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Insert Coin: New Challengers voting is now open -- help us pick ten semi-finalists!
Our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers competition was unquestionably one of the highlights of March's Expand San Francisco conference. And now we're excited to introduce this year's contenders. We've boiled down the entries and now it's time for you to help us pick the semi-finalists. The top ten choices will win a trip to Expand New York, happening November 9th and 10th at the Javits Center, for a chance to win up to $25,000 in funding for their project. Check out the full list after the break and cast your vote right here. Voting closes October 10th.
Meet the judges for Expand NY's Insert Coin competition: Ryan Block, Ben Heck, Hilary Mason and Peter Rojas
There are but two days left (including today) for all you makers and would-be entrepreneurs to submit your projects for our Insert Coin competition for Expand NY. And, you may be wondering, who, exactly will be judging the worthiness of your work? Well, MAKE Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder will once again be helping present the five finalists on stage, and we've got quartet of tech industry insiders who will decide which project gets our $10,000 Judge's Choice prize. (There's also a $15,000 winner chosen by you, our dear readers.) Our judges are: Ryan Block, VP of Product, Aol; Editor Emeritus, Engadget Ben Heck, Master Modder on element14's, The Ben Heck Show Hilary Mason, Data Scientist in Residence, Accel Partners Peter Rojas, VP, Strategy, Aol Brand Group So, if you've got a bright idea, but haven't already signed up for the chance to put it in front of our judges panel, what are you waiting for? Head past the break for all the pertinent info, then fill out this form -- YOU could wind up winning!
Hey makers, the clock is ticking -- Insert Coin submissions close in two weeks!
Insert Coin: New Challengers was far and away one of the highlights of March's first-ever Engadget Expand, and we're excited to see what the maker community has in store for round two. Time's running out to get those projects in -- we're closing the door on submissions on September 27th. Think you've got what it takes to earn a trip to Expand to compete for the $10,000 Judge's Choice and $15,000 Readers' Choice awards? Check out the contest fine print after the break and click the source link to submit your project!
Ziphius gets fully funded on Kickstarter, expected to ship in March
Now that's what we like to see. Our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers winner has secured full funding over on Kickstarter -- and just in the nick of time. With just over a day to go before the end of its fundraising period, Ziphius has managed to pass its lofty $125,000 goal. That means we can expect to see the cool little aquatic drone shipping to backers in March of next year, just in time for the warm weather. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that you too can live the crowdfunding dream. We've opened up entries for our second Insert Coin competition, as of late last month. It may not get you all the way to a final product, but with $25,000 up for grabs, it's a heck of a head start.
Submit your hardware to Engadget's second Insert Coin: New Challengers competition
Roughly this time last month, we opened up our second Insert Coin: New Challengers competition to all you entrepreneurial makers. The first one was an unquestionable highlight of March's first-ever Expand event in San Francisco, and we're psyched to see what you guys have in store for us this time. Ten semifinalists will get tickets to the show and a $1,000 travel stipend. One Judges' Choice winner will walk away with $10,000 and one Readers' Choice winner will get $15,000. Both will also score a product review on this site. Ziphius, which managed to pick up both prizes back in March, is entering the home stretch in its own search for $125,000 over on Kickstarter. The aquatic drone managed to capture the imagination of the Expand crowd and our online audience, beating out a number of impressive finalists, including the Make-a-Play, SmartPulse, Smart Knob and Snapzoom. Think you've got something just as good in the works? Well, now's the time to show us. Submissions are open now through September 27th. You can find all the necessary rules over on our event page.
Submissions for Expand's Insert Coin: New Challengers competition now open!
