Category: Connected Objects

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Connected Objects Cycling

The BluBel connected bike bell gives routes a familiar ring

Cycling is one of life’s great joys, especially because it’s free to do and offers cyclists who do it often a wide-range of health benefits. However, getting from A to B hasn’t always been the easiest part of it all, forcing those on the move to stop to consult a map or a smartphone for directions, ultimately ruining the fun.

Blubel is a satellite navigation system built within a bike bell. Riders input their destination into Blubel’s companion iOS/Android app and leads riders to their destination using a set of LEDs. On the way, a set of lights indicates a right turn and another indicates a left turn, both of which are prefaced by an audible ping to indicate one is coming up. When close to a destination, a steady LED lights up and acts as a compass. What sets Bluebel apart, though, is its crowdsourced mapping.

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Connected Objects Kids/Babies

The Snowfox trackerphone keeps your little cubs safe

editors-choiceBack before the advent of smartphones, kids used to go to this thing called “outside.” In this magical place, anything was possible. There were usually other kids out there, too, and together they were only limited by their imaginations. Times have certainly changed. Now, screens dominate children’s attention at the same time, parents can’t possibly imagine their children going off to do something by themselves anymore.

At the end of the day, parents would consider letting their child explore the world by themselves, but buying them a smartphone to keep track is an expensive proposition. This is why the Snowfox, a pendant-like trackerphone designed exclusively for children, is such a cool idea. Since it has a built-in SIM card and GPS, guardians can use a companion iOS/Android app to keep an eye on their little ones, receive push notifications if they leave home or school, and even call them if need be.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Wow Frame seeks to bring social media into the pictures

Once upon a time, digital picture frames were among the most popular consumer electronic devices. But mobile photo sharing has largely killed the category.

The Wow Frame is a digital picture frame that receives photo and video feeds from social networks and mobile devices. Its maker intends consumers to buy multiple Wow frames and place them next to one another on their walls. Users would be able to share free or “premium” HD photos and videos with other Wow owners as part of an accompanying service.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Tiny1 compact camera specializes in shooting stars

There are a lot of digital cameras on the market, but not many of them have been designed for one specific use, like taking photos of stars in the sky, for example.

patent-claimedTiny1 is a compact camera with patent-pending noise reduction technology that has been designed for astronomy. It helps users plan, capture and share stars from the palms of their hands. Tiny1’s interactive star map is a unique interface using augmented reality to help users easily locate and shoot celestial objects. It shows users the stars and constellations in real time and there is a search function built in to guide them.

Tiny1 works in conjunction with an Android app. The camera can be paired with a smartphone to easily share pictures via Wi-Fi. Tiny1 can also be controlled using Wi-Fi to reduce camera shake. Any lens available can be attached to the Tiny1 easily, including interchangeable camera lenses and telescope lenses, according to its makers Tiny1 ships in December at about $700. But early bird Indiegogo backers have been able to get one for a pledge starting at $349. Its makers are out to raise $100,000 by July 7.

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Connected Objects Imaging Virtual Reality

EYSE live-streaming VR device transports you to somewhere more interesting

Every day, people around the world wish they were somewhere else: With friends on a trip, with family on a special day, on a tropical island relaxing, in the depths of a balmy jungle exploring — wherever. Usually, they feel this way to get away from the mundane of the current situation and while smartphone have given most people the power to live stream, it isn’t as immersive

patent-claimedIn the age of virtual reality of experience, it’s no surprise that the team at Vairdo developed EYSE, a VR-enhanced camera with dual 5MP cameras, an internal speaker and microphone that lets user live stream stereoscopic video others can enjoy with a VR headset. EYSE has a wide range of applications: It can be used to be present at far-off birthday parties and family gatherings, experience the wonder of drone flight first-hand, for better one-on-one instruction, to get an alternate, more aquatic view of the world, remotely monitor the home, and even treat phobias through immersion.

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Connected Objects Cycling

CycloShield passive security system helps avoid road dangers

While cycling is a more engaging, more environmentally-friendly and healthier alternative to driving everywhere, the unfortunate truth is that cyclists are a vulnerable lot. With nothing to protect them from accidents, they’re at a much higher rate of injury or death, a huge, underserved issue the CycloShield addresses.

