Kickstarter
When you have plenty of bicycle to work with, such as is the case with a mountain bike, it’s not such a big deal to design it with front and rear suspension. When the bicycle in question is a diminutive folding city bike, however, it gets a bit trickier. That’s why UK industrial designer Sam Pearce has created Loopwheels. Instead of relying on a suspension fork and rear shock, it lets the bike’s 20-inch wheels absorb the bumps. Read More
It's no secret that the successful future of wind, solar and other renewable sources hinges on the development of cost effective energy storage systems. Silicon Valley inventor Bill Gray believes his novel approach to flywheel technology could be the answer. Read More
If you get regularly get caught in standstill traffic during your daily commute, Smack Attack could be for you. Pounding your fists on the steering wheel cover's eight touch sensors produces drum sounds over the top of whatever music you're listening to from your iPhone's music library. While it may look like something of a dangerous distraction, its inventor claims that it could actually help prevent accidents by keeping drivers stimulated and alert. Read More
The iPhone comes with a competent camera out of the box, but it could be better. We've seen a set of the third-party lenses called the iPhone Lens Dial that provides all kinds of creativity options for photographers, but it's a little on the large side, and probably not something you would want to have on your phone all the time. The WoW Lens features a similar design, but it's quite a bit smaller and much more likely to remain on the iPhone even when not in use. Read More
What do you get if you cross a Raspberry Pi computer with an Arduino microcontroller? It might be an awful setup for a joke, but it's an enticing question if you're an electronics hobbyist or Internet of Things doer. Happily, thanks to Udoo, this is now a question with an answer. The mini PC combines the best of its predecessors in a compact PC-on-a-board with four times the power of a Raspberry Pi with all the functions of an Arduino Due microcontroller. The tinkerers of the internet have made short work of Udoo's Kickstarter target with 53 days remaining. Read More
Since humans are responsible for much of the damage to coral reefs, it makes sense that we should try and help repair them. That’s exactly what a team from the Herriot-Watt University’s Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology is attempting to do with the development of underwater “coralbots,” which we covered last year. Now anyone can add their support to this worthy effort with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign that will help make the robots a reality. Read More
Those of us living the big city life often forget that there are ample places in the great outdoors where cellular signal is nonexistent. The solution? Walkie-talkies. They provide a direct line of communication to others in a group, regardless of whether cell service is available or not. The Alianza DxB is a new docking device that actually turns a smartphone into a fully-functional multi-band walkie-talkie, so there's no need to carry multiple devices on an outdoor excursion. Read More
What should you do with your old computer? Chances are that no one will want to buy it, but you don’t want to just throw it away – especially with e-waste being such a huge environmental concern. Recycling or donating are possibilities, but how do you know that all of your personal information is really deleted from its hard drive? Well, that’s where the Pass IT On For Good project comes in. It supplies you with a USB card that deletes all the personal content on your computer, installs educational software, and then instructs you on how to donate it for use in schools in developing nations. Read More
Back in November 2012, we brought you news of a new pickup harmonizer technology dubbed LEV-96 in prototype testing over at Moog Music. Sat in the sound hole of an acoustic guitar, the device took precise control of string vibrations to offer an expansive, colorful and rich harmonic backdrop to what was being played. Paul Vo, the inventor of the newly-renamed Vo-96 Acoustic Synthesizer, has since made some improvements to electronics, user interface and mechanical design, and has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to get what he calls the "most fundamental and radical innovation in the music industry today" into the hands of musicians. Read More
Two of the most important things that you carry with you everyday are your wallet and your smartphone. One holds your money, and the other keeps you connected with everything important in your life. While you probably keep pretty close tabs on both these pocket-sized necessities, it's not outside the realm of possibility that you might misplace one. Whether it's the wallet or the phone, the SmartWallit makes sure you find it before your next cup of coffee or text message. Read More
