Kickstarter
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
Pinhole cameras – that use a pin hole rather than a lens – have been around since the beginning of photography and could be, to coin a popular phrase, a form of "vintage" innovation. A recent Kickstarter project aims to bring this established photographic methodology back to today's users in the form of an assemble-it-yourself cardboard pinhole camera. Read More
Chill Puck designed to keep drinks colder, longer
Beer koozies (aka coasties, coldy-holdys, stubby holders and a multitude of other names) are a summer staple for keeping cans of drink colder, longer. Not satisfied with the cooling capabilities of these foam cylinders, Curt Peters created the Chill Puck, a small hockey puck-shaped disc that fits on the underside of a can. Read More
The designers behind the transforming D-Dynamic concept house have applied the same principle to a designer coffee table launching on Kickstarter. Read More
Picture the scene: a suitably awesome party is underway, and you go to grab a beer from a dark cooler, only to be met with several seconds of rummaging in cold ice. LiddUp Cooler offers to solve this admittedly minor problem by providing an LED-lit cooler ready for the next soirée. Read More