Quantcast
Channel: JWSHale » crowd funded

Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 3rd Mar 14

0
0

Not that anyone’s going to be reading this post, but I thought I’d start linking to some interesting projects I have found on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. When trawling through their own sites, it’s nearly impossible to find the best stuff amongst all of the not-so-awesome projects…

OBDLink MX WiFi

If you like to fix your own car, or just want to check out some stats as you’re driving, then this is one for you. The wireless dongle plugs into the OBD port on your car, and allows iOS, Android and Windows devices to access your car’s diagnostic system. Fault codes, checking history, mpg etc is all possible and there are several apps already available to utilise this data. Ends pretty soon, so be quick if this sounds good to you!

StickQuick

Great idea for organising your tools in the workshop – little rubber bands with strong magnets embedded inside. Now you can just snap them onto any metal surface. There are plenty of other uses too: utensils onto fridges, extractor heads, BBQs, lights onto bicycle stems, tools onto the car while you work… Check it out.

Stackerware

Super-organised tupperware. Excellent! Now though you don’t have to sift through a shelf of random lids and sizes of tupperware.

Nanohive

Neat device which packs a tiny server into a power brick device. Simply plug it into the wall, connect to the network and configure it to host your own website and more. Very cool, although a bit US specific at the moment (I’ll keep an eye out for a 3-pin UK variant).

LUPO

Little keyfob-size device that packs Bluetooth to tell you when you’re about to lose something. Attach it to your keys/wallet/backpack/jacket etc and receive out-of range alerts when you might lose your item. With a bit of crowd sourcing from other LUPO owners, you’ll also be able to track a lost device as it passes within the range of another LUPO. I love the idea, but it does need quite a few backers to work well.

Flyfit

Product View

Ankle-based activity tracker. Has the advantage over the wrist-worn ones that it can track activities like cycling quite well. Head to the link to check it out.

Tango Super PC

A cool dockable mini-PC. I like the idea, and the way things are going these days, a full-on desktop just isn’t needed for the majority of tasks. These guys recdkon their PC has enouigh grunt for some gaming too, which is excellent!

Atlas Fitness Tracker

This fitness tracker claims to use some nifty algorithms to detect what form of exercise you’re doing. Nice theory – will be interesting to see it in practice…

ZAMMAN – Smartwatch

20140209135155-coverpage

Now this is a smartwatch I’d actually wear!

 

And lastly…

Clickdrive

Very similar to the OBDLink at the top of the page… However, this does look nice in principle, and they’ve got some app screenshots that show some useful data. Again though, who knows in practice..?

 

That’s all for now, but check back for more in a future post!

 


Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 12th Mar 14

0
0

Continuing the theme of crowd-funded project spotting, here are a few new ones:

BSX Insight

Ever wanted to measure your lactate levels in real-time, whilst training? Yes? Well this is a project for you.

Many endurance athletes regularly undergo tests to find out what intensity to train at, based on their blood lactate. Testing for blood lactate has traditionally required a finger prick, test strips and an analyser (similar to how diabetics test for blood glucose). This device from BSX promises to optically measure your lactate levels whilst attached to a compression sleeve on your calf. Superb idea, but would like to know a little more about the science…

 

 

CADO

2014-03-12 13_43_57-CADO™ is Computer Aided Design (CAD) for tablet devices. by Orange Juice Studios

Not much to say – a CAD (computer aided design) app for tablets is a great idea. I often want to sketch something up quickly when I’m not in front of a PC or laptop.

 

Ring

Gesture control with a ring. Neat.

 

 

Smarty Ring

This one is a bit more than “Ring”, as the name implies. Not only will allow remote controlling of devices via bluetooth, but will also act in a similar manner to smartwatches, displaying notifications etc. Very cool, although it does come with a high price tag.

Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 20th Mar 14

0
0

Here’s my latest collection of cool projects from Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

 

SHELFIE

Do you really want a sleek, hipster bike rack in your house/flat. This one is awesome, and comes with an integrated helmet shelf.

SHELFIE

 

MicroView – Tiny Arduino-Powered OLED Display

This is sweet – a really-easy-to-customize OLED display on the back of an Arduino chip. Powered and programmed over USB.

MicroView

 

VeloComputer Magnet-Less Speed Sensor

This is a bike-related project I really like – cuts down on the clutter of speed sensors & magnets by simply strapping an accelerometer to the hub of your wheel. Great idea and a sensible price too.

VeloComputer

 

OKii

Now there are loads of key-rings on Kickstarter/Indiegogo, but this one is very smart. I’m probably going to get one of these…

OKii

 

Hoop Tracker

I’m not even a fan of basketball, but I think this is awesome :)

HoopTracker

Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 1st Apr 2014

0
0

Here are my latest picks from the world of Kickstarter and Indiegogo:

The MicrobeScope

Ever wanted to find out what might be going on at a micro-scale? MicrobeScope is a way to turn your iPhone into a microscope with 800x magnification – enough to see individual bacteria!