Calling all makers, dreamers, inventors and entrepreneurs, Insert Coin: New Challengers is back for round two! We were absolutely blown away by the responses to our Expand San Francisco competition. We had a hell of a time whittling all of the submissions down to a group of semi-finalists and had a blast interacting with all of the finalists on the show floor. Ultimately, Ziphius' head-turning aquatic drone took home the gold, a well-deserved and hard fought win. This time out, we'll giving 10 semifinalists tickets to the show, along with a $1,000 travel stipend. One Judges' Choice winner will walk away with $10,000 and one Readers' Choice winner will get $15,000. Both will also score a product review on this site. Think you've got what it takes to walk away with the big prize at Expand NY in November? Well, now's your chance. We're opening up submissions today through September 27th. Semifinalists will be announced on this site and the big winners will be unveiled at the show. Submissions rules can be found after the break and over on our event page. We can't wait to see what you've got cooking this time out!
Insert Coin: New Challengers winner Ziphius backstage at Expand (video)
Now that our Insert Coin: New Challengers contestants had duked it out and the judges have made their decision, we have a winner: Ziphius. Not only did the bot win $20,000 thanks to deliberation by our judges, but it came home with our $5,000 reader's choice prize too. Victorious and $25,000 richer, the brains behind the aquatic drone joined us backstage to chat about their project. For the full interview, check out our video after the break. Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from San Francisco right here!
Live from Expand: Insert Coin Awards (video)
It's all been leading up to this! We narrowed it down to 10 semifinalists, and you helped us whittle the list down to five -- and now we're ready to announce the winner of our first-ever Insert Coin competition! Join co-host Mark Frauenfelder and our panel of judges as they unveil the results. March 17, 2013 8:30 PM EDT For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
Live from Expand: Insert Coin New Challengers Demos (video)
You've seen plenty about our Insert Coin competitors on this very site -- and now it's time to see them in action. We've got some stage time with the finalists, who will be arguing for why they think they deserve that $20,000 grand prize. March 16, 2013 6:00 PM EDT For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
Insert Coin finalist: smARtPULSE open source, Bluetooth oximeter hands-on
Dimitri Albino is the proudly self-proclaimed smARtMAKER #1, and he's brought his company's Insert Coin finalist, the smARtPULSE oximeter, here to Expand. Using photodetection tech to produce readings of oxygen levels and pulse. While this is standard functionality, the company claims its advantage is in being able to cheaply deliver the product, and stream the data via Bluetooth to a computer or mobile device. It plans to offer both Bluetooth 2.0 and 4.0 versions of the product, and envisions them being accessible to individuals and other makers who want to build this kind of data into their projects thanks to its open communications protocol. Check below for a few pics of the current mock up and after the break for a video, although the production design is still being finalized.%Gallery-183021% Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from San Francisco right here!
Insert Coin semifinalist: Moedls 3D scanner for your phone hands-on
Moedls (pronounced moy-dles) inventor John Fehr, being a semifinalist in our Insert Coin competition, is obviously on hand here at Expand. While we were impressed with what we saw from afar, we were really excited to see the low-cost 3D scanner in person. The laser-cut housing for the lasers is delightfully DIY, but it will eventually be replaced with a more polished case. The specially sourced lights, which cast a delightful green glow, are part of what allows the scanner to create surprisingly high-quality results. For the moment they don't actually connect to the companion app on the phone, but Fehr promises to at least consider the possibility if he wins our $20,000 grand prize. There's no need for a direct connection, however. The camera on your smartphone is ultimately what is really doing the heavy lifting here. In conjunction with the aforementioned app of course. The biggest stumbling block when trying to generate these 3D models is stability. To that end, Fehr has built a custom mount for a phone, based around a standard dashboard version. The robust joints minimize movement and the spring-loaded holster allows it to fit practically any device... at least until Samsung's 6.3-inch Note VII hits the market. The belt-driven turntable is also specially sourced -- this is not just a hacked up record player. The prototype is still a little bulky and wobbly, but the final version will be slimmed down, have an aluminum base and ball bearings under the platform to minimize vibrations. The models come together pretty quick under the app, which is still clearly under development and has a view rough edges, though it's certainly functional. In total we're still looking at about $300 in hardware and you'll have an opportunity to throw your weight behind the project on Monday when the Kickstarter launches. Head on after the break to get a quick video tour of the device.
