Tired of sitting in front of a computer screen all day? Now it’s possible to stand up for a while and keep on working. Stealth Rising Desktop raises the user’s desktop at the press of a button. For those who are counting calories, it’s even possible to hook up a PC to the Stealth and schedule regular times of standing and track the extra calories burned from standing rather than sitting. While this might be a nice way to change up the workday, the claims that it actually improves health seem like they may be a bit on the exaggerated side although there’s lots of evidence in favor of at least getting out of the seated position once in a while. Expected delivery is February 2014.
Category: Health and Wellness
The Premise. Moms and dads can get tired from carrying their babies around all day. However, all of this lifting can become quite taxing. Many carriers are designed for the baby’s comfort, leaving little thought to its parents, which can lead to back problems and poor posture.
The Product. Hipster is a baby carrier designed with both parent and child in mind. The weight of the baby sits on the hips instead of on the shoulders. The baby can sit in the front, back or on the parent’s hips, but the fastener keeps the spine straight to avoid injury. With versatile straps, the carrier can hold the child in a total of nine different ways. Using different attachable layers, the carrier can be made summer friendly with less padding and winter friendly with more. Additional pockets and compartments make it easy for parents to store whatever they may need while holding their child. Hipster comes in different colors and patterns with additional accessories like the head cover.
The Pitch. This Swiss product was created by a couple, Cecillia and Alessandro. As explained in their video, when Cecillia pinched a nerve in her back, she struggled to pick up her baby. Different carriers weren’t working for her unique back problems. Thus, the idea for Hipster was born. The rest of the campaign goes through reward tiers, specs and shows Alessandro using Hipster in its 9 different ways. Hipster is looking to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter.
The Perks. For only $100, backers can receive the Hipster at an early-bird price with estimated delivery set for August 2014. The regular price of $120 offers delivery in September 2014. Tiers offer a variety of accessories and colors and go up all the way up to $1,000.
The Potential. People are really beginning to get wise to the fact that poor posture can be extremely detrimental. Many hiking packs load weight onto the lower back and hips in order to give shoulders a rest. Hipster uses the same idea for kids. Another low-fastening baby carrier, the Side Ride Hip Carrier, uses the same idea to hold kids on the hips, buthas only two options for carrying instead of nine. The baby carrier’s versatility and posture control make it a sensible and desirable contender on the new parent market.
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 Premise. Exercising can be even more exhilarating and fruitful with the right music on to help push you to go further. No music, or slow sappy music, can completely mess with your workout rhythm or even make you want to stop. Most music players need to be handled manually in order to change the song, which can be a total hassle.
The Product. The GoGlove is a sports glove that connects to your music player via Bluetooth. Using different finger touch patterns, the wearer can adjust the volume, skip, go back, activate SIRI, play and pause their music on the go. The thin glove can be worn alone or underneath a ski glove for those engaging in winter sports. Its black material makes it look discreet and subtle.
The Pitch. GoGlove’s campaign video shows a humorous montage of runners, cyclists and other athletic types interrupted by a sappy love song. Its creators discuss the functionality of their product, along with stretch goals. The rest of the campaign discusses battery life and other tech specs of the glove. GoGlove is reaching for a $50,000 goal in a month-long Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. For early-glove-wearers, the product is $69 or $79 at a regular price with estimated delivery in December 2014. A stretch goal of $60,000 has been set in the hopes of creating an accompanying Android/iOS app so that wearers can customize their glove experience. A second stretch goal of $100,000 would allow the creators to develop a second product in a wristband form, for warmer sports.
The Potential. There’s nothing like exercising to great music and most people know what it’s like to be powering it out to Beyonce only to lag behind when Jack Johnson comes on. Lots of headphones and earbuds offer a way to adjust the players volume easily, but don’t have the array of options that the GoGlove has. Similarly, most opt to simply make a gym or exercising playlist filled with techno jams to keep that heart rate up. Still, GoGlove’s concept is novel in the fitness accessory world and will certainly be a welcome addition to the market, especially for those engaging in colder sports.
