The house tends to feel sadly incomplete without the presence of a family pet. Sometimes for companionship, other times for home security, a pet can be a great friend and a great responsibility. The curious iCat is a little robotic pet that emulates pet ownership without the messy cleanups, odors, and costly food purchases. With touch sensors and a camera, iCat will be content to roam the house, or can function as a long-distance home monitor on kids or against intruders. While the little robotic pal is cute, most people will probably want more traditional home security methods/pet options. iCat is headed to homes everywhere January 2015 for $59.
Author: Michael Radon
Digital security is too big and too serious a problem to ignore. There have been several attempts at finding new ways to keep files and accounts safe, but nothing’s as readily available and effective as biometrics at this point. FiDELYS gives security-minded tech adopters more than just a way to keep things safe. Operating as a fully functional smartwatch with features like activity tracking and notifications, FiDELYS also includes an iris camera that can scan a user’s eyeball to grant access to any number of websites or applications. The details of the watch are a little glossed over in favor of the iris scan technology, but with something that incredible and flexible, it’s easy to understand why. FiDELYS is out January 2015 to backers who pledge $199.
The Premise. The smart home comes with a wealth of benefits in terms of automation, convenience and control. Maybe one of the more overlooked benefits of a connected home network is the ability for appliances and items to act as a watch dog for the home, reporting any unusual behavior to owners in a timely fashion so that the security of the home is never breached.
The Product. The latest entrant into the field of home automation, pēq, promises the combination of control and security that a smart home should provide. With a starter kit hub that comes with window and door sensors to detect any entrance into the home and report it to a smartphone, tablet or computer, pēq relies on connected objects to create and interact with data in real-time. With a connected camera, motion sensing can take pictures of any guests, whether wanted or unwanted. This same connectivity can be applied to lights, thermostats, even water fixtures.
The Pitch. The promotional video for pēq offers up a bright, whimsical 8-bit retro game motif while explaining the numerous benefits of having one in the home. Unfortunately, this is counter-balanced by the website offering almost no information at all beyond what the video presents and pre-ordering information. In order to even pre-order, one has to enter their full name and email address to gain entry to the device’s Early Access program.
The Perks. Those who pre-order can get a pēq Starter Kit with two sensors for just $49.99, or for some extra security, those who pay the full retail $149 price tag will receive a free camera to connect to their pēq. The pēq service will then have a monthly fee of $9.99 to have maximum functionality.
The Potential. It goes without saying that there have been numerous similar devices put out on the market before, even those that blend automation with security like pēq promises to do. That being said, it really merits more information from the creators to differentiate their product from its competitors. The price tag is high enough that it’s hard to make an impulse purchase on, let alone subscribe to a monthly fee to continue using. Based on the quality of its presentation, it’s easy to feel inclined to give pēq the benefit of the doubt, but for a pre-order crowdfunding campaign there has to be an established level of trust between buyer and seller. With pēq there just isn’t enough public information yet available to inspire confidence in backing it.
Anyone who has stepped on a treadmill for the first time in months knows how quickly breath leaves unfit lungs. Fitness and how hard one can push themselves has so much to do with how easy it is to breathe. PrO2 is a device that can monitor a baseline breath and with that create a training program to help build endurance and ease of breath. Sending its readouts to any smartphone or tablet, PrO2 is quick and easy to use. The wait-and-see approach of PrO2 feels outdated, however, considering the real-time input/output cycle of wearable fitness trackers and even breathing trackers like Spire. PrO2 will hit the ground running in September for $199.
The doorbell is a double-edged sword: it can signify the arrival of friends and loved ones, but it has a tendency to do so at the most inopportune times. i-BELL is a doorbell and video camera that connects to the home’s Wi-fi network and pushes an alert and live feed of the camera to any smartphone or tablet. Audio communication can take place or callers can leave a message if unresponded to. While the utility of this device is great and has built-in security features in case of threats or pranksters, it’s certainly not the first to try this and might get lost among Doorbot, Goji, and Chui. i-Bell will come knocking in November for £152.