Insert Coin finalist: Ziphius aquatic drone hands-on (video)
Joining the handful of Insert Coin finalists at Expand is Azorean's cute Ziphius aquatic drone. While Fort Mason is located by the seaside, the folks actually brought their own little pool along to let their Raspberry Pi-powered robot splash around in; though it can happily operate in seawater as well and thus adding more use case possibilities -- be it for entertainment (including autonomous ball-chasing, for instance) or for environmental monitoring. Through a direct WiFi connection we were able to use an Android tablet to control both the Ziphius' surprisingly powerful motors and its camera's vertical position, as well as watching a live video feed at the same time. The final version of the drone will come with an interchangeable chassis to suit different purposes or simply for personalization, and internally it'll be equipped with Raspberry Pi's upcoming high quality camera module, which will enable even better streaming and onboard 1080p 30fps capture. According to CEO Edmundo Nobre, the Kickstarter campaign will launch before the end of the month, and he's hoping to bring the Ziphius to the mass market with a price point at around $200 to $250. Not bad, huh? Check out our hands-on video after the break. Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from San Francisco right here!
Insert Coin semifinalist: Radiator Labs rethinks steam heat, we go hands-on
If you've ever lived in a building that was heated by steam, there's a good chance that you've experienced comfort levels that were less than ideal. Now, Insert Coin semifinalist Radiator Labs is working to bring a solution to market that'll make your living space a lot more tolerable, and as an added bonus, it'll save energy at the same time. We took a moment to catch up with Marshall Cox, co-founder of Radiator Labs, here at Expand, who explained the elegantly simple solution that the company has in store. At its most fundamental level, what you have is an oven mitt for your radiator that's augmented with a temperature sensor and an exhaust fan. Whenever the ambient heat reaches your set comfort level (which can be controlled from the web or a smartphone app), the fan will shut off and the insulating cover -- described to us as ironing board material -- will prevent additional heat from escaping. From here, steam is redistributed to other apartments that need it, rather than turning your unit into a sauna. Beyond this eco-friendly element, Radiator Labs is integrating a phase change material into its product that can store energy and heat an apartment for up to four hours without assistance from the boiler. Going deeper down the rabbit hole, Radiator Labs is exploring some nifty technologies such as an Xbee mesh network, which it's using to evaluate the energy-saving benefits at play. While this component won't be integrated into the consumer version, we could see commercial installations that include wireless communications with the boiler itself. Combined with the phase change material, this would allow a boiler to fire much less often -- seems like a great idea, if you ask us. We're told that Radiator Labs will be seeking crowd-funding for its product this fall, which will be available in the $250 price range. For additional peeks at what's to come, be sure to check the gallery. Jon Fingas contributed to this report. %Gallery-183017%
Insert Coin finalist: Snapzoom scope smartphone adapter hands-on
One of five finalists in our first-annual Insert Coin: New Challengers competition, the Snapzoom is an adapter that lets you connect a smartphone to a telescope or a pair of binoculars for some long-range snapshots. We gave you a brief look at the product earlier in our contest, but we went hands-on with the Snapzoom ahead of Engadget Expand -- with the San Francisco Bay serving as our test subject, no less. The Snapzoom isn't the only product of its kind, but it stands out for being universal. Though we tested the adapter with an iPhone 5, it will work with virtually every smartphone, thanks to adjustable clamps. Connecting the handset (in its case) to a set of binoculars was seamless: we just attached the device via the self-centering clamps and tightened it into place. It's easy to get excited when the setup brings you up close and personal with Alcatraz, but Snapzoom basically assumes you have some stunning imagery to shoot. We'll have to wait and see how our elite panel of Insert Coin judges thinks this contestant stacks up. In the meantime, check out the video demo past the break.%Gallery-182995%
Distro Issue 82: A closer look at the inaugural Insert Coin: New Challengers competition
This weekend at Expand in San Francisco, a handful of emerging startups will compete for $25,000 and the proper Engadget review treatment. In the latest installment of our e-publication, we have a peek at the finalists of the first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers crowdfunded battle royal. In addition to those gadget hopefuls, we put both the TiVo Mini and HTC One through their respective paces while we relive the week that was SXSW Interactive in a collection of snapshots. All of the usual features and columns are here as well, filled to the brim with goodness that awaits via your favorite weekly download link. Distro Issue 82 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro in the Windows Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers finalists!
