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Device that makes surfaces smart reaches funding in an hour
The Knocki team's Kickstarter campaign was a huge success: they managed to raise $35,000 in just over an hour. They've even reached $136,000 as of this writing. What enticed people to put their faith in Knocki's creator (Texas-based Swan Solutions) is the promise of a device that can turn any surface into a controller for various gadgets and smart devices in your home. So long as you attach a Knocki onto, say, a table, a countertop or a wall, it can recognize up to 10 unique tapping and knocking patterns.
Mariella Moon05.18.2016
ICYMI: Pill-sized robot cleans your innards and much more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-73123{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-73123, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-73123{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-73123").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT created an origami robot made of pig intestine that researchers have big plans for. Meanwhile on the Kickstarter circuit, someone made an art display that can autonomously plug itself in when the battery gets low, and created a viewfinder that shows you where people have applied sunscreen, and where they've missed. If you're in the market for a new bike lock, do consider scaring the hell out of thieves with the Bike Mine. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Kerry Davis05.17.2016
The Nura headphones craft the perfect audio for your ear
Any time you buy a new pair of headphones, you probably spend a bit of time tweaking their fit and feel for the best listening experience. That can mean adjusting the headband or swapping out the earbud tips to ensure the best fit. But the sound quality itself is still mostly a one-size-fits-all experience. Sure, you can fiddle with the settings on your audio device, and some headphones have built-in equalizers or "bass boost" buttons. But there's still a lot of guesswork involved, and most of us aren't going to invest that much effort in getting it right. The Nura headphones seek to eliminate all the uncertainty and compromise by packing in hardware that can calculate your perfect sound profile based on the shape of your inner ear, no equalizer required.
Kris Naudus05.16.2016
LG converts its smaller, crazier projects into startups
For every idea a big corporation decides to show to the public, there are thousands sat in a vault down in its R&D labs. LG is the latest to decide that it might be worth trying to spin a profit from some of the projects that were previously consigned to the bin. The Korean conglomerate has announced that it's spinning out two startups that'll live or die on the strength of their execution. Much like Sony's toe-in-the-water approach to crowdfunding, the setup is all about throwing niche concepts at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Daniel Cooper05.16.2016
HDHomeRun is ready to make your Android TV a DVR
When SiliconDust announced its DIY DVR project a year ago, recording your shows meant building a PC dedicated to the task, or hooking up network storage. Now it's testing out HDHomeRun Record for Android TV, which lets you create an entire DVR with just one of its TV tuner devices and an Android box. Unfortunately, suggested requirements of Android 6.0, Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 connection for external storage mean Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Nexus Player won't work, but NVIDIA Shield Pro owners should be able to try it out immediately, thanks to their 500GB of built-in storage. You can watch the recorded shows directly on the device, or on any platform that runs its HDHomeRun View app.
Richard Lawler05.14.2016
New DIY wearable teaches kids to code and be active
The Mover Kit aims to combine the fun of wearable tech for kids with important programming tools that'll help them later in life. It also has rainbow lights that you can program to flicker whenever you moonwalk. If either of those things sound palatable to you, there's a Kickstarter out there with your name on it.
Brittany Vincent05.12.2016ICYMI: Sea drones, pigeon pollution patrol and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599630{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599630, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599630{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599630").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: A more affordable ocean-going drone is about to hit the market for about $3,000. We doubt it can reach the amazing things continually being sighted along the Mariana Trench, but it's fun to dream. People at the Science Museum in London are trying to rebuild the first British robot. And this happened a month ago but we just discovered it and can't stop talking about it: Pigeons in London were sent on test flights to collect pollution stats in their tiny air quality smart vests. Please take in the splendor of this image and share with every animal freak you know. If you're into art, you might appreciate these modern pop-up books. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Kerry Davis05.12.2016
BioLite's new lantern doubles as a campsite power grid
After rolling out a slew of new gear earlier this year, BioLite is ready to announce their next piece of outdoor tech. The BaseLantern is a 500-lumen, flat-packing LED lantern that lights your campsite while also creating "a mini smartgrid" you can control from a smartphone.
Andrew Dalton05.10.2016
London Science Museum wants to rebuild the UK's first robot
The Science Museum in London is on a mission to rebuild the UK's first humanoid robot. "Eric" was invented by William Richards and Albert Herbert Reffell, two veterans of the First World War, in 1928. He was a large, burly machine covered in aluminium, and was able to stand up, move his arms and change the position of his head. Eric's movements could be controlled remotely over a wireless connection, or directly using voice commands, much to the amusement of the public. He was built initially to open an Exhibition of the Society of Model Engineers in London, but later travelled the world, meeting politicians and celebrities.
