Tag: customizable

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Toys

BuildYourRocket lets you achieve liftoff on your own terms

Building model rockets has been a great way to learn about science, bond by working together as a team, and do something that’s genuinely breathtaking for decades. With BuildYourRocket, owners can customize their own rocket not just with paint jobs, but with the actual rocket itself. From nose cone to nozzle, the BuildYourRocket rockets are easy to assemble and disassemble. This means that a broken rocket can be easily fixed, and experimentation can be done to use the right parts for the best flight.

Expansions are also planned for the BuildYourRocket line to join multiple kits together to make a bigger, more intense launch. Developed by Robert W Dunn, the BuildYourRocket project is looking to raise $10,000 to fund the manufacturing of the kits and development of more add-ons and accessories. The kits themselves start at just $10, and should be delivered in October 2014. Model rocket enthusiasts may be dismissive of the 3-D printed parts and sacrilege of a customizable design, but those getting started in the hobby or those who love the build more than anything else will love building and rebuilding with BuildYourRocket kits.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Lighting

MyHue delivers notifications with soothing, customizable lights

myhueLooking at your phone to read incoming notifications is already an outdated concept. MyHue, like many other one-pixel displays, uses different colors or flashing patterns to turn a piece of modern art into an informative light fixture. The colors and shades can be customized, as can the materials that the light travels through to let you know when your phone is a-buzz. Additionally, the MyHue uses induction charging to keep devices powered. It’s not the first time a device like this has been crowdfunded, and it’s not even the most fully-featured of its kind. The fact that the product grew dull before its 2-minute pitch video was done speaks volumes. MyHue goes out to backers that pledge $60 in October 2014 and will be successful upon reaching its $45,000 goal on Kickstarter.

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Toys

Videogame racing meets real life in Real FX

The Premise. For many, no childhood was complete without either a quality remote-controlled car or a bulky, customizable slot car track. The thrill of speed and navigating twists and turns was irresistible to so many children, but the technology has done little to advance into the 21st century.

The Product. Real FX racing marries the competitive, constructed nature of slot car tracks with the freedom of motion and skill that remote control cars offer. With a pack of different track pieces, any number of courses can be created for the cars to drive along. Once ready, any number of racers can hit the track and compete using the special controllers. These controllers and the cars themselves are designed to simulate a more virtual racing experience in the real world, with cars that can drive themselves, programmable track hazards, and assisted steering. Using an optical sensor beneath the cars, each car tends to gravitate toward the center of the track to keep races competitive, but also allows the drive the freedom to steer as they like and attempt to pass cars or go for the best time.

The Pitch. The toy car enthusiasts over at Wow! Labs are happy to show off Real FX and what the different cars can do. Seeing real-life R/C cars driving themselves competitively around a customizable, unique track is enough to really capture that childlike magic of play, and all the other features that Real FX have to offer are all thick frosting on this exciting cake. Wow! Labs needs £50,000 in order for Real FX to qualify for its big race.

The Perks. A set with two cars and controllers with starter track pieces will ship out in October 2014 for £100. A third car can be added at the £130 level, while a more complex pro-racing track set starts at £150. The production pilot model will be ready in August for those willing to shell out £1,000 to hit the track a little faster.

The Potential. The execution for Real FX seems pot on, perfectly marrying the racing aspects of slot car with the freedom of movement provided by R/C. The controls seem comfortable and easy to use, and this could be fun for people of any age to get together and play. Though the computerized features of the cars are robust, the “video game” angle that Wow! Labs promotes is overshadowed by other similar items like Anki, which offers upgradeable performance and even weapons for the cars. Real FX offers a more pure race however, and the potential for new sets of track pieces or other upgrades in the future is promising for this racing system.

Categories
Connected Objects

Hicon keeps notifications for every network as close as your wrist

hiconNobody should be surprised that the average person checks their smartphone over 100 times per day. Many people know all too well the “phantom vibration” of a notification that isn’t really there. Hicon is a smart, modular bracelet that can be outfitted with icons representing top apps and social networks, that will light up and alert users when notifications come in. Additionally, Hicon can also share contacts with others with a handshake, or find people close by with similar interests. This kind of social bracelet has been tried before, but Hicon hopes to be the one that people enjoy using. Hicon can be purchased for $49 and should be out in November.