Want to snap great photos of yourself and your friends, but don’t want to be that guy who actually owns and uses a selfie stick? Not to worry – there’s a better way to do it. Check out StuckOnz, the nanosuction strip intended for cell phones and tablets.
Nanosuction, as you’ve probably guessed, is an adhesion technique that relies on an array microscopic suction cups to create a bond. With StuckOnz, an outer layer of nanosuction sheeting covers a layer of soft foam, and the adhesive side goes on your phone or other item being supported. The StuckOnz square itself is the size of a credit card and only half a millimeter thick — sort of like a wide Command Strip, but designed to be reusable.
The idea is that, rather than whipping out a dorky telescoping selfie stick, you can use StuckOnz to mount your phone on a wall or window nearby. Press the shutter and voila — you’ve got yourself a selfie, minus all that embarrassing stick business. When you’re done, just use scotch tape it get the inevitable dust or dirt off, or wipe it clean with a little water (not soap or solvents) and let it dry.
The microsuction pads will stick to any reasonably smooth surface — but sadly, you might occasionally still need to use a selfie stick in certain situations. StuckOnz keep their suction between 32 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so you won’t be able to use them when it’s literally freezing out, or while you’re in a sauna. Unsurprisingly, they also don’t work on wet or oily surfaces, or surfaces that are porous or dirty; and if you’ve got a heavier phone or tablet, you may need two StuckOnz sheets to support the extra weight.
The great thing is that the pads don’t interfere with any of your device’s functions, like Wi-Fi or wireless charging. In fact, you could use a StuckOnz square to keep your phone on the charger. Or on your dashboard. Or on anything stainless steel, hard plastic, finished wood, granite or glass. If the suction is as strong as the creators claim, however, you’ll probably want to steer clear of walls with cheap paint.
StuckOnz are made by Eoseek LLC, which is the husband and wife team Michael and Jeri Archuleta, and presented with the help of their niece, their son and his girlfriend. Perhaps they got tired of watching their kids posing with those damned sticks. Maybe they’re not selfie-stick-haters, but they realized they couldn’t take them anywhere and when they did, people looked at them and rolled their eyes. Maybe they just wanted to introduce something handy – or rather, hands-free. In any case, they’ve reached their minimum crowd funding goal on Indiegogo, and are headed to the stretch goal at $10,000, which will go toward professionally printed covers for each StuckOnz instead of just black and white.
