Category: Food and Beverage

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Connected Objects Food and Beverage Health and Wellness

SITU smart food scale counts calories and more from raw ingredients

situAs easy as people say it is to count calories and eat less junk food, combining those two goals can prove to be a bigger challenge. Boxed, frozen, canned, and fast food options have readily available nutritional data. But cooking at home, preparing meals out of fresher, healthier ingredients, how exactly does one figure out a serving size?

Extending the idea of a smart scale for humans, SITU is a smart food scale that can provide nutritional data for any bit of food. SITU weighs food and then transmits that information to an iPad. From there, users can track calorie intake, sugar, sodium, or any other ingredient. That information can be used and applied to analytics that will guide users through whatever their goal is: shedding pounds, adding weight, managing diabetes, and more.  It’s an idea that others have tried already, including the eerily similar Smart Food Scale by Chef Sleeve, but SITU hopes that its complete nutritional data and ease of use will help it stand out.

While there’s plenty of cause to be skeptical about the scale’s accuracy, he campaign video shares the personal weight loss story of the inventor who used to count calories by hand and managed to lose 100 pounds, lending credence to the effectiveness of a smart scale like SITU. Backers who pledge £50 plus £12 for shipping outside the UK can get a SITU in November and start losing pounds in time for an easier New Year’s resolution.

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Food and Beverage

Beer Olive and Hop helps your beer hang on to its head

Beer Olive and HopSo it’s not been one of your better days at work. You come through the door, and eagerly anticipate cracking one open and pouring it into your favorite beer glass. But disappointment quickly sets in as the head dissipates and it proceeds to go flat. Beer Olive and Hop has been designed with the beer enthusiast in mind. Simply drop the soapstone accessory into your glass and it keeps your beer fizzing and the flavor full. For $10, backers get their choice of Beer Olive or Hop, which is 20 percent off the anticipated retail price. Expected delivery is July 2014.

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Cooking Food and Beverage

PERES e-nose smells trouble when meat misses the mark

The Premise. Food poisoning is no fun, and also no joke. With an estimated 5,000 deaths related to food-borne illnesses in the US every year, it’s important to be completely confident that any food consumed is safe and free from disease.

The Product. The PERES is an “e-nose” that is designed to do something no other device has been able to offer consumers: test meat for any potential consumption risks. Compatible with beef, pork, poultry, and fish, the PERES takes an air sample from the proximity from any bit of meat and analyzes the sample looking for any harmful bacteria or signs of spoiling. With the ability to detect over 100 different kinds of harmful substances and instant Bluetooth transmission to a phone or tablet, meat can be analyzed quickly and easily to make sure that dinner will be enjoyable and safe to eat.

The Pitch. ARS LAB, the company behind the PERES, introduces the device and discusses its inception after a nasty case of food poisoning suffered by the CEO’s wife. Backing PERES does more than just bring a device to market, a significant portion of the proceeds are also being donated to various relevant charities. PERES needs $100,000 to finish prototype development as well as to complete the included app. ARS LAB offers a referral program that can result in a free device for referring 10 backers, and also has a number of stretch goals. At $135,000, there will be add-ons for the device to give it new features. $250,000 will include a standalone device that can function without a smartphone, while $350,000 will turn the PERES into a home safety device that can detect gas leaks and humidity. At the $500,000 mark, the team claims that PERES can help detect fertility, be a home drug testing kit, and even prevent infidelity with its powerful nose.

The Perks. A PERES e-nose is available to backers who pledge $120. Developers who want to add more functionality to the device can get the SDK and one of the devices for $750. The first batch is expected to ship in July 2014.

The Potential. The food safety industry can always use as much help as it can get, and PERES seems like a great thing for any home cook or even restaurant owner to keep handy. The social sharing aspects of the device seem a little unnecessary (who wants a status update from their friends about spoiled meat?) but overall the device is a great kitchen implement that would be right at home next to any meat thermometers.

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Food and Beverage

Les Glaçons caters to drinkers who like ’em big, square and dense

Les GlaçonsMixologists, or bartenders as they’re commonly known, take their cocktails quite seriously. Achieving the perfect drink doesn’t only have to do with liquid ingredients, but also with good ice. Les Glaçons is an ice making kit from Montreal with separating planes, locks, a liner and insulating sleeve that produces large cubes of ice that are perfectly dense and clear. According to the detailed campaign, this is the best kind of ice for cocktail making. One of these kits costs early birds $160 CAD and birds $200 CAD with an estimated delivery date of October 2014. Glaçons hopes to raise $20,000 CAD on Kickstarter in its 33-day campaign.

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Connected Objects Food and Beverage

SmartFork, SmartSpoon sense calories with every bite

The Premise. Part of what makes losing weight so difficult is that counting calories is an inexact science at best. Even with nutritional information, one has to monitor serving sizes and even cooking methods to know just how much calories are being consumed.

The Product. SmartFork and companion SmartSpoon want to do all the counting, and leave owners to simply do the eating. Pairing with an iPhone or Android via Bluetooth, the SmartFork takes into consideration the weight on the utensil and uses complex algorithms and sensors to determine the protein, fat, and carbohydrate content of the food and track caloric value. These utensils are save to eat with, easy to use and sync with weight loss websites, and are even dishwasher-safe.