Hard to believe, but March is here, and with this lambing-lion of a month comes Engadget's first-ever Expand conference in San Francisco. It also marks the impending culmination of our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers competition. Late last year, we asked makers to submit their projects for a chance to win $25,000 in prizes. We whittled that list down to 10 semifinalists and asked you to help up get it down to a final five, which will go up in front of our all-star panel of judges on March 16th and 17th. Finalist voting closed yesterday, and we've tallied the 5 projects that will be demoed on stage. Check them out after the break, and be sure to follow our coverage at Expand for a chance to help pick the Grand Prize and People's Choice winners.
Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers judges!
You've already voted for your favorite Insert Coin: New Challengers finalist, right? What? You haven't yet? What are you waiting for? Seriously. The voting's nearly closed! We've already whittled the list down to 10 finalists and asked you to help us get things down to five. Of course, there can only be one big winner, and for that we're bringing in the big guns. MAKE Magazine Editor-in-Chief and Boing Boing co-editor Mark Frauenfelder will be joining us at Expand to help present the top five projects, each of whom will be getting time on our stage to convince readers and judges alike that they deserve to take home the top prize of $20,000. As for the judges themselves, we couldn't be happier -- the list includes four of the biggest names from the world of design, DIY, crowdfunding and gadget blogging. Check out the judges, after the break.
Insert Coin semifinalist: Snapzoom connects any scope to any smartphone
There are adapters out there that allow you to hook up your phone with a telescope or a pair of binoculars. Most of them, though, aren't universal. And we mean that on both sides of the equation -- they won't connect to all scopes or all phones. Snapzoom wants to be all things to those with a hankering for long distance photography, such as bird watchers or amateur astronomers. The solution is so simple that it actually stuns us that no one had thought of it before. That's not to say there isn't a lot of smart design involved, but ultimately the Snapzoom boils down to a set of adjustable clamps that provide an incredible amount of freedom. While image quality will rest largely on your choice of smartphone, there's no shortage of incredible shooters out there that you can slide into the mount. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
Insert Coin semifinalist: Ziphius is a smartphone-controlled aquatic drone
Who doesn't want a little aquatic drone to call their own? Azorean's Ziphius is a partially submerged device that can be controlled via iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. There's an on-board HD camera that offers up visuals to give the user a first-person view both above and below the water. Azorean plans to open the API on the vehicle and software to let developers create all manner of games and apps that'll harness augmented reality. Inside of the drone, you'll find a Raspberry Pi, an Ardunio-based plate and two differential motors. The company's promising intuitive handling and even a bit of autonomy with the Ziphius. But why talk about it, when we can play you some videos of the little guy in action? You'll find those after the break. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
Insert Coin semifinalist: smARtPULSE is a hackable Bluetooth oximeter
Oximeters aren't exactly the sexiest gadgets in the world, but they're definitely quite useful. Monitoring pulse and blood oxygen levels are important for patients in hospitals, athletes trying to squeeze every last drop of performance from their body and anyone making a sudden trip to high altitudes. smARtPULSE uses pretty standard photodetection technology for tracking oxygen levels, but its ability to tether to a whole host of other devices via Bluetooth 4.0 is what really sets it apart. There are free Android and iOS apps for those that just want to check their vitals and be done with it, but tinkerers can have a field day with the open-source hardware and upcoming API. At the end of the day, connecting the smARtPULSE to any computer (be it Linux, Windows or OS X) will be pretty simple, and there will even be libraries available for Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Electric Imp. With the prototyping out of the way, now the team is finishing up the API and ironing out the final design. Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!
