Crowdfunding is defined as the practice of raising funds from two or more people over the interwebs towards a common service, project, product, investment cause or experience. I have had some good experiences with crowdfunding (Energi 2K Travel Charger from Kickstarter, review to come) and some not so good experiences (Everdock) but that doesn’t deter me from searching Kickstarter and Indiegogo for something that will tickle my fancy. On a warm, humid Sunday afternoon on the eastern seaboard I came across these gems and wanted to share.
Bistro: The Smart Feeder With Kitty Face Recognition
Bistro is a clever kitty facial recognition auto feeder that can track the appetite and weight change for each one of your meows (up to 3 different cats). What cat parent doesn’t want to keep their meow in the best shape possible? When your kittay steps onto Bistro, the camera will activate and dispense both food and water according to the weight sensors beneath the feeding tray. After your Tabby has finished the system will automatically calculate the amount of food and water eaten as well as their beginning and end weight. Bistro requires wifi and also a fee app (both Android and iOS compatible) with the purchase of your hi-tech feeder. Unfortunately Bistro does not work with wet cat food and no dogs (although the makers are not dead set against the idea of manufacturing a model specifically for dogs). At the time of this article Bistro has been funded ($148,901 of their $100k goal) and there are 18 days left in this campaign.
LEO: Wearable Fitness Intelligence
Next up is Leo, a fitness wearable that is designed to optimize your workouts while reducing injury. Yes, I am aware that the vid is cheesy (I felt like I was watching a Shark Tank pitch) but as someone who has been injured multiple times overexerting herself exercising at home, Leo definitely caught my eye. Leo tracks your biometrics (tracks muscles, hydration and heart rate) via a water (sweat) proof silicone thigh band. It then provides intelligent feedback through a customizable app (or Glass) using not only your personal data but data from other users in the community. Leo also has on board memory for continuous data recording in case you forgot your phone. The MSRP for Leo is $299 but during the Indiegogo campaign you can get one of these beauties for $184 (or $350 for two, Leo recommends two bands for better performance suggestions). At time of publishing, the Wearable Fitness Intelligence band had reached $97,825 of their $50k goal with only 15 days left.
Statement WKW – Extreme Charge/Data Cable for iDevices
Because no one can ever have ‘enough’ cables when it comes to any device, Statement WKW offers extreme charging lightning cables. What makes the WKW cables different from the rest are their tangle-free, audiophile style fiber. These 4 foot, Apple certified cables come in 9 different colors to let you express the individuality of your iPhone. This campaign is running out of specials fast so get in asap if you can. At this time, the Extreme Charge cable is at $61,646 of their $8k goal with 21 days still left. Get it while you can.
mojoe: The Personal Mobile Coffee Maker
For all of you coffee lovers out there, Mojoe is a personal mobile coffee maker that allows you to brew your coffee on the go. The Mojoe offers a very simple method for coffee: add any temperature water, add the Mojoe filter with your own coffee, add sugar and cream and push the start button when you’re ready. Seems simple enough. I personally am not a connoisseur of java but this sounds like an awesome idea especially for those of you who are constantly running late in the morning. But it seems that I may be alone in my thinking. To date Mojoe is only at $3039 of their $50k goal with 32 days to go. I hope this does reach its goal.
Out of the hundreds of campaigns I searched today these stuck out. I like that crowdfunding gives access to new and non-mainstream tech. If any of these projects mentioned interest you please check them out. As always, thanks for reading.
What are some of your recent favorite crowdfunded campaigns? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.
Featured image courtesy http://blog.intersezione.com/
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