The Premise. Lung health can be overlooked in a world obsessed with heart rate, nutrition and blood pressure. Most lung problems are caught only once they’ve developed into serious conditions. Without a doctor present, it can be difficult to monitor lung health to ensure that everything is okay.
The Product. For lung health on the go, try the SandPiper. This product is a mini spirometer that plugs into any standard smart phone headphone jack to delivery immediate information about one’s lung health. You simply blow into the product and the information is immediate on the accompanying app that provides a full spirometric analysis. It’s made of medical grade ABS and uses an adapted type of wind power for energy. This power comes directly from the user when they go to test their respiratory function.
The Pitch. SandPiper’s video shows a doctor talking about the realities of poor lung health. A bit obvious, perhaps, but quite effective. It also shows the product in use displaying how easy it is to carry around, facilitate and even wash (just throw it in the dishwasher). The rest of the campaign goes through what exactly the product measures and its other uses, including training your lungs to have better strength and capacity. SandPiper has a huge goal of $275,000 on Indiegogo.
The Perks. Early breathing backers will get the SandPiper for $55 or $64 which includes the product and ability to download the app. Regular price for the product on Indiegogo is $73 with estimated delivery set in December 2014.
The Potential. Portable spirometers aren’t anything new. One that connects directly to an app on a smartphone is. The Orbit Portable Spirometer connects directly to one’s computer, but doesn’t organize the information on said computer. SandPiper’s app collects and remembers data, making it more effective in tracking lung health and history. The device itself couldn’t be simpler to use, wash or carry making it super convenient. All in all, the SandPiper is just the product for those concerned with their lung health. While it may not be needed by all, it is definitely essential for an older crowd that will appreciate its ease of use.
The Premise. Women of menopausal age suffer hot flashes and night sweats before, during and even years after menopause. For anyone who has experience overheating at any point in their lives (so, yes, everyone), they know how extremely uncomfortable it is. Cooling down from a rush of heat can be challenging and especially inconvenient at night.
The Product. The aptly named Menopod is a cooling device for menopausal women (though others might find it useful as well). This little pod uses copper pads that, when activated, lower down to a temperature of around 41°F. It was designed to contour to the back of the neck so that, when applied, it cools the user down. The product itself is white and slightly resembles a computer mouse. For charging, it uses a USB cable that plugs right into any computer or USB wall outlet.
The Pitch. Menopod’s creators do quite well in the video of keeping it classy while discussing what some may call a touchy subject. Doctors and menopausal women, along with their husbands, discuss the discomforts of hot flashes and the relief they get from Menopod. The product’s tagline “Keeping hot women cool” is especially funny. This cool device from Toronto is looking to raise $35,000 in a two month Indiegogo campaign.
The Perks. For hot early birds, the Menopod costs $145 with a protective case. At a regular price, women can enjoy the pod for $175. All tiers have an estimated delivery date of October 2014. Tiers reach up to $2,600.
The Potential. Other personal cooling devices are out there like mini fans and ice packs. For example, the Coldfront consists of little pads that freeze for 12 hours and then stay cool as you carry them around all day. They’re even recommended by Oprah. However, these are really only good for a single use type of situation and require preparation in the fridge. The Menopod needs only to be charged and then it’s good to go. It also doesn’t involve any ice, fans or freezers making it more convenient than any other option. For hot women, or even athletes, the Menopod is a great option for cooling down.
People use Q-Tips and cotton swabs to clean their ears not realizing that they’re actually risking their health by doing so. These conventional ear-cleaning methods can push wax further into the ear or even puncture the eardrum. The Oto-Tip offers a safe and environmentally-friendly way to clean your ears out. It has a soft, flexible tip that goes into the ear canal. Using a carefully placed attachment, the Oto-Tip prevents the user from traveling too deep into the ear. It charges much like a conventional electric toothbrush and only costs backers $30 with other reward tier options to help clean the ears of less fortunate children in India. Oto-Tip is looking to raise $30,000 on Indiegogo.