It’s easy to forget just how powerful a smartphone really is sometimes. With the ability to run office programs, stream movies, and play 3D video games, who needs a computer? This line of thinking is the basis for TinyStic, a device that looks like the average thumbdrive. Instead of USB, TinyStic plugs into a TV or monitor’s HDMI port, then syncs up with the phone’s TinyStic app to allow full-screen display with drop down menus and Bluetooth keyboard support. The display looks fast and responsive, and this could be a great way to really get the most out of the latest, most powerful smartphones in hotel rooms or at the office. TinyStic costs $99 and will be out in December 2014.
The Premise. Setting up a smart, connected home network is an exciting process that opens up the possibility to efficiency and home automation. However, the security-conscious will also have in place adequate digital protection and firewalls, which can prevent these devices from being accessed from anywhere except the home network.
The Product. Nabtobox is a little device that can be connected to any home network behind a firewall to enable one-touch access from mobile devices to connect to the network securely behind the firewall but not be denied access from afar. The basic principles behind the box are those found in peer to peer networking, VPNs, and port tunneling, without any of the shady elements of those activities. Nabtobox provides access without sacrificing security, plain and simple.
The Pitch. Nabtobox isn’t a flashy or sexy concept for most people, and so the pitch video is appropriately scaled down to match. Still, there’s a sort of human element to it that makes it enjoyable to watch and easy to relate to. Nabto are out to raise $75,000 for their plucky little device in order to bring it to the masses at large. At $125,000, Nabto will include a GPIO PIN header, and at $250,000 will include virtual USB access.
The Perks. The tech-savvy can get their hands on incomplete alpha and beta versions and bring them up to full speed for $29 and $34 respectively, to arrive in August for alpha and September for beta. The first release model will be launched in October for $39 and will need some new firmware updates to reach maximum potential. The market-ready version is $49 and will be out in November.
The Potential. This is a nice little idea that can make remote connectivity to a complete, and more importantly, secure home network a reality. However, the catch here is that setting up a home network isn’t always a cakewalk either, depending on what the desired setting and devices are, and so putting one in place already requires a bit of tech savvy. Probably enough to take the necessary steps to get by without a Nabtobox. Still, there are certainly enough people out there who just want what’s only going to be easy to set up and control, whether at home or from a distance, and for those people, Nabtobox looks like the right addition to get everything exactly the way it should be. After all, that’s the whole point of a connected home system.
The Premise. In the beginning, there was the TV, and it was good. Add to that computers, smartphones, game consoles, DVD and Blu-ray players, and suddenly there’s a giant stack of devices all trying to work with each other. Now, one product is ready to network, share files between devices, and do everything that a living room needs in a small, sleek, modular device.
The Product. EzeeCube is an unassuming media sharing center that has much larger aspirations. By installing the device’s app on a phone, with a simple tap of the screen, all of the photos, music, and video files from phones and tablets can be stored on its 1TB hard drive and accessed on any mobile device or TV. If that’s not enough storage for some people, EzeeCube has expansions that can be stacked on top of it to linkup more power, functions, or storage space.
The Pitch. EzeeCube’s promotional video is a little understated, but the concept enough is all that needs to be communicated. When viewers see the small chassis of the device combined with the power that it provides and can be supplemented with, it’s easy to start planning a garage sale for all the devices that can be disconnected from the TV. EzeeCube needs $75,000 to get through the mass production process and enhance local cloud-based file sharing everywhere.
The Perks. Being a modular device, EzeeCube offers a lot of add-ons at various tiers. The base EzeeCube is available for $199 and should be available in time for thanksgiving. EzeeTuner allows for live TV recording and playback for $39, EzeeGame supports popular 8-bit and 16-bit games for $49, and EzeePlay plays and rips Blu-ray, DVD, and music CDs for $99. Each of these products will launch between October 2014 and April 2015. The stackable EzeeDisk 2Tb expansion is $149, and backers can also add a stronger processor and more RAM for $99.
