It’s been said that kids who enjoy building blocks and puzzles as their favorite toys often grow up to be tomorrow’s engineers. Versa Bricks seems to have an interesting way to encourage the builder in every kid, and maybe even the kid in every parent. Versa Bricks are touted as being compatible with Lego type bricks, Hot Wheels tracks, K’nex, and HO scale train tracks. So all of those really cool ramps can now be placed much more easily under the race track as the Hot Wheels car plunges through the window of a Lego building – kind of like in the movies. For kids who like to think on a grander scale, XYZ and Assembly are worth checking out. To add a bit of artistic flare to that building enthusiasm, Curiositoys may be a perfect fit. This campaign seeks to raise $17,500 by December 2014. For $9, backers get 12 Versa Bricks (two sets) with an expected delivery of March 2015.
Some estimates peg the number of Americans who experience problems sleeping at 70 million, although most would agree the number is even higher than that. Unfortunately, having trouble sleeping isn’t considered much of a problem at all and if someone decides to do something about it, the most effective technology to help is stuck in impractical and expensive sleep laboratories.
OxiRate Inc. is looking to take that technology out of the laboratory and onto your head with their BodyEcho sleep system. The system is comprised of a headband that houses a removable, quarter-sized chip almost impossibly packed with heart rate, temperature, and respiratory sensors, along with an accelerometer and an oximeter.
With the oximeter at its core, the combination of technologies allows the BodyEcho to track things like your sleep stages, sleeping positions, and breathing interruptions with increased accuracy. The data gathered can then be reviewed on a Web portal or a smartphone application so that a user can take a more active role in their sleep. An SDK in development will expand on the device’s capabilities too, so look out for those lucid dreaming applications. OxiRate Inc. is looking for $100,000 to finalize BodyEcho, and interested backers can pick one up for $100.
BodyEcho is interested in being the best possible at one thing: sleep tracking. By offering so much technology in a small package, the company is letting everyone else make it something more with the SDK. It seem like everything created with it will be a touch inventive and versatile than other headbands strictly for lucid dreaming, like the DreamNet or the Aurora. Its included oximeter is the star of the show with its ability to provide the refined data only a sleep lab can offer, but its effectiveness ultimately remains to be seen.
Toddlers and small children are notorious for refusing to go to sleep. Even when they can barely keep their eyes open, they insist on staying up, unwilling to miss any action. Babysleep is a clock designed for these types of kids, teaching them when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. Looking like a little wooden birdhouse, the product has a sun and moon on it. When the sun is lit, it tells the child that they should be getting up. When the moon is lit, it’s time to go to bed. Parents have several options in controlling Babysleep. They can either set times from the product itself, from a computer or even use an accompanying app. Times can be adjusted easily for nap time, traveling or sleepovers. Brightness of the lights as well as colors can also be customized.
The campaign included testimonials from parents claiming that Babysleep has become a fun nightly ritual for their child. It also goes into the detrimental effects of the often erratic sleep patters of terrible two-year-olds. Other children’s alarm clocks focus on different goals, such as the Onaroo Alarm Clock. This product urges kids to stay in bed longer so that their parents can sleep. Babysleep focuses more on the child’s well-being than the parent’s. Backers can donate £99 (~$160) for this Italian product. Babysleep is looking to raise £50,000 (~$80,600) on Kickstarter.
Football, beer and pizza. Now there’s a sports lover’s winning combo! What better way to beat the winter blahs than to have a bunch of friends over for Super Bowl Sunday? Ample space in the refrigerator for storing each delectable culinary delight is crucial to having a successful party. That’s precisely why Bottleloft was invented. This unique strip of magnets helps save and make more space in the refrigerator. A special low temperature application grade of 3M VHB adhesive is used to ensure proper adhesion to the top or the refrigerator shelf unit, and neodymium-grade magnets, which are some of the strongest that are available, hold beer or other beverages in place that have a metal cap. But alas, backers will be limited to a 12 bottle maximum on this. So if it’s a big party, break out the coolers. In fact, Coolest Cooler would be a great fit for just such a party. This campaign seeks to raise $20,000 by November 9, 2014. For $20, backers get one bottle loft that holds three bottles. Expected delivery is January 2015.
The sound engineer in all of us instinctively knows to cup smartphones with our palms to increase the volume of the random cat video. With that idea, the SoundDish was born. The product is as a passive acoustic amplifier and, like your hands, needs no electrical source to function. No matter where you take it, the SounDish’s design will double the sound coming out of a smartphone if its odd shape doesn’t get in the way of getting it there in the first place. Something as low-tech as this is certainly welcome if the sound quality is worth it. Otherwise, a bluetooth speaker and a pack of batteries can run you less than its $40 asking price — even at the expense of being at the whim of temporary power. The creators of the SounDish are looking for a $30,000 infusion to bring their idea to market. One will cost backers $40 with delivery in February 2015.
