Author: Nicholas Echevarria

Categories
Technology

Ubotia PiPanther moddable tank seeks and destroys

Nowadays, our fellow aerial-based drones are busy getting all the limelight. This leaves all the land-based devices like the Ubotia PiPanther out in the cold. Many aerial drones focus on videography and trying to look cool as possible, but after the video is done, where’s the fun?

The PiPanther is essentially a Raspberry Pi on tracks, and comes equipped with Wi-Fi functionality along with an HD camera to facilitate shooting games with its companion Ubotia app and other PiPanthers. The device is also moddable as well, so additions like LEDs can be added if a night game is preferred. Both iOS and Android users can both remotely control the PiPanther, and an open API will ensure users won’t get bored too easily. Pair it with something like Droidles to create interesting scenarios. The €99 (~$120) product and is expected to ship in April 2015 with a successful campaign of €5,000 (~$6,069).

Categories
Connected Objects

Give your plants a voice with the Daisy app and sensor

It’s said that talking to plants will help them grow both faster and stronger, but what most gardeners would actually enjoy more than talking to their plants is having their plants talk to them. Unless someone is an expert, the process of caring for all types of different plants would be made so much easier if each said exactly what they needed at all times.

Although the Daisy sensor and app doesn’t actually give your plants a voice per se, it does the next best thing. By sticking the sensor into the plant’s soil, the combination temperature, light, and water sensor uses Bluetooth LE to send pertinent alerts to a user’s smartphone whenever a plant needs water or is generally stressed.

The app also catalogs all of the greenery in a user’s collection, providing technical information through easily accessibly wiki pages and allowing personalization with customizable names and pictures. The Daisy PRO is available for those with larger plants and trees in their care, and retails for $69. For everyone else, two standard Daisy sensors goes for $34 with an expected delivery in June 2015. The campaign is looking for $50,000.

The Daisy is an engaging way to interact with the responsibilities placed on gardeners or just average people taking care of some green in their home or apartment. While other products like the Daisy.si actually waters the plants itself, the Daisy app actually provides users with valuable information which may prove to be more beneficial in the long run.

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

V1bes sensor ring diagnoses stress via heart rate, brainwaves

The monkey on our all our backs all the time is the one known as stress, but despite its ubiquity, most people don’t know much about what in their own lives causes it. Stress is a contributing factor in not only the sicknesses we contract but in our general psychological well being as well. Many would agree how incredibly important it is to be kept informed about the stress levels experienced day in and day out.

The V1bes sensor ring is another wearable piece of technology that also tracks heart rate, but for a good reason. Along with heart rate, it tracks brainwaves with its ability to perform an EEG, and the surrounding electro-magnetic pollution to produce personalized reports available through the companion iOS or Android app. These reports clue users in to what’s going on and offer suggestions as to how to reduce the stress currently being experienced.

One time tested approach to reducing stress is a bit of fun. To that effect, V1bes also offers enjoyable little distractions that can be facilitated with the ring. From analyzing electric activity in your muscles to “tell how strong someone is” to creating abstract looking bio-profiles from data gathered, the product can let its hair down as well. The campaign is looking for $25,000 to get the $199 product out to backers by September 2015.

The V1bes’ form factor hurts its versatility as it cannot be worn everywhere like the much more attractive Olive wristband. What it does is admirable, but there are too many moving parts and isn’t as polished something like an Olive. Look out for further iterations if you’re really interested.

Categories
Connected Objects

Duo Bluetooth speaker splits apart to produce true stereo output

This is truly the age of the Bluetooth speaker. They come in every shape, size, color, and price point, from the extremely small and portable to the huge formidable types intended to replace your actual stereo. One of their most glaring problems, though, especially in the larger ones, is their lack of true stereo sound. With the vast majority of Bluetooth speakers comprised of just a single speaker, the ability to create that room-filling sound is compromised for convenience.

The team behind the Duo Speakers gives you the best of both worlds. The product’s looks are deceiving: although it is packaged as a single Bluetooth speaker, its magnetic connection can be loosened to free both halves. This results in two Bluetooth speakers connected to a single device such as a smartphone that provide a more mature sound. Bluetooth 4.0 allows the speakers t0 be placed up to 32 feet apart and can work for up to seven hours on a single charge, making them mighty versatile. The campaign is looking for $17,500 to get the $75 speakers delivered by March 2015.

The Duo Speakers seem to be a well-crafted device, and pretty attractive to boot. Being that it boasts 3W Hi-Fi speakers, it should pump out some quality sound as well. It’s small form factor makes it multi-functional too, as opposed to other solutions that use existing speakers to spread sound around or a single speaker to omni-directionally fill the room and, as a result, are stuck in the home.

Categories
Cycling

Suit up before you ride with the wearable Mighty Click bike lock

Securing a bike is a necessary evil, lest it is left prey to unscrupulous types who can and most likely will take it. Unfortunately, most common locking mechanisms, like U-locks, cable locks, or chains, can be heavy and as a result extremely unwieldy and impractical.

The Mighty Click combines the positive aspects of these common locks into a wearable construction that sits comfortably on a rider’s waist. A thick, metal chain is sheathed by a reflector-laden cover to protect your bike from scuffs while it is locked, and can be adjusted with a adjustable belt and clip while worn. In addition, a small zippered pouch can tuck away a few dollars, a set of keys, or whatever else a rider may need for the trip.

Other attempts at bike lock convenience have focused on other parts of the bike for security, but wearing around the waist echoes what riders basically already do which lowers the the bar for comfort. The two versions, with or without a padlock, weigh in at 3.25 pounds, and go for $29 and $25, respectively. The $1,200 campaign is looking to ship the product by February 2015.