Microbescope

SmartMio

Muscle stimulation (via electrical impulses) is shown to help improve strength and can also be used effectively in rehabilitation & physio after injury. SmartMio is a really portable and affordable version.

SmartMio

GYMWATCH

There are loads of activity trackers out there already, but the Gymwatch aims to differentiate itself by detecting many different motions associated with different exercises. You can even use two sensors to track both arms, or arms and legs at the same time.

GymWatch

Totem Pen

Pointless and fairly expensive, but a nice weighty pen that doubles as a toy…

TotemPen

Revolights Arc

Really nice idea here – bicycle lights integrated into your mudguards. It’s actually a development from their existing product, which is a complete mudguard. The Revolights Arc simply clips onto your existing mudguard and provides a solid or flashing rear light. In addition, it’ll function as a brake light, based on your deceleration.

RevoLights

SITU Smart Scales

0
0

SITU

Here’s another Kickstarter product that I thought deserved an individual post.

Introduction

As a lightweight rower, I must spend a large part of my year carefully watching my nutrition since every lightweight has to weigh-in just before racing. I tend to spend the pre-race part of the season at ~75-76kg (165-168lb), and must weigh-in at 70kg (154lb) for summer racing. As you might imagine, dropping 5kg whilst also training 20hrs per week isn’t straightforward, and I track my calorie intake every day to ensure I get the balance right with training.

Normally, I tend to make good “guesstimates” of the potion sizes I’m eating, although sometimes I’ll religiously weigh each individual thing I eat. However, once you’ve weighed something on the kitchen scales, you then need to find how many calories are in the food type, calculate the total and add it to your diary. Tedious.

In comes SITU…

The SITU scales are Bluetooth-enabled, and will pair with your iPad (and potentially Android tablet, depending on how their campaign goes). The iPad app then allows you to simply select what you’ve put on the scales and get a readout of calories!

SITU_main_product_shot

You don’t have to weigh individual food types either, but their database will estimate calories in whole meals if you need. For example, you could put a slice of your favourite pizza on the scales and then select what it is and it will do the hard work!

SITU_app_grid

Once you’ve entered the food/meal, the app will keep track of your calorie consumption. On top of that, it will also track nutritional information too – so you can figure out how much fat/protein/carbohydrate your eating every day, or even your salt intake.

The best bit…

It’s only £50 (GBP), so definitely worth backing this project!

Oar Inspired – Rowing Telemetry System

0
0

Oar Inspired Intelligate

As an engineer, I’m always interested in getting useful data from my training sessions on the water, on the rowing machine or when cross-training (cycling, running etc). The rowing machine is easy, as all the data is provided by the Concept2 monitor – watts, strokes-per-minute, time, distance, heart-rate and more. In fact, either using a Log Card or my Garmin GPS (310XT) watch, I can record these sessions and upload to my computer for later analysis. When I’m on the bike, I’ve got power (thanks to a Stages Power Meter), speed, distance, time and heart rate.

On the water however, there are some issues…

I have my GPS, which will give me land speed (and heart rate, distance, time) and also a NK SpeedCoach for water speed and stroke rate. Knowing your speed through the water is essential in rowing, as the majority of training and racing is done on moving water (i.e. rivers). This means that your land speed depends somewhat on the stream of the river, and isn’t a good measure to use. However, there are other aspects missing from rowing measurement:

  1. Can we monitor force during the stroke for technical improvements?
  2. Can we check our catch and finish angles to adjust rigging accordingly?
  3. How can we measure our power expenditure, like on a bike or a rowing machine?

Force & Angle Measurement

The Oar Inspired IntelliGates will allow your force applicataion to be measured throughout the stroke, but not only that, it will allow several rowers in a crew to be monitored concurrently. This is a great tool for technical analysis, and for matching rowers to each other for optimum crew performance. A lot can be gained from being able to see where each rower applies their power during the stroke, and through careful coaching, the force profiles of a crew can be brought in line. In a sport of small margins, every few percent counts.

Now it’s worth bearing in mind that the Oar Inspired system is not the first to achieve force measurement, with several other systems currently available.

Other Rowing Telemetry Systems

  • Peach Innovations (price for a single ~£2600)
    • In use by several high performance and national squads
    • Can measure boat speed
    • Can measure gate forces and angles
    • Can measure foot forces
    • Can measure seat position
    • Detailed analysis using the Peach software
  • BioRow (price for a single ~£6000 for everything, but can rent)
    • Probably the most complete system, and in use in several national squads
    • Can measure boat speed
    • Can measure gate forces and angles
    • Can measure oar forces
    • Can measure foot forces
    • Can measure body positions
    • Can measure wind speed and direction
    • Detailed analysis via the BioRow software
  • SmartOar (price for a single ~£700)
    • Can measure oar forces via dataloggers inside Croker oars
    • Can optionally provide live feedback to coaches
    • Analysis via their software aftwerwards
  • Weba RowX (price for a single ~£1700)
    • Can measure boat speed
    • Can measure gate forces and angles
    • Can measure oar forces
    • Can measure foot forces
    • Analysis via their software aftwerwards
    • Can optionally provide live feedback to coaches

Now, you might be thinking “why is Oar Inspired better”? The main reason here (in my opinion) is price. For around £550 (GBP), you can have a system which will log gate forces, angles, boat speed (impeller and GPS) and allow for post session analysis (as well as live feedback). Currently this is for a pair of sweep-oar gates, but they intend to launch sculling gates if they get enough funding, and aim for a similar price point.