Exercising and finding a convenient way to carry an iPhone might be the biggest oxymoron concepts of the 21st century. Which is why FitHolster was created. Whether its cracked screens, profuse sweating during workouts that eventually destroys a phone’s audio mechanism, or just a more convenient way to carry a phone while enjoying hiking and other great outdoor excursions, this product lets users keep their phone protected in a case and easily carried for better mobility during those extreme activities. Magnets attached to the material strap on the case help to hold the phone in place at the user’s waistband. It appears this product will be most effective for those who just like to have their phone to listen to music during workouts and don’t need to see the display. In addition, the positioning of the holder on the waist seems like it would be a little obtrusive to an intense workout.
For those who wouldn’t mind armbands if they offered better phone screen visibility and phone protection, consider the Recoil Armband. As for Sports enthusiasts who like using their GoPhone to try to improve their game, consider checking out the GoPhone iPhone Case. The FitHolster campaign seeks to raise $3,300 by November 6. For $25, early bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.
There’s nothing like wheels to make it easier to transport stuff from here to there. And if such a device can be adapted for pretty much any travel situation, so much the better. Monowalker is a multifaceted device that allows users to tote supplies on wheels for excursions ranging from hiking in the great outdoors to taking a walk down to the corner market. And for cycling enthusiasts, it’s even possible to get a hitch so that it can be easily pulled along. Monowalker must be modified to fit an urban verses rural environment, and it’s not clear if any tools are required for the assembly. But it does appear that the kits offered for making those changes are easy to use.
It’s a nice touch that, when on foot, the product takes the stress off of a user’s neck and shoulders since it attaches around the waist. This product seems a little bulky to carry around everywhere and may be suited to bigger adventures rather than everyday use. The campaign seeks to raise £25,000 (~$40,000 US) by November 5, 2014. City dwelling backers get a basic Monowalker product for £610 (~$980). Expected delivery is currently set for January 2015.
No matter how many precautions are taken, a parent’s worry for their child’s whereabouts isn’t something that is easily quelled — if at all. It’s ingrained deep in our wiring to be worried for our offspring. From getting lost to more serious concerns like predators, the only defense a parent really has are cell phones. For younger children, though, a smartphone comes with excessive maintenance costs even if it may contain everything a parent needs to feel better.
Inventor Lionnel Legros has created Linkoo to ease the worry of parents across the globe. Linkoo is a combination GPS tracker and cell phone for specifically for kids. The myriad of bright, fun color options appeals to kids while the integrated GSM appeals to parents, programmable with each parent’s number and one SOS number for emergencies. The child can make calls to these numbers or receive calls from anywhere around the world, and if the child doesn’t pick up a call, the watch will automatically call back ensuring the parent gets in contact no matter what. A Web portal and companion iOS/Android apps offer parents an additional layer of protection in the form of maps with real-time tracking and geo-fencing capabilities. The Linkoo is going for $129 with an estimated delivery date of March 2015. Inventor Lionel Legros is looking for $50,000 in funding.
Capitalizing on a child’s excitement for their first watch is a smart move on the inventor’s part, even if it’s a little sneaky. But for parents, nothing is ever too sneaky to ensure their child’s safety. The excessive costs associated with maintaining a smartphone for a child are mitigated with a solution that keeps just the essentials, making it very child-friendly. There are tons of other GPS, childcare smart watches on the market like the 1Decision Bracelet that interacts with an accompanying bracelet worn by the parent, taking responsibility off of the child’s shoulders to signal for help. So the question remain: will a child actually wear it if they were to know what it actually does? The video paints an ideal picture, but is it a truthful one? We all know how finicky children can be, after all.
When it comes to the more delicate side of being a female, there are certain items designed with the intent of making life easier. This applies to Go2Pon. Go2Pon is presented as a product of convenience because of its cylindrical shape. It features a suction cup on the bottom that will allow it to be securely fastened to a convenient spot in the shower or on the counter, so the tampon will always be close at hand, at least at home. It aims to make that time of the month, Aunt Flo’s visit, shark week, or whatever else you want to call it a little less awkward. Potential marriage annoyance alert: if the intent is for a permanent location for the Go2Pon, hubby may see it as ranking right up there with looking at her hand-washed bras hanging over the shower rod. Just a thought. This campaign seeks to raise $20,000 by November 14, 2014. Backers can get one product for $30, with an expected delivery of May 2015.
Replacing tile flooring can be one of the most difficult home improvement projects to accomplish. And dealing with the thinset that gets left behind is typically the hardest part. The creator of Thinset Removal Bit seems to have created a tool that can help. The drill bit is a two inch wide pneumatic chisel bit made of impact-resistant alloy, hardened for longevity and sharpened so that even the most difficult to remove thinset will be easily cleared away. It’s unclear if this particular drill bit is compatible with any commercial air hammer, but there are air hammer kits out there that offer a variety of chisel sizes, such as the ADT Long Barrel Air Hammer, Ingersoll Rand Short Barrel Air Hammer, and Wilmar Heavy Duty Air Hammer, all of which come with multiple chisels. This campaign seeks to raise $10,000 by November 14, 2014. For $50, backers get one Thinset removal bit with an expected delivery of November 2014.