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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet, for the week of June 29, 2014

At any given moment there are approximately a zillion different crowdfunding campaigns happening on the Web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find there’s no shortage of weird, ambitious, and downright stupid projects out there — far too many for any reasonable person to keep up with. But here at DT we are not reasonable people. We spend an inordinate amount of time poring through crowdfunding sites and product blogs in search of the next Oculus Rift or Pebble Watch, so we’re here to bring you a quick roundup of the best projects that are currently up and running.

Snipe — Digital shooting range

SnipeThere’s definitely no shortage of digital shooting ranges in the world, what with all the first-person-shooter video games that have been released in the past decade. But despite all the crazy next-gen graphics that games have these days, shooting a target virtually still just isn’t quite as fun as shooting one physically. Snipe aims to alleviate this problem. How? By merging the convenience of the digital shooting range with the satisfaction of firing physical projectiles. Using an array of special capacitive darts (which can be fired from Snipe’s special blasters, or practically any Nerf gun) and an accompanying tablet app, Snipe allows you to set up targets on your screen and shoot them down with physical ammo. It’s a strange idea, for sure, but it definitely looks like a fair bit of fun.

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kGoal — Smart kegel trainer

kGoalYou know those grip strength trainers that help you beef up your hand muscles by squeezing a spring or resistance ball of some sort? kGoal is basically the same idea, but for the muscles in your pelvic floor. In case you failed anatomy class, that’s basically just a diplomatic way of saying vagina, for ladies. The device itself is a squishy, squeezable pillow that is inserted into your lady business. Once in place, it can measure the force you exert by squeezing your pelvic floor muscles, and give you real-time performnace feedback and training information via an accompanying smartphone app. Now, aside from the obvious sexual benefits, apparently having strong pelvic floor muscles can also help with things like pