There’s nothing worse than the aches and pains generated the stresses of the workday slowing someone down. One of the best tools for relaxing the body and relieving this stress is massage. Most of the time, though, they aren’t readily available.
The U-GYM Mini is a great alternative to a traditional massage. It works by generating medium-frequency vibrations to simulate a deep-tissue massage for shoulder and lower-back pain relief in as little as 15 minutes.
Backpacks can be a great way for commuters to tote things, but when they aren’t worn correctly, they can cause back pain. BackTPack is a redesigned backpack that balances the weight of items so that it’s evenly distributed on both sides of the body. This helps to protect the back from the issues associated with poor posture and traditional backpacks.
While it’s not the most fashionable looking item to wear, it seems like it may offer more convenience because of the side access, and perhaps better protection from items getting stolen than what a traditional backpack would offer. Since the weight is redistributed, the load also feels lighter than with a traditional backpack. Other backpack campaigns that backers may want to check out are Riutbag and Zondo. This campaign seeks to raise $20,000 by December 11, 2014. For $75, early bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of April 2014.
The Premise. Most people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. This can have many causes, but the two leading reasons for back pain are bad posture and immobility. Office workers may find it hard to address either of these problems due to their sedentary jobs.
The Product. ChairBot makes sitting at one’s desk, but staying mobile with good posture, possible. The chair features a moveable seat that splits in two. The seat, either manually or automatically set by a timer, will alternate supporting each leg. What this means, is that the user stands on one leg, while sitting on the other. When the chair switches sides, the person’s weight shifts keeping them in constant motion to avoid injury caused from sitting too much. Good posture is maintained because the person is in a standing position, without actually having to stand.
The Pitch. ChairBot’s campaign video features Simon Hong, its creator, talking about the dangers of sitting too long and why it causes pain. He goes into the scientific reasons for back pain and his explanation is actually interesting and informative. Hong is aiming to raise $100,000 in his 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. Backers looking to avoid back pain need to shell out $2,700 for the ChairBot… ouch. The top two reward tiers come with a crystal etched version of the ChairBot for super chair enthusiasts. Hong also offers a footstool specifically designed to go with his chair for $100. Reward tiers that include the product have an estimated delivery date of November 2014.
The Potential. There have been so many products aimed at fixing the various aches and pains of office worker bees. Most back support systems are attachments or accessories for existing chairs, like PostureME. ChairBot, however, really pushes the envelope with its weight switching capabilities. A couple of drawbacks of this product are that the desks of people using this product need to be at a higher position for standing and that a constantly moving chair may make it difficult to focus on actual work. The price is also very high for a powered chair. Other power or motor chairs go for around the same price or even less. Still, ChairBot’s ergonomic possibilities and well-thought out design make it a great tool for serial sitters in pain.
The Premise. The only thing worse than a bra that doesn’t fit right would be underwear that rides up. Both are annoying. Sometimes annoyingly painful. While there may be men who can relate to the underwear scenario, one has to seriously doubt that any man could truly understand the bra scenario. Nevertheless, a male named Muyiwa Olumide has decided to try his hand at just such a challenge. He was inspired by a lady friend who apparently had a bad shopping night, and must have issued a double-dog dare in her extreme frustration.
The Product. The Kewi bra is aimed at gals who have at least a “D” cup or higher. These include many women who walk around with a great deal of back pain because of being, well, top-heavy. Kewi aims to bring them something that fits properly and is comfortable. And if it happens to look good too, well, that would be an added benefit. The strapless bra has a specialized device that lifts larger bosoms and therefore takes the pressure off of a woman’s shoulders, neck and back. It’s also designed in such a way as to retain a proportional outward shape, eliminating the issue of improper fit due to one breast being larger than the other.
The Pitch. The video for the $25,000 campaign would have been much better off had Olumide allowed a female to be the spokesperson for the product, possibly the same one who challenged him to make a bra that doesn’t hurt her back. She would have certainly had more experience and knowledge about the plight surrounding what fuller-figured gals need in a specialized undergarment. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how many women explain these particular facts of life is to a guy, he is just not going to get it because, well, as Olumide obviously puts it, he lacks the gender-specific mammary glands.
The Perks. There are six tiers from which backers may choose. The $100 early bird special includes a Kewi bra. It seems worth noting that for $1.000, a backer may also have their own photo-shoot, complete with pictures posted on the website. So if you happen to be an aspiring model with a large chest, or you know someone who is, there you go. Estimated delivery is anywhere from June 2014 – January 2015, depending on the backer’s choice of pledge.
The Potential. If what is generally available in your average store is any indicator of the sizes that most females wear, then the Kewi bra is aimed at a rather narrow niche market. Obviously, it’s difficult to tell if the product delivers from an online description, particularly one without testimonials, but if the two-plied cup can help bring relief to women’s sore backs, that would be huge win for the afflicted.