Tag: LED

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Wearables

CHEMION smart glasses make your face the LED billboard you never wanted it to be

The world is always fast trying to figure out what the next ridiculous trend will be because these ridiculous trends are guaranteed to bring in heaps of money. Technology is especially guilty of this as these trends are the veritable ebb and flow of the industry and as such, seldom do we see real and significant innovation.

CHEMION is a pair of LED glasses that can display text, images, and animations similar to how a scoreboard at a stadium and its large bulbs constantly change color to show pictures or scores. The product uses Bluetooth LE to interface with your iOS or Android smartphone so that you can customize what people around you see, and lasts about five hours on a pair of AA batteries. It looks a bit clunky, but that never stopped crazier products from seeing the day of light. One pair of Chemion glasses goes for $100 with an estimated ship date of February 2015. The campaign is looking for $10,000 to become the next big annoying thing you see everywhere.

The company behind the CHEMION, KSEED, swear they have a game changer on their hands. The more you look, though, the less of that you see. It could be due to the fact that you only have tiny slits with which to see the world, or it could be due to the grand claims of aiming to help people with speech problems with a product that amounts to a novelty handed out at a club. The company claims to be selling a quasi-medical solution, but their advertising is pretty much devoid of that noble notion. There are much better ways to address problems like this (MotionSavvy comes to mind) but this just isn’t one of them.

Categories
Connected Objects Smart Home Technology

PLAYBULB rainbow light offers energy efficiency, color LED lighting

Consumers looking to save money on their electric bills represent one major audience for the new PLAYBULB rainbow LED light bulb from San Jose company MiPow USA. But the likely smaller base of consumers who want to add color lighting–red, blue, green and white–to their rooms represent another target audience for the product, which is from the same company that made the PLAYBULB color.

Each bulb offers 5 watts at full power with 280 lumens and an estimated 30,000 hours of lifetime performance. That compares to standard incandescent light bulbs that offer comparable lumens, but use up 40 watts of power and only work for a total of about 1,000 hours. A free PLAYBULB X app at the Apple App Store and Google Play can be used to set the timer for when the bulb turns on or off. Users can also select what color they want at any specific time from the color wheel on the app. Backers can get one bulb at $22 in February as part of a super early bird special. That’s $12.99 off the $34.99 retail price. The bulb’s creator set a Kickstarter funding goal of $10,000.

The bulb will likely appeal to many consumers. But it’s questionable whether the average consumer will want to pay more than $30 for one LED bulb, regardless of its energy efficiency, smart functionality and color choices.

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Aquatics Augmented Reality Connected Objects

Scubus S offers augmented reality under the sea

Scuba divers are lucky; they get to explore parts of the world that most people never get to even see. Unfortunately, they’re limited to using complicated gestures to communicate with each other. The Scuba S is upping the underwater technology game as an augmented reality scuba mask.

The Scuba S is special in that almost anyone but children can wear it, giving it lots of versatility. When worn, the onboard dual core CPU along with the 1GB of RAM work together to provide users with a HUD water temperature, depth and access to a group chat with pre-programmed messages that travel with acoustic waves. The HUD is maneuverable with a small, wrist-worn remote, and can also control a LED flashlight and an HD camera capable of 1080p video. Anti-fog glass is the cherry on top and prevents the Scuba S from being unusable. The early bird price for the product is $499, shooting up to $699 after the end of the $200,000 campaign. Backers can expect their own Scuba S in June of 2015.

The Scuba S offers a lot of functionality in a familiar package, but it’s worrisome to see tech creeping underwater alongside us. Is the vast splendor of the ocean not enough to maintain a diver’s attention span? Won’t there be more missed if we’re busying toggling group chats and cameras?

Categories
Sleep

Sleep Sensei is a teacher that actually wants you to fall asleep

There are quite a few studies out there that report the importance of making sure that people get enough sleep each night. But there are some nights when sleep just seems impossible. For those who struggle with rest on a regular basis, Sleep Sensei is an alternative option that allows you to enjoy sleep without having to take any type of medication or prescription. The electronic gadget works with a pattern of LED lights that shine on a person’s closed eyes, and coaches them to sleep. There is a timer that lets you determine how long you want the session to last. It’s not clear whether the device is battery operated or requires electricity to function, however it seems like a great idea that will be appreciated by many who have sleep issues. This campaign seeks to raise $25,000 by December 16, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $20, with an expected delivery of April 2015.

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Home

IllumiBowl lights up your toilet for targeted tinkling

The bathroom can be an obstacle course for some in that middle of the night run with blinded eyes, fallen in women, and manly messes made and left. The inventor of the Illumibowl wants to light the way to relief with his LED-based toilet bowl light.

The product can be discretely attached to the underside of the bowl and set to a single color or on a color-changing pattern, with everything activated by a motion sensor. The LED is rated to last 100,000 hours of constant use, so you won’t have to worry about dark and scary trips to the bathroom for a long time. With the Illumibowl only costing $15, this can easily be filed under an impulse buy even if the solution is exactly the most elegant or aesthetically pleasing. Still, the campaign has already achieved its goal of $20,000; backers will receive the light by January 2015.