Categories
Tech Accessories

Blooky promises to end password hassle with a key fob device

One password for all the sites we frequented used to be the norm. More importantly, it used to be easy. Nowadays, though, having one password for every Web site is akin to a digital death sentence. With more and more attempts at your digital life by hackers targeting large companies with troves of our data and being successful at it, it’s up to us to make sure our data is protected and secure. Password managers claim to be a good solution, but they rely on exactly one password to protect you, which has proven to be a bad idea.

Blooky is a wireless Bluetooth password key that can work with laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets to relieve you of password worry. All you have to do is pair Blooky with your device and login to your desired site. After your first time, the product will save your credentials. Every login after that will see Blooky authenticate itself to decrypt the passwords it has stored, making every login effortless. It’s easy to deactivate should it fall into the wrong hands, offering several ways to remotely disable it. The company is also offering a Bluetooth LE dongle for your device should it lack the capability. The campaign is looking for $250,000, and backers can expect their $100 Blooky on their doorsteps by August 2015.

The inventors behind Blooky claim their encryption is unbroken thus far, but no encryption is perfect. Someone who wants your data badly enough will eventually succeed. Blooky will no doubt be an asset to the casual user, but runs the risk of being more of a convenience than actual protection in the long run. Backers interested in security may also want to check out the EveryKey.

Categories
Tech Accessories

PowerTower organizational stand stacks devices, cleans up cords

An excess of cords anywhere in the household can be an incredible eyesore, and one that isn’t very easy to fix without some sort of creative solution that hides the wires in some way. It’s difficult sometimes to do so with the sheer number of cords that sprout from the growing number communication peripherals, like routers, people own.

The PowerTower organizes all of these peripherals by offering a four level stand that accommodates a decent number of devices. The product was designed with spaces in its semi-circular base and spine to tuck away the many wires that need to be connected in a clean fashion, reducing the amount of snake-pit like corners in the home.

Six AC and four USB outlets ensure everything needing power gets enough of it. Since it doesn’t itself get out of the way like the WrapAround, as a consequence the stand itself can end up being the eyesore instead as it isn’t the sleekest of designs. The $100,000 campaign is looking to get the $99 PowerTower in homes by May 2015.

Categories
Cooking Sensors/IoT

Nexkos Bluetooth Smart Thermometer probes meat to prepare delectable meals, worry-free

For the lucky ones among us, cooking is second nature. For everyone else, cooking anything seems like an badly performed improv class. Without an experienced cook by one’s side, finding the guidance to whip up something edible can be an overwhelming challenge. When it comes to meats, that anxiety can be felt ten fold: working with herbs and spices is delicate business, and cooking it just right is tricky.

Nexkos wants to take the guesswork out of getting grilled goods just right with their Bluetooth Smart Thermometer. The spherical device sports an LED display with the temperature of whatever the four attached probes are inserted into. This information is also relayed to the iOS or Android companion app with which temperature alerts can be set, create custom templates for recipes, and save and share the information to replicate recipes in the future. The $55 AUD (~$45 USD) Nexkos Smart Thermometer is expected to ship May 2015 provided the campaign reaches its $20,000 AUD (~$16,300 USD) goal.

The Nexkos Smart Thermometer is exceedingly similar to the already released iGrill, but the former’s four probes are better than the latter’s single probe. The Nexkos version lacks the iGrill’s proximity sensor, but that isn’t a deal breaker as they’re similarly price in either case, great for those ill-equipped to cook and affordable, too.

Categories
Music Technology

MÜZO Cobblestone is round and flat, plays music ’round your flat

MP3’s have long been the standard for all of our music playing devices but don’t do a fantastic job at replicating the depth and breadth of the sound originally recorded. There’s a renaissance in musical appreciation, and devices like the PONO music player are capitalizing on it by offering audiophiles lossless playback. The MÜZO Cobblestone is continuing the trend with an audio system with the capability of doing the same with any sound set-up imaginable.

The MÜZO Cobblestone acts as a hub that streams FLAC and other lossless audio formats over Wi-Fi to any and all types of wireless and wired speakers and speaker systems. Its proprietary Multi-Room Melodization supports muli-room setups to achieve true stereo sound all while adjusting EQ based on the type of music being played. The Cobblestone also sports Spotify, Pandora, and Airplay integration, just to name a few. Linkplay Technology, Inc. is looking for $100,000 to get the $59 device out to backers by January 2015.

The MÜZO Cobblestone is a promising addition to the Hi-Fi music scene. It’s ability to connect to any speaker is its biggest draw and really pushes this device forward, along with its gorgeous aesthetic. It’s in good company, too: check out the Core and the mBox to see similar executions of this idea, just without the Hi-Fi angle.

Categories
Personal Transportation

Wind Wheels personal skates concept is a bunch of hot air

Every person at one point wishes they could bust out a bike from a handheld box or a pair of skates from within their shoes to make the last 10 minutes of their commute more bearable. Although there are some ideas up in the air, nothing can get higher than the Wind Wheels.

The product idea is essentially a pair of skates attached to a user’s legs that can be accessed whenever needed. It works with a piston-like mechanism that will disengage and lower a pair of wheels and pedals to step on. Currently, however, all that’s available is a video showing a very crude prototype. Imagination is in full-throttle here, so potential backers have to do the heavy lifting themselves.

Although the idea in theory sounds awesome, its doubtful it will actually end up being as slim as something like this needs to realistically be. Plunking down $500 for an idea expected to be due in June of 2016 seems foolhardy at best, so trying to raise $18,000 will be a Herculean feat.