It takes time, can be painful to sensitive gums, and is just plain boring. So goes the argument against flossing. That’s why Gummy Floss decided to add a string of color and a few lines of flavor to motivate kids (and adults) to floss and brush daily. Medical grade silicone rubber makes for a soft, smooth and flexible floss that reduces bleeding and is more comfortable. For $15, backers get two bags of Gummy Floss, which equals 20 gummies.
The Premise. Eating healthily is difficult. Going out for meals is especially hard because portions have gotten out of control in the US. Counting calories and pouring over nutrition books is hard to do and completely inconvenient for those on the go. Food scales are a nice solution, but can really only be used at home.
The Product. Wellscale is a small portable smart scale that lets you weight what you’re eating discretely. It connects to an iOS and Android friendly app that allows you to track your foods, weight and general nutrition. The app comes with a built-in advisor that can look at your food intake and make suggestions to cut down on certain items. The scale itself is so small that it can fit into your pocket.
The Pitch. The campaign video features the lovely Portuguese creator talking about his product. He shows how the scale can sit below a plate and measure each food item’s nutrition during a meal. A kitten also shows up, eating food off of the scale so that the viewer can see how sensitive the scale is as it changes while the cat eats. Wellscale hopes to raise $37,000 in a month-long Indiegogo campaign.
The Perks. Early healthy birds can get the Wellscale for $65 or $85 at a regular price. Tiers climb from there offering bundles of the product all the way up to $7,650. All tiers have an estimated delivery date of December 2014.
The Potential. Nutrition and health is always on our minds. Whether we do anything about it depends a lot on convenience and connectivity. Wellscale is quite similar to the Smart Food Scale that had a successful Kickstarter campaign a year ago. While the two are comparable in capabilities, the Wellscale app is also Android friendly which the Smart Food Scale lacked. In addition, it’s much smaller and portable which really sets it apart. Again, convenience is hard to pass up and its portability gives it a great chance of success on the market.
The Premise. Poor posture can lead to a slew of health problems as people get older. Those who hunch from time to time in their youth will end up hunching over permanently in old age. With the amount of sitting that people do from day to day, it’s difficult to maintain good posture all the time.
The Product. Upright is a small device that attaches to your lower back. When your posture is poor, the product vibrates, alerting the wearer that they need to straighten out. Multiple sensors allow Upright to detect when the wearer is sitting, standing, running or walking. The accompanying app receives information about your posture habits from the device via Bluetooth technology. Upright is small, white and attaches to your back with a sticky substance.
The Pitch. Upright’s campaign video features several different slouchy people straightening up in situations where confidence is needed, such as an interview or date. Testimonials from users and experts on the benefits of good posture round out the video’s narrative. The rest of the campaign goes through the technology involved in the product as well as detailing the mobile training app that the product comes with. The Swiss-made Upright hopes to raise $70,000 USD on Indiegogo.
The Perks. For an early special price, Upright will cost crooked backers $69. At a regular price, the Upright goes for $79, both with estimated delivery dates of March 2015. Reward tiers go all the way up to $1,725, aka the company pack for any company that wants its employees to sit up straight, not a bad idea.
The Potential. Posture is definitely a problem for most nowadays. We always seem to be hunched over our computers, books, or phones. Similar to Upright, the Lumo Lift also reminds wearers to sit up straight while tracking activity and posture using an accompanying app. Lumo Lift is a a similar price as Upright, but is worn on the lapel instead of directly on the back. This likely makes it a bit more comfortable if conspicuous. All in all, Upright is a clever product and, if it can stay attached to the skin all day, it will certainly enjoy great success for those looking to alleviate back pain.