For cyclists who either commute or engage in the sport, the CycloShield passive security system is the way for a drastically safer experience. By attaching it to a bicycle’s seat bar, a set of sensors autonomously detect the approach or threat of a vehicle and audibly alarms riders of the impending danger. In the event of an accident, it not only sends an SOS message to both an emergency contact and to emergency services but also films offenders with a 5 MP camera — extremely useful in dealing with resulting legal battles more swiftly.

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Connected Objects Health and Wellness

OneCare Dori helps the elderly remember to take their pills

Dory is the famous fish who suffers from memory loss in two funny Disney Pixar movies. But, in real life, there’s nothing funny about memory loss –- especially when it comes to the elderly forgetting to take their medications to keep them healthy.

OneCare Dori is a device that works in conjunction with an Android and iOS app to remind elderly people when it’s time to take their pills and do other important things. It also provides real-time alerts to their families and other caregivers. The basic service allows caregivers to use the app to schedule reminders in an interactive voice call format that the elderly person can either receive via a landline or mobile phone call. Caregivers can also monitor in real time the status of each reminder, as well as the answers given by the elderly person to each reminder.

 

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Connected Objects Cycling

It turns out the BEST e-bike conversion kit really is the best

patent-claimedA lot of standard e-bikes on the market operate at the 250W configuration, even in places where it’s legal to have a more powerful motor. And in those other places, more powerful configurations mean more speed, but without the torque to truly make it powerful enough to climb steep hills, for instance.

Inventor Matteo and his brother Luca Spaggiari were challenged to create a motor that could push the limit in terms of the hills it could climb and loads it could tow. Together, they created the BEST e-bike conversion kit. The name isn’t just for show: their design has been recognized by companies like Ford and Edison for being an extremely small yet generating the kind of torque it does. The secret lies within how its brushless motor sports a 10:1 ratio, allowing for a constant, high-level of torque across a wide range of speeds. This means that no matter if backers choose the BEST’s 250W, 500W, 749W, or 999W option, the type of power it generates will be the same.

 

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Connected Objects Food and Beverage

Portable Voltaire smart grinder mixes in science with your brew

The perfect of smooth, delicious coffee is an elusive beast. That’s because the myriad of factors that affect the final pour’s quality all stem from the proper care of the beans used to make it. Most of the time, the beans used aren’t well-taken care of, leading to sub-par brews. With its Voltaire, the team at Get It Right combines elegant design and algorithmic intelligence to pull off a satisfying result every time.

Voltaire is a connected, freshness-sensing portable grinder whose singular goal is to ensure only the highest quality, freshest beans are ground in a manner that maximally retains all of the positive aspects that contribute to a great cup of joe. Design-wise, its locking lid retains freshness, canonical ceramic burrs ensure consistent particle size for all types of coffee and a long life, stepless adjustment collar allows for fine-tuned grindings, and an LED timer allows for a user’s desired presets.

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Connected Objects Music

Point Motion motion-based MIDI controller gives your beats pyramid power

As technology advances, new and exciting ways to interact with the programs available continue to emerge. Music is no exception: at no other time in history has there been such a democratization of the art. Purists may deride the ease and apparent lack of skill needed to make music today, but the fact remains that anyone with a creative soul can express themselves without having to jump through hoops first.

A product further lowering and innovating the bar is the Point Motion, a camera-equipped device that tracks movements and gestures to allow for music control and creation. The open platform works with the built-in cameras in computers to recognize gestures and use those gestures to control or trigger over 1500 instrument and vocal effect. These gestures can be chosen from what’s pre-loaded or customized by a user, each of which can be used to trigger things like guitar pedals, piano chords, or DJ scratches.

Two applications are also available, too. PuppetMaster lets users create music freely and control acoustic effects, and Point Wellness integrates music into health and wellness practices. Any music created with Point Motion can be transferred via MIDI or OSC to major digital audio workstations like Logic or Ableton Live, and a companion iOS/Android app can offer remote control of Point Motion’s features. Point Motion is going for $175 and is expected to ship in August 2016 should its Indiegogo campaign raise $50,000 by July 2017.

Alternative forms of music interaction are becoming increasingly common, a promising trend for music aficionados everywhere who like to be experimental. Point Motion follows the trend and innovates with a Kinect-like interface, perfect for younger creatives, those who are health conscious and want to use it as an exercise aid, or for older people and their physical therapy needs. Music-wise, it’s similar to the Remidi T8 glove in that it’s a novel, but still practical, way to explore music creation — and more tools to do never hurt.