Category: Connected Objects

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Connected Objects Smart Home

GATE connected mailbox makes postal mail notifications just as annoying as e-mail notifications

Even though mailboxes have been around for at least a century, they haven’t changed all that much. They’re still physical boxes, they hold mail, and they don’t do much else. In a world where everything is digital and integrated with the Internet of Things, that simply isn’t enough when such important information is routinely mailed everyday.

GATE smartens up the humble mailbox by adding a Wi-Fi or zWave connected home unit and solar-powered mailbox sensor to the mix. With this done, a sensor-equipped mailbox can send an alert to the home unit whenever it is opened, notifying home owners with a blinking light at a range of 500ft. SMS, email, and Twitter notifications can also be sent out as well so that no matter where someone is, they can stay informed through their iOS or Android device. If mail theft is a big problem in the neighborhood, multiple GATEs can connect to share information about the occurrences. Each GATE goes for $249, with an expected ship date of December 2015. Its campaign is looking for $10,000, and ends June 20th, 2015.

GATE sits opposite the bare-bones Postifier, an Arduino-based mailbox solution that sports a low price but a lack of functionality. As such, there is no contest: GATE pushes the bar up on what a connected mailbox should be, truly bringing it into the 21st century — for a premium.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Onago drone follows and captures your finest moments on the go

For most extreme sports enthusiasts, recording their feats is a financial hassle. Outside of expensive camera systems, bulky drones, and helicopter rentals, the market for portable, affordable high-definition recording is woefully lacking. GoPro has positioned their cameras as an inexpensive solution, but only limited angles are available with it.

To address the need, ARI’s Onago is an intelligent, auto-follow drone equipped with a gimbal that can mount a GoPro. With this set up, anyone can dive into multi-angle video to record their aerial shenanigans. Onago is a beast in the air, as well, flying as high as 3000ft with a top speed of 35mph. To control it, the product can be synced to an iOS or Android smartphone to enable things like one touch take-off and return.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Radian 2 makes regular cameras cool again, provides wireless time lapse effect

Many opt to use their smartphone cameras in lieu of actual cameras. DLSR cameras, however, still produce better quality shots, even though many don’t have the same cool effects that smartphone cameras have.

With the Radian 2, the follow-up to a successful Kickstarter project, photographers get the real camera quality with a fun time lapse effect. This small black and round product attaches to many different types of cameras via a USB port. Using Bluetooth, it connects to one’s smartphone via the accompanying app. The app helps to program the effect including the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It also receives real time thumbnails of the shots being taken to ensure the camera is capturing what the photographer wants.

This product has lots of potential, especially as it adds extra features and capabilities to its menu. The myriad of camera mounts are quite appealing as well. One will cost backers a donation of $220 for estimated delivery in September 2015. Radian 2 will only enjoy success on Kickstarter if it raises $153,471 in funding.

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Connected Objects Cooking Health and Wellness

Connected compact GeniScale can weigh yams, yachts and you

Scales can come in handy for all sorts of tasks from weighing luggage to avoid extra fees to weighing portions to avoid extra pounds.  Because of their various tolerances, scales proliferate. There are body scales, food scales, postal scales and others.

GeniScale seeks to be the one scale to rule them all, or at least one set of scales to rule them all. The compact device, which looks a bit like an Apple TV, can be used to weigh smaller things out of the box. Weighing a person, though, requires either a good sense of balance or combining multiple GeniScales under each foot. Indeed, it’s through this combining that the tiny GeniScales can weigh very heavy or awkward things.

GeniScale has a companion app with which it communicates via Bluetooth; it  can be used to set up conditions. For example, one can be alerted when the weight of a couch changes to detect when a pet has jumped on it. The company is seeking to raise $120,0000 on Kickstarter. GeniScales are priced at $89 plus shipping and are due to ship in July

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Automotive Connected Objects

GoFar smart driving device keeps you in the fuel efficiency zone

Drivers typically spend thousands of dollars on fuel for their cars each year. And much of that money is wasted because of the amount of time spent in traffic and inefficient driving styles that don’t take into account each vehicle’s unique engine.

patent-claimedGoFar is a connected onboard diagnostics (OBD) device that can be easily installed by attaching a dongle to a vehicle’s computer using the car’s OBD-II port. The dongle gets attached to the device’s base unit — a small sleek enclosure of LED lights called the Ray — which is placed on the dashboard. When driving efficiently, the base unit glows blue, and, when not driving inefficiently, it glows red. The device then gets paired with an iOS (and later Android) app, which is used to keep track of fuel used, dollars spent on it, and other key driving data. The device cost $149 and will ship in November. Its maker set a Kickstarter goal of receiving $50,000 by June 2.

The device should appeal to a wide variety of consumers, including anybody who uses their car every day and environment-conscious people who want to reduce the size of their carbon footprints. The device faces competition from several OBD-II devices, including Automatic and Fuel Book, but offers enough unique features for it to stand out, including the stylish and useful design of the base unit.