Nick Summers05.10.2016
The AiraWear massage hoodie is absurd, but it works
I've loved the idea of Tware's AiraWear massage hoodie ever since I heard about it at CES earlier this year, and not just because I enjoy back rubs (who doesn't?!). It's just such a loopy idea that I'm unreasonably happy someone was willing to conceive, design, prototype and sell it. The wearable is not nearly as good as dedicated massage chairs or pads, but it does provide some muscle relief. And while the current prototype is fragile and I wouldn't be comfortable wearing it in public, the product (which just launched on Kickstarter) may succeed on sheer chutzpah alone.
Steve Dent05.09.2016
Backers of canceled e-ink watch won't get their money back
If you were wowed by the CST-01 e-ink watch back when it appeared in early 2013 and threw down some of your hard-earned cash for it, we got some bad news for you: You're probably never getting your money back.
Roberto Baldwin05.06.2016ICYMI: Google beats MS paint, gamified recycling and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-63653").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Google's 3D painting app, Tiltbrush, has been used to make some beautiful things; a robotics company is gamifying trash sorting in a pilot program; and a 3D copier will let you make a double of any dang thing you like. If you're interested, GoPro sent a video camera to space with a rocket launch and the video is petty incredible. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Kerry Davis05.05.2016
FormBox brings a vacuum-forming factory to your home
While 3D printing is all well and good, it can be frustrating if you need to make a lot of things, or make them quickly. Do you really want to wait minutes (or hours) for a bowl to finish? Mayku sure doesn't. It's crowdfunding the FormBox, a machine that brings vacuum forming to your tabletop. It takes advantage of your vacuum cleaner to form molds and create objects in seconds, and not just from plastic -- you can use chocolate or concrete if you want. The speed and flexibility turns it into more of a factory than a printer, and opens the door to projects that just aren't practical otherwise. You can make pots for all your plants, for instance, or sell your own 3D artwork.
Jon Fingas05.04.2016
Kodak is giving free film to Kickstarter directors
Crowdfunded filmmakers will be able to shoot on film for a lot less money thanks to a partnership between Kodak and Kickstarter. Kodak says it will provide free 35mm or Super 16mm film stock for select projects, up to a total of around $20,000 for 35mm film, depending on the total budget. Beyond that, the company will provide discounted film and mentoring for packaging, financing and sales strategies. The choice of filmmakers appears to be at Kodak's discretion, but so far the company has picked several Kickstarter productions that will launch this spring.
Steve Dent05.03.2016
Make your bike electric with this swap-in tire
Electric bikes have been around for decades but haven't broken out of their niche audience. Instead of building a bicycle around electric power, GeoOrbital is a universal wheel you can swap into your existing bike to power your ride.
David Lumb05.02.2016
There's a standing desk and balance board for kids now
Given the increasing anxiety of what sitting is doing to our bodies, it was only a matter of time before someone began worrying about our nation's children. After seeing his son's classroom, FluidStance chief Joel Heath decided to build the UpGrade, a standing desk and balance board combo for school kids. Much like the adult version, it centers around a balance board that is claimed will help small ones be more active. As part of the project, the company has also made a height-adjustable desk that'll let three kids take a break from sitting at any one time.
Daniel Cooper05.02.2016
'Doom' creators pull 'Blackroom' Kickstarter after four days
That lasted long. John Romero and Adrian Carmack, founders of the Doom and Quake developer iD Software, have already pulled the plug on their new Kickstarter project. The Blackroom campaign had been running for four days when the pair decided to press "pause," citing the need to make a gameplay demo. That's most likely so that their new, rebooted campaign can adhere to Kickstarter's own rules, which require "explicit demos of working prototypes" for any proposed physical product. The pair say finishing an early slice of Blackroom will take longer than the current campaign, which is why they've decided to end it so prematurely.
Nick Summers04.29.2016
'Electronic Voyager' to document the life of synth pioneer Bob Moog
The synthesizer documentary I Dream of Wires debuted on Nextflix back in August, offering a look at the history of the instruments and their influence across genres of music. The director/producer duo film are at it again, and this time the story is the legacy of a synth pioneer. Electronic Voyager: Retracing Bob Moog's Sonic Journey will chronicle the life of a key figure in music history by following his daughter as she visits the people and places that influenced her late father.
Billy Steele04.27.2016
Coolest Cooler asks backers for more money
Coolest Cooler is the latest proof that there are a lot of interesting ideas on Kickstarter from companies that lack a plan to execute them. The company set a funding record in 2014 with $13 million for a do-it-all cooler with a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, USB charger, cutting board and blender. However, it burned through the entire amount after shipping just a third of the products, showing that the tempting $185 price tag was way too generous. To complete orders, the company now says that existing backers (who already paid the full Kickstarter price) will have to pony up another $97 for "expedited" shipping of their Coolest Coolers.
Steve Dent04.14.2016
Kickstarter celebrates STEM with a slate of kid-focused projects
This week, Kickstarter hosted a special STEM event at its headquarters in Brooklyn, showing off a variety of products intended to teach kids programming skills. If the prevailing wisdom is "hook 'em while they're young," that ethos was certainly on display here: The projects were fun and colorful, and one was even meant for children as young as three.
Kris Naudus03.26.2016