![Innie 693dd55634770cdd021e49c0d0ef7fe5_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Innie-693dd55634770cdd021e49c0d0ef7fe5_large1-300x225.jpg)
So you’re running behind for an important meeting and walking at a pretty brisk pace. You notice that one of your shoes feels loose and look down. That stupid shoe lace has come untied again! Innie offers the opportunity to get those laces under control. The small plastic clip that looks a bit like a colorful razor blade attaches to your shoe’s laces from the inside. Since it sits between the tongue and inside of your shoe, you remain comfortable and it remains invisible. A few similar ideas include Wudzs Snap On, Zipped, and Hickies. If you’re opposed to double knotting your shoes and hate tying too, this could work well for you. For $10 AUD, a backer gets two packs of Innies and an expected delivery of July 2014.
The Premise. We all have them. Those certain part of town that you prefer to avoid because of shady characters and their behavior. But what about those occasions when you don’t have an option? If you have to use mass transit to get from point A to point B, or walking from the shopping mall to your car at night makes you nervous, it’s nice to have a bit of extra protection in case something should happen.
The Product. Empowerment Bottle offers an interesting way for a water bottle to multitask when walking or cycling. The 16 ounce container not only holds your water, but also sports reflective tape. A few self defense tools include a hidden chamber that contains mace, and another for a whistle. And while an assailant might be off balance from that mace, you can give them a good wallop via the metal handle on the top of the bottle for some extra time to get to a safe place.
The Pitch. The video for the $17,500 campaign starts out well with music that’s refreshingly different than the typical crowdfunding fare. Once the video cuts to the creator of the product speaking about it, the lighting isn’t the best, but his genuine passion for his product rings through. It’s pretty much a straightforward walkthrough of the features for the no-nonsense product.
The Perks. There are nine tiers from which backers may choose. For $30, a backer gets an Empowerment Bottle with an expected delivery of October 2014.
The Potential. People living in congested urban areas and who rely on mass transit such as subways will likely have a great appreciation for this product. Students who walk or ride their bike to school and those who live on a college campus will also see value in this product. Though it is possible to get mace and a whistle in a size that can be attached to a keychain, a water bottle may make them more convenient and accessible for those who are on foot or cycling.
The Premise. Commuters who ride their bikes to work usually opt to wear backpacks, the perfect bag for laptops and files. Unfortunately, exercising and back-wear hardly mix, which can result in the embarrassment of back sweat soaking through one’s apparel.
The Product. The Commuter Rack is a bicycle accessory that allows riders to hang their backpacks from their bikes instead of wearing them. This metal fixture attaches to the front of a bike with one bolt. The backpack hangs from one side and the product’s low center makes up for funky weight distribution, resulting in a stable ride.
The Pitch. While the Commuter Rack video is straightforward to explain, the campaign video is over seven minutes long. It also appears as if there was an editing goof since the last two minutes are just a blank screen. The very, very slow-speaking narrator’s monotone voice is almost impossible to listen to and the dramatization of a sweaty executive arriving at work is bizarrely funny and gross at the same time. Commuter Rack hopes to make $60,000 in its 30-day run on Kickstarter.
The Perks. Backpacking backers who hope to use the Commuter Rack must shell out a whopping $500 for one of these bike accessories. At that price, you could buy your backpack its own bike. But wait, for only $75, backers can receive an *autographed* copy of the creator’s bike journal instead. What the Freight? Estimated delivery is set for July 2014.
The Potential. Bike accessories are all the rage nowadays. This product, however, probably won’t be. While the use of a rack specifically designed for a backpack — popular among cyclists — is certainly unique, most riders will probably either opt to just carry the bag on their backs as it’s intended or to stick it in a front or rear basket. After all, a vigorous ride is going to result in a fair amount of perspiration regardless of backpack placement. Bicycle enthusiasts who travel far with tons of cargo may be interested, but again the huge price tag is utterly ridiculous for all. Perhaps, at a tenth of the price, there’d be more of a market for the Commuter Rack.
![DNA Me f4ea904bf3511e9213942f724bb492e1_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/DNA-Me-f4ea904bf3511e9213942f724bb492e1_large1-300x202.jpg)
Ever wanted a bracelet that had your DNA code laser-engraved on it? No? Well, either way you can now buy one. DNAME is offering a completely customized bracelet that contains the DNA code of you, your loved one, or your stalking target. While it may be expensive to get your exact code, they’ll invest the time and effort to get those sequences on a clunky piece of silver jewelry for you to wear always. The only answer to why someone would want one of these is, “Why not?” One of these Italian-made DNAME bracelets will cost early backers £79 with a regular price of £89. DNAME hopes to raise £15,000 in its 30-day stint on Kickstarter.
Categories
Rock your lock with the Croc-Clip
![Croc-Clip 20140324020120-_stan_clip[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Croc-Clip-20140324020120-_stan_clip1-300x139.jpg)
Here is an item that is a must-have for every James Bond wanna-be. Who knew that a paper clip, when bent in just the right places, can pick locks. So whether you’ve lost your key to your lock box, are in a precarious situation in which you’ve been handcuffed, or you have some other need to pick a simple wafer or pin and tumbler lock, the Croc-Clip campaign has you covered. There are also a couple Croc-Clip items that are capable of more, but for $10, backers get a most basic version with an estimated delivery of April 14.
The Premise. Baby monitors haven’t changed much for decades, partially because they haven’t had to serve any other purposes. But what if a baby monitor could report on a child’s sleeping patterns and whether or not they were safe in their crib?
The Product. The Monbaby sleep analyzer is a small button that can be clipped onto any article of clothing and monitors how much a child is moving during sleep, whether or not they have woken up, and even if they’ve fallen. This data is sent to the companion iPhone app, which reports all of this information as well as whether a child has rolled onto their stomach or back, and can provide customizable alerts depending on certain variables. It can provide this data for users of any age, but in the early stages of the technology, it is being tailored specifically for newborn children.
The Pitch. Monbaby inventor Arturas Vaitaitis shares his inspiration behind the sleep analyzer and discusses his professional background, also asking for feedback on what else this tiny device could do. While every child will react differently, the baby in the video seems content enough, not even noticing the Monbaby clipped onto its clothes. The device has been featured at CES, the IWC Bluetooth competition, and won a prize at the Munich Wearable Technologies conference. Vaitaitis is looking for $10,000 to create an infrastructure that can store the data recorded by the sleep analyzer.
The Perks. Getting a Monbaby sleep analyzer button with the companion app takes a pledge of $79. Custom colored models are available in blue, pink, gray, and red for $169. The basic model will ship in October with the colored buttons arriving the following month.
The Potential. There’s a lot of untapped potential in the baby monitor market, and something like this could also provide valuable data for doctors to look at when considering a child’s development. Not only is it safe and non-intrusive for sleeping babies, but having one of these could even help parents get a little extra sleep themselves, and that alone would probably be reason enough to pick one up.
The Premise. Perfecting the one-handed shot in basketball is essential to honing a player’s game. It’s difficult to learn this shot, however, and most make the mistake of using two hands which can mess up the accuracy of the shot.
The Product. The Shoot Natural Glove is a basketball shooting training tool that allows players to feel what it’s like to shoot a proper one-handed basket. It is simply a glove that shapes the hand in the correct way for a one-handed shot by eliminating “thumbing”, one of the biggest problems in basketball shooting according to the campaign. The glove is black, fingerless, reversible and keeps the thumb rigid with a piece of built-in plastic.
The Pitch. Shot in a gym and accompanied by a number of demos as well as a cameo by a former NBA pro, the video for the Natural Glove tells the story of how the creator came inspired to create the glove. After breaking his thumb and ignoring doctors’ orders about staying off the court, he discovered that his cast helped his game. It was this incident that gave him the idea for his product. This shooting aid hopes to raise a relatively modest $5,000 in a 30-day run on Kickstarter.
The Perks. One Shoot Glove goes for $30 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. Reward tiers go up to $250. A stretch goal of $15,000 has been set to allow for more options for glove colors in the future.
The Potential. Other products don’t seem to offer the flexibility that the Shoot Natural Glove does. For instance, the J-Glove isn’t ambidextrous like the Natural Glove is and can only be bought either for the left side or right side. The Shotloc aid is quite rigid and doesn’t really teach the player what a good shot feels like, but only really works when worn with few lasting effects. It seems that the Shoot Natural Glove is one of the few out there that focuses on the guide hand alone, teaches muscle memory and doesn’t constrict the hand like other aids do. In addition, the price isn’t bad either, especially for a glove that fits onto both the left and right hands.
Ever ride around on a bike in a cute skirt only to end up flashing the world when a gust of wind blows your honor away? Try KATCH, a magnet that keeps your skirt in place when on the go. The metal cuff can be worn as a bracelet or honor-preserver by weighing short skirts or dresses down so nothing is revealed. This clever product may be just the thing for pedal-pumping women unwilling to compromise style for functionality. KATCH comes in different styles and colors and one goes for only $10 with an estimated delivery date of May 2014. KATCH hopes to catch $5,000 from backers in their 30-day run on Kickstarter.
![Screen Sock 20140319185833-screensock_phone[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Screen-Sock-20140319185833-screensock_phone1-300x218.jpg)
While touch screens have their plusses, perhaps one of the more annoying minuses for some is the smudges that they collect. By the end of the day, iPhones, tablets and other touch screen devices can look like they were used as a plate for a fried chicken meal – unless you use your shirttail to wipe them off from time to time. But lime green and utterly ridiculous-looking Screen Sock aims to change all that. The one-size-fits-all digital debris debilitation device just slips over your finger (or thumb if you prefer) and lets you swipe away without leaving streaks and smudges on your screen. Perhaps the perfect gift idea for neat freaks, germaphobes, and those who feel it’s too much effort to use a cleaning cloth. For $10, backers get two finger socks and an expected delivery of April 2014.
![BundeZe 65367227dbbc1bdd4bfd3a713371fcaf_large[1]](http://rossrubin.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/BundeZe-65367227dbbc1bdd4bfd3a713371fcaf_large1-300x208.jpg)
Seems like no matter what you do, cords, cables, and ropes always end up in a spaghetti-like pile. But that would be why bundling helps like BundeZe exist. The bungee loop stretches to allow you to wrap, bundle, and lash; then hold it all together with the BundeZe ball, slide collar, and pull tab. The product is something of a beefed-up version of Bongo Ties. Backers can tie up their loose ends with a stash of six BundeZes for $9, with an expected delivery of May 2014.