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Augmented Reality Connected Objects

ARBot can appear as a tank or race car, makes augmented reality a ball

From ANKI Drive to quadricopters, humans love guiding robots around for enjoyment, especially from their smartphones and tablets. The shapes and features of these machines, however, are often defined by their physical form, which can curtail the imagination factor in paying with them.ARBot

That limitation may be greatly reduced by the likes of ARBot. A spherical robot with a groove in its center that follows the trail of Sphero, ARBot can be controlled by a tablet. However, a companion app allows the ARBot to appear as a race car, tank, or just about anything else. Different kinds of games can take advantage of its different appearances inside the app. Up to 60 ARBots can engage in a battle royale. The battery lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours.

ARBot seeks to raise $30,000 by June 19th. A standard ARBot costs $119 and should be available by January 16th. A special carbon edition si also available for 10 times that amount.

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Connected Objects Cycling

Connected Cycle Pedals let you track bike rides, track down bike thieves

There are devices on the market that consumers can use to prevent the theft of their bicycle. There are also devices available that can track pedaling data for health and fitness reasons.

patent-claimedConnected Cycle Pedals, however, were designed to be used for both of those applications. Once connected to any bike, the device will instantly transform it into a smart bicycle. Although the pedals work in conjunction with an app for Android (4.0 and higher) and iOS (7 and higher) devices, users don’t need to have a smartphone with them while biking because the pedals have their own Internet connection. The pedals automatically record statistics and send them through the cloud to the app.

In addition, the pedals will send users an alert on their mobile device if somebody moves the bike because the product is equipped with a motion detection system. If the bike is taken, the pedals have built-in GPS that will help users track their bike down. Connected Cycle Pedals cost $220 and will ship in December. The campaign deal has been sweetened as the company is offering a SIM card with free lifetime data to its backers. Its maker set an Indiegogo campaign goal of reaching $50,000 by May 27.

To appeal to a wide array of cyclists, the pedals are available in five colors: black, blue, green, red and “tangerine” Particularly given how unobtrusively they blend into the bike and their easy installation, Connected Cycle Pedals should appeal to almost any cyclist who wants to track performance or their bike should it fall into the wrong feet.

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Connected Objects Home

Smart Iron makes a steamy case for connected appliances

It seems just yesterday that pioneering products such as the Nest and Philips Hue were tying household objects that we take for granted to the smartphone for some concrete benefits. But now the adding of connectivity has become somewhat mundane.

Take, for example, the Smart Iron. While most products have an accelerometer to detect when they move, the smart iron uses it to detect when it’s stopped moving to start off a countdown to automatic shut off.

Smartphone users can also use its companion app to set the iron’s temperature and be notified when the iron reaches it. If that doesn’t seem like world-beating features, consider that the product is something of a proof of concept for Meta Innovation’s Meta Box platform, which the company plans to integrate into a range of similarly simple appliances.

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Connected Objects Music

Auris Zwing implants an Android tablet into a bassy boombox

Once upon a time, the mighty boombox was a staple of audio on the go, a pulsating package of portable partying. When the iPod became a huge hit, a number of battery-powered docking speakers arrived to amplify its extensive music libraries. And more recently, Bluetooth-based products accept streams from smartphones. But the reliance on iPods and smartphones took something away from the mostly self-contained boombox experience.

Those are the days that Auris is trying to recapture and modernize with ithe Zwing, a high-powered (110 dB), bass-tuned portable audio system that features a 7” Android touchscreen between its stereo speakers. Tapping Google Play, the Zwing can access virtually any mainstream music streaming service from a Wi-Fi connection. It can also access video streaming services that it can accompany with powerful audio. At least for music playback, the Auris is rated at 20 hours of battery life, so it should be able to provide the soundtrack through even Charlie Sheen-class blowouts.

The Zwing also has an HDMI connector for easy connection to a TV. And for those who would rather store their music and movies than stream them, it’s offered with up to 32 GB of flash memory plus room for 64 more via microSD. There’s also Bluetooth support for the opportunistic use of a smartphone’s screen versus the Zwing’s. Auris seeks $75,000 in its Flexible Funding campaign (which means it will deliver rewards even if it fails in its goal) due to end June 3rd.

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Connected Objects Sports

Smart Golf analyzes your swing to steer you to the green

Many golfers would love to hit the green more often than they do, but can’t due to busy schedules at work and home. That can make it especially difficult for a beginner golfer to learn the game.

Smart Golf is a connected golf club that can be used anywhere to improve one’s swing. It analyze golfers’ swings after connection via Wi-Fi to an Android, iOS or Windows Phone app. One of the light signals on the head of the club will indicate when the angle of the user’s stance is correct before swinging.

The application then records the users’ swings, helping them progress and discouraging bad habits. After swinging, an audio alert will indicate contact with a virtual ball. Owners can then instantly review all the information regarding the swing, including rhythm, tempo, speed and angle. Smart Golf costs $180 and ships in October. Its maker is looking to raise $20,000 by June 14.

There have been other products designed to improve one’s golf swing, including the Flex Putter Trainer. But Smart Golf holds promise because of its portability, the realistic club design, and that it can also function as a multiplayer interactive golf game.