The Potential. EzeeCube on its own doesn’t do much more than other products on the market save for the simple, one-touch syncing of files between devices. Once the modular components start coming out, the wireless stacking and various functions of the devices can turn EzeeCube into a replacement for pretty much the entire living room home entertainment system. This is the all-in-one device that’s been promised for decades, and now’s the time to get one before the retail price makes it more of a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
The Premise. The only people who don’t tell themselves in the backs of their heads every day that they should be working out more are the people who are already gym rats. Of course, while the concept of exercise is all well and good, all those who are planning another attempt at their failed New Year’s resolution this year can still seriously hurt themselves if they don’t know what they’re doing.
The Product. LEO is a piece of wearable smart tech in the form of a flexible leg band. The device monitors all kinds of data from heart rate, motion sensing, and even hydration and muscle activity. If LEO detects that it’s time for a break, a drink, or an adjustment to form, it notifies the user in easy to understand language. LEO can help keep exercise and the body at peak levels, and even call for an outright break if things get too far gone.
The Pitch. The pitch video for LEO stresses the simplicity of use and guidance that the device provides, and that’s good because it’s what makes this device so helpful. LEO is sold as an intuitive, automatic workout guide, and that’s what separates it from everything else. The designers need $50,000 for tooling and manufacturing with stretch goals for color options, haptic feedback, and a soccer-focused app to help train World Cup stars of tomorrow.
The Perks. The LEO LegBand is expected to be out in April of next year, and can be picked up along with the app and access to the device’s shared server for $184. Beta tests will begin in September 2014 and supporters can sign up for the early release for $599. Developers can also get into the beta as well as access the API and SDK for $2,999 in December.
The Potential. LEO is a great idea for people who want to get in shape without becoming a professional at one specific activity. Devices like Moov have shown off much more specific, detailed data output from an activity tracker which is great for athletes in training. LEO on the other hand is out to basically keep people from hurting themselves or taking it too easy on the path to fitness, and that’s a great, useful thing to have. It would be nice to see LEO sensors that can go in places besides the thigh just for those that might prefer to keep their trackers elsewhere, but that may be a development that comes later in LEO’s race to the top of the hill of fitness tracking devices.
The Premise. The promise of robots that can replace humans is still thankfully just a pipe dream, but for now we have telepresence robots to at least be places that aren’t a possibility for one reason or another. Unfortunately, these devices are often very expensive for just the average, everyday person.
The Product. PadBot takes the idea of the telepresence robot and cuts down on costs by using a standard tablet computer as the brain and display of the device. Compatible with Android and iOS tablets for now, PadBot is easily controlled through a smartphone when it comes to driving, and can also angle and shift its display as necessary. The robot also has sensors on the base of the device to prevent being knocked over or bumping into things it can’t see. Designed to be simple to use on both sides of the interaction, PadBot has an intuitive, simple app and doesn’t get underfoot in the physical world at the same time.
The Pitch. Seeing the PadBot in action, developer Inbot Tech shows off a few basic ways the device can be of use. Whether collaborating at meetings in the office or attending birthday parties for out of town family, the PadBot seems versatile enough to tackle any indoor challenge (and even some light outdoor tasks). Inbot Tech needs $30,000 for production, molding, and testing.
The Perks. Starting in December, backers can get their very own PadBot for $329, iPad not included. Multiples can be purchased at higher tiers for families or retailers.
The Potential. Telepresence robots are exciting ways to interact with workplaces and loved ones remotely, and the market space is beginning to grow to reflect that. PadBot is essentially a high-end Telemba, opting for a dedicated robot instead of co-opting a Roomba, though both rely on a tablet for their “brain.” On the other hand, PadBot is significantly cheaper than similar products like the Double offered by Double Robotics, although the Double Robotics robot looks more stable and high-quality. This looks like an easy to set up, easy to use telepresence robot that offers fewer necessary components and a very attractive price point. Offices may want to invest in a couple for telecommuters, while the end user may have a harder time justifying the purchase.