The Pitch. Inventor Damir Wallener has been working on this concept for a while now, showing off multiple prototypes that started with more simple foods that only represented one of the three main detection groups (fat, protein, carbohydrates). The campaign video is short but sweet, explaining what the SmartFork or SmartSpoon can do, and why backers should donate. To put SmartForks to work making smart eating easier, $25,000 CAD is required to stabilize the manufacturing process of these smart yet simple tools.

The Perks. Bringing a SmartFork or SmartSpoon to the plate only takes a pledge of $99 CAD. Getting both takes $149 CAD, and at $199 CAD these utensils can be added to the prototype SmartBowl which works on similar principles. All products are expected to be delivered before the end of summer.

The Potential. SmartFork embraces some of the same concepts of the HAPIfork but actually determining the nutritional value of what it’s shoveling into your mouth is a tall order. It’s easy to be skeptical about how well these products work. If the tests show an orange slice, or a bit of chicken and calculate it, what about thick stews with lots of ingredients, or ice cream with toppings surrounded by the base flavor? Damir Wallener is confident in the impact of the SmartFork and SmartSpoon; ultimately, this kind of intelligence will be required to complement the wide range of exercise meters on the market.

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Food and Beverage Sports

REALAJ enables full-tilt hydration without tilting your head

REALAJ ce77d093777e2e936aeb73f6498be39d_large[1]Whether it’s competitive cycling, marathon running, or power walking, staying hydrated is key to a top performance. When you have to tip your head back to drink some water, it can interfere with being able to see where you’re going. REALAJ has redesigned the sports water bottle so that you can keep watching where you’re going. The idea of an ergonomically designed bottle that lets you drink without tipping your head back will likely be valuable to pro cyclists and runners as well as those aspiring to go pro. But even at two for $25, it will be going up against some popular competition. Expected delivery for REALAJ is June 2014.

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Food and Beverage

Burger Lift boosts burgers over greasy puddles

Burger Lift 62772db56538e8059fef4e71c633ca0d_large[1]There are those who like burgers because they are a quick and easy meal, and then there are those who are burger connoisseurs. The difference? Quick and easy mealers are not bothered by the puddle of grease that gathers beneath their burger. In fact, they will even sop it up with the bun. On the other hand, a burger connoisseur would declare such an encounter a meal-ruining travesty and demand a new burger. Like a bridge over dribbled slaughter, the stainless steel Burger Lift provides the perfect rescue for your sop-sensitive palate . For $15, a backer gets a pair of the sandwich accessories. Expected delivery is August 2014.

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Food and Beverage

Food Cycler countertop composter avoids the sink, spares the stink

The Premise. Composting has become more and more popular as people realize how much food they waste. Many opt for traditional composting, taking all of their food and storing it in a container and then bringing it out to the garden to decompose naturally albeit very slowly. Others live in cities or towns where a green bin is provided to pick composting up, but there are few places that offer this service.

The Product. The compact Food Cycler offers the chance to compost food responsibly without having to wait for the results. This home composting tool is about the size of a wastebasket and is green and white. You simply put the food into the basket inside, close the lid and hit start. The food heats up and decomposes in three hours. At the end, the composted material comes out crispy and dry, perfect for using in the garden.

The Pitch. Food Cycler’s Indiegogo campaign features an all-too-cheery woman scraping would-be leftovers into the product’s pail. At the end, the composted food comes out, showing backers how well the product works. The rest of the campaign details tons of pictures of the Food Cycler as well as scads of environmental facts. The goal is set for $40,000 in the 31-day run on Indiegogo.

The Perks. In order to enjoy this home composting device, backers will have to donate $399 on Indiegogo. The only other reward tiers that Food Cycler offers are below $399 and don’t get backers the product. Current estimated availability is set for May 2014.

The Potential. Composting is definitely becoming a common trend among homeowners. The question is, are people willing to pay up to $400 to compost their food when they could potentially be doing it for free? While odors can be odious and composting the old-fashioned way takes a while, many are willing to spend their time instead of their money. If not, there are cheaper options on the market similar to the Food Cycler such as NatureMill products. These products are still expensive, but not quite as expensive as the Food Cycler, though they do take longer to break food down. All in all, the Food Cycler will ultimately need to figure out a way to lower its cost before having a chance on the market.

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Food and Beverage

Bong Along funnels party imbibing into a collapsible Frisbee of a drinking aid

Bong Along c3703da5cdc1bcbc0d5590195ef40476_large[1]What’s a college party in a frat house without a beer bong? And leave it to the party crowd to find a way to make it, um, more effective – hence—Bong Along. Armed with the slightly off-balance argument that your standard beer bong ought to be collapsible, dishwasher-ready and more easily storable (perhaps so it can be better hidden from those in authority) a mind-boggling six years went into “improving” on a college tradition of quaffing and staggering to create a product with those exact additions, plus better control of beer flow. For $30 backers get a complete product with an expected delivery of June 2014. What a unique gift this would make.

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Food and Beverage Organization

Latte Lasso keeps your shopping hopping with easy caffeine access

latte lassoFor those who love a coffee on the go, the Latte Lasso allows you to go shopping and tote around your coffee at the same time. This quilted sleeve fits onto any standard coffee to-go cup and has a hook on it. Perfect for shopping carts, the hook hangs onto the cup and cart as you browse. The sleeve comes in several different colors and patterns. Early backers can lasso the Lasso for only $10 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of April 2014. Latte Lasso hopes to raise $1,500 in its 30 day campaign.