Not only is is low-cost, but Oar Inspired have also been liasing with Rowing in Motion to bring some of RiM’s app-based analysis to the Oar Inspired system. This will give cloud-based analysis after sessions, but also video synchronisation with the data – a powerful feature!

Another measurement that can be useful in many of these systems (including Oar Inspired’s) is that of angular measurement of the gate. Obviously the angle is useful in order to make sense of the force data (and derive power for example), but it is also useful to look at the actual angles achieved by the rower, with a view to adjusting their rigging accordingly. All good stuff!

Power Measurement

Power measurement is what we use on the rowing machine all the time, although as rowers we normally think in terms of splits (minutes per 500m). It’s invaluable, as once you have tested to find out where your training zones are, you can gauge intensity of all training sessions easily. For instance, the bulk of aerobic base training is done at a blood lactate level of less than 2mmol/L. It is fairly easy to test lactate levels and correlate this with power on the rowing machine, and once you’ve done that, you can just train at the a power which corresponds to 2mmol/L or less.

Similarly, getting a power meter for my bike has completely changed the way I ride – it allows me to train at a given intensity regardless of the conditions. I know that if I want to take an easy recovery ride, I’ll be at the correct intensity if my power is ~200W. I may end up going slower up hills or into headwinds, but that doesn’t really matter, since I just want to keep the power output constant.

In a boat however, there is no power measurement – if you train using a device such as a NK SpeedCoach, then you can train at a consistent water speed, but what about head/tail winds, conditions or even changes in water temperature?

Once you can measure forces through the gate (and later through the feet) with a system like that of Oar Inspired, it becomes plausible to monitor power output in real time. This could become absolutely invaluable both in training and also in pacing of race pieces. Imagine knowing through training that you could sustain 350W for 20 minutes (from training scores); then you know come race day that whatever the conditions, you ought to be able to sustain 350W, you may just go slower in a headwind or faster in a tailwind…

Summary

In summary, I see huge potential in the Oar Inspired system (and their partnership with Rowing in Motion). It is aiming at the right price point (similar to what Stages have done in cycling), and can provide valuable feedback for rowers at every level. I for one have backed the product, and I’d encourage you to do the same!

PS – I note that Rowing Musings has done a similar post: http://rowingmusings.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/oarinspired-arrives-on-kickstarter/

Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 09 Apr 2014

0
0

Commuter X4 Bike Light

Cycle safety is the key aim of this project – a wearable bike light with a distinctive shape that makes cyclists as visible as possible.

CommuterX4

 

Canvas Watch Company

Everyone loves a nice watch…

CanvasWatch

 

Duet Bluetooth Tag

Never lose your keys or you phone. Obviously there are many similar devices already out there, but this one seems well-designed.

Duet

Interesting Crowd-funded Projects – 27 Apr 2014

0
0

Time for another round-up of some Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects. Quite an eclectic mix…

Korner Home Security

Korner - Home Security

Korner – Home Security

Simply plug the dongle into your WiFi router and attach the triangular pieces to doors/windows etc. In case of intrusion, you’ll be alerted immediately.

 

HMM RULE/ONE

Completely unneccesary, but it looks nice. A combination of a weighty looking pen and a ruler with laser etched markings. All in a teardrop shape that works well as a bookmark.

HMM RULE/ONE

HMM RULE/ONE

 

Gramofon – Cloud Jukebox

Gramofon: Modern Cloud Jukebox

Gramofon: Modern Cloud Jukebox

Have you ever wanted to stream you music from Spotify (or the likes) to your hifi? Well, now there’s an answer to that problem. Gramofon plugs into your music system and connects to your WiFi, allowing you to stream music using your Android or iOS device. Not only that, but it acts as a WiFi extender too!

 

Cesium 133 – Atomic Wristwatch

So if quartz just isn’t accurate enough for you (it might gain or lose half a second per day :o  ), try this one. The plan is to incorporate a caesium atomic clock into a large wristwatch for timekeeping that should be accurate to within 1 second per every thousand years!!! Completely over the top, but guaranteed to satisfy your inner OCD.

Cesium 133 Wristwatch

Cesium 133 Wristwatch

 

The Made: Measuring Dry Goods Container

This nifty kitchen container allows you not only to store your dry goods (think rice, coffee, oats), but also to dispense measured amounts quickly and easily.

The Made - Container

The Made – Container






Latest Images