Categories
Cycling Safety

A strip show on wheels, LightCycle helps nighttime riding safety

Those little red squares on the back of most bikes claim to be some sort of brake light, but, in reality, are as useful as having nothing there at all. With the safety concerns associated with an increase of bike riders in high traffic areas, you would think companies would figure out a better alternative, but that hasn’t been the case. Instead, a slew of companies over the years have presented their own solutions to varying degrees of success.

LightCycle’s small, battery-powered brake system is easy to install on any bike and lights up every time you apply the brakes. This avoids unnecessary collisions and the potential for more dangerous accidents by increasing visibility. Revolights is another brake light system that handles this issue in a similar way but includes the front of the bike to achieve maximum visibility; even if the creators of LightCycle claim to use LED lights, the campaign video wasn’t convincing enough to prove it. That said, if you’re looking to make sure everyone sees you while you ride, the 8rlicht is the way to go — a large screen with custom messages will get surely rid of any doubt. LightCycle is currently going for $65 with an expected delivery date of January 2015. The campaign is looking for $2,000 to make it happen.

Categories
Tech Accessories

Nimbus light brightens up when dark clouds surface

The only real light source we constantly have on us is the LED on the back of our smartphones but that’s not entirely reliable as there are so many more parts of the phone constantly requiring precious energy to function. NIMBUS wants to become your go-to light source instead. The USB-powered light stick can be mounted on the edge of a book or the lid of an open laptop to give you the light you need to do what you need to do.

One could also take it along with you for those impromptu photo shoots, but the glaring lack of even the smallest of internal batteries will keep what should be an extremely portable product pretty useless unless you have a portable battery pack. At that point, though, it comes full circle — you might as well use your smartphone. NIMBUS just doesn’t do enough and what it does do, it doesn’t do too well. The $25 gadget is estimated for a December 2014 delivery.

Categories
Camping Chargers/Batteries

WakaWaka returns with a solar charging power kit

Kickstarter success story WakaWaka already has a history of creating simple, innovative devices that harness solar power into personal electricity. Now, they tackle a situation in which electricity stops being an option. The WakaWaka Base is a portable “power and light first aid kit” that includes a foldable solar panel and base that can connect to LED flashlights, phones, or any USB device to charge it. The solar panel is strong enough to charge even on cloudy days, and the base can hold enough charge to power a week of light or five full smartphone charges with no additional solar energy.

Ideal for any storm preparedness kit, camping gear, or car trunk, the WakaWaka Base ensures that nobody ever has to worry about being stranded and having their phone battery die on them or having to wander around in the dark. WakaWaka needs $70,000 to test, manufacture, and release the Base. The peace of mind the Base provides costs only $89, and will be out in May 2015. This kind of product innovation is what makes WakaWaka products so popular, and there’s no reason why any smartphone user or homeowner should be without the WakaWaka Base.

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Maker/Development

Pocket 3D Printer lets you make it where you take it

3D printing is steadily gaining steam. However, with printers still going for absurd amounts of money and looking like washing machines, they aren’t going mainstream anytime soon. This is the biggest roadblock to 3D printers being thought of in the same vein as fridges and microwaves but as time marches on, cost is reduced and along with that, size. Inventor Steve Middleton picked up on that trend and skipped a few levels with his Indiegogo campaign for his Pocket 3D Printer.

No bigger than an iPad mini, the device is a fully functioning, honest to goodness 3D printer that you can take along with you in a purse or book bag. At first blush, this looks to be impossible, but with the device using photo-polymer resin that is instantly cured using an UV LED at the tip of it’s printing arm. This means no heat is given off nor any cool down period to wait for after you’re done using it! Its 1 button start-up, rechargeable battery, and Bluetooth connectivity ensure users can truly print whenever you want using whichever device they’d like. The campaign is looking for $25,000 to get started with production; potential backers can grab the unassembled version for $249, and the assembled version for $349.

This isn’t the first 3D printer using photo-polymer resin coupled with UV light as we’ve seen the CreoPop before, but it’s the first that isn’t limited to a pen form factor. Potential users will get much versatility out of a product like this — imagine printing out spare parts for a device, a broken purse clasp, etc? The Pocket 3D Printer can be something special provided you don’t end up having to print parts for it instead.

Categories
Connected Objects Cycling

Bikers make sure those trailing them get the message with 8rlicht

For years, cyclists have sought out ways to make themselves safer on the road because the lights most bikes come equipped with just don’t cut it. They’re extremely small and only work when light is shone on them, limiting their overall usability and putting riders in undue danger when riding at night.

8Rlicht is a smart taillight with 140 LEDs on a rather large display that ensures your ride will never be safer. The product reacts to sudden braking, lighting up to alert drivers behind you — a powerful feature. In addition, show off customizable patterns and text on that display using the companion smartphone apps compatible on iOS or Android. In addition, the unit’s onboard Bluetooth connectivity and many sensors allows it some other tricks as well.

With Bluetooth, OTA updates are possible so that you can update software capable of tracking calories or setting up competitions between you and friends, as well as alerting you when the bike is being stolen. And when you’re wandering back to your bike and have no clue where it is, 8Rlicht lights up to your presence provided you also have your smartphone with you. The asking price of €49 is stellar but the funding goal of €200,000will be a stretch for this connected taillight

The product is no slouch on features but certainly has room for more, despite the folks behind the product not saying much about that. And with this dangling off the back of your bike, it makes a prime target for thieves.