perks. For €59, backers will receive the Pocketcopter at an early price or at a regular price of €99. Tiers go up to €260 with estimated delivery in May 2015.
The Potential. The market has several flying camera options to offer. The Phantom 2 Vision is a much bulkier camera and looks like something out of Star Wars. Similarly, the Parrot features four blades and comes with different camouflage options, causing one to wonder why you’d want the camera to be invisible. Pocketcopter is by far the smallest and most portable of these options, not to mention the cheapest. It’s minimal design and affordability make flying footage accessible to amateur cameramen. Pocketcopter is perfect for students or hobby filmmakers alike.
The Premise. Home security is a constant concern. Many security companies cost a lot of money and only set off an alarm, leaving you wondering what’s really going on at home. Others are set off by pets or even by yourself when returning home.
The Product. Butterfleye is a small wireless camera that watches over your home while you’re away. It connects with your phone so that you can check in with the camera at all times. This little security guard also has two-way audio so you can speak with whoever you see on camera. With a smart operating system, Butterfleye can not only detect motion, but also easily distinguish between humans and pets. A heat detector registers rapid change in temperature and even fires. The camera is portable and can even be used to take spontaneous photos and videos of fun moments. Those pictures and clips captured can be accessed from the app and shared with friends and family via e-mail or social media.
The Pitch. Butterfleye’s video shoes a modern career woman, mom and wife using the product with ease. It’s simple and to the point. Butterfleye is featured on its very own website and not on a crowd-funding site. The creators of the product have not shared a pre-order goal.
The Perks. One Butterfleye on the site goes for $199, $50 less than the retail price and is set to ship in early 2015. The site also offers a three-pack of Butterfleye for $547.
The Potential. Home security has become more and more simple in the recent past with people avoiding signing costly contracts with security companies and instead opting for a lower-cost option. NOVI, another standalone security device, features a camera, smoke detector and learning software. NOVI lets the user contact the police or help easily when the alarm is triggered. It is unclear whether Butterfleye has the same feature, though since it connects to your smartphone, it would not be hard to send for help if your home is in danger. In addition to its security functions, Butterfleye is also a cool camera that does the work of documenting memories for you, so that you can enjoy the moment. This multi-tasking function along with everything else Butterfleye does makes it a very interesting product. There is certainly room on the security/camera market for Butterfleye.
The Premise. Sometimes the light switch is just too far away. Whether you’re cozy in bed, just getting in the door with your hands full of groceries or unable to easily get to the switch due to injury, flipping the switch can sometimes be a pain.
The Product. Vocca is a voice-activated light switch. The small white device screws into any conventional light fixture. Once in, the lightbulb then screws into Vocca. By simply saying the phrase, “Vocca switch light,” the device turns the light on or off. Vocca Pro allows for customization and the user can program up to five trigger phrases for the light using an accompanying app. The product itself is white and very discreet.
The Pitch. Watching the Vocca campaign video is like seeing a musical on Broadway. Sort of. The star bursts into song from the get go and sings robustly, and informatively, about Vocca explaining that normal light switches will still work and comparing other products. There’s some drama in there too and, like all classic narratives, a conflict about who’s getting up to switch off the light and a solution, Vocca. The rest of the campaign goes through the specs of Vocca and Vocca Pro, showing off its features to potential backers. This smart light switch product hopes to raise $40,000 in a two-month Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. For $29, backers will get the Vocca at a special early price. For later backers, $39 is enough to get the Vocca delivered by December 2014. The Vocca Pro goes for an early tier of $42 and regular tier of $49.
The Potential. As the video points out, there are other smart light switches out there. As the video also points out, these come with limitations. Messing around with your phone isn’t really too much faster than hauling your butt up to turn off or on the light. While Vocca does feature the convenience of customization on your phone, including setting the lights to turn on when you want to wake up, it doesn’t rely solely upon that. For instance, Belkin’s WeMo LightSwitch lets you customize your lighting, but the phone is always needed to control it. If you lose your phone, you’re hosed. With Vocca, simply remembering the phrase is all you need to operate the device. All in all, people are very lazy and for that reason alone, there is definitely a place on the market for Vocca.
The Premise. There’s nothing like getting outside into the sun. The only problem is that risk of overexposure to the sun is high. It’s difficult to gauge when you’ve had enough and are about to get burned.
The Product. Violet is a small device worn on your clothing or on a wristband when outside. It syncs up with your smartphone to help determine your UV and vitamin D levels. With the accompanying app, Violet-wearers can customize the device’s data, letting it know their skin type and the SPF of the sunscreen they’re wearing, along with when it was applied. This allows Violet to let you know when you need to reapply sunscreen or when you’re going to burn. It also lets you know when you’ve received the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. Violet is small and silver and uses sleek lights as indicators to the wearer. The app shows you your sun exposure data throughout the month and even lets you keep track of multiple users all at once.
The Pitch. Violet’s campaign video is a bit commercial-y, but does a great job of showing off the product’s various features. It really emphasizes the importance of vitamin D without including too many scary skin cancer facts. The rest of the campaign goes through the prototyping process along with different screen captures of the app in action. Violet needs a whopping $100,000 on Kickstarter in order to reach its goal.
The Perks. Early-bird tiers offer Violet at $69 and $79 for delivery in April 2015. At its regular price, Violet goes for $105 with delivery also in April 2015. Reward tiers reach up to $2,000.
The Potential. There are too many fitness monitoring devices out there to count, but few monitors that actually look at how the sun affects one’s personal health. CliMate measure multiple environmental conditions including the UV index. Similar to Violet, it acts as a remind to reapply sunscreen, but doesn’t only focus on the sun like Violet does. The campaign focuses a little too heavily on how great vitamin D is and not at how harmful UV rays can be, but the product does measure both. As seen in the campaign, the app and product both look sophisticated and have the added appeal of being able to monitor multiple users, which is perfect for children. While the campaign goal is quite steep, Violet seems like the perfect way to enjoy the sun without having to worry about over-exposure.
Flips flops are a summer favorite for footwear, despite the fact that they can be kind of flimsy. Straps will rip out of the base of the shoe many times, causing chaos for those away from home. Interchangeable Flip Flops uses a unique “boomerang” design that makes straps more secure. In addition, they come with extra straps in different colors, making the shoe more versatile and fun. For anyone whose ever broken a flip flop, this Australian product seems well worth it. Backers can donate $25AUD for one pair of shoes and a pair of extra straps. It seems a small premium for a a bit more reliability and style options although for the summery shoe wearer. Interchangeable Flip Flops hopes to raise $30,000 on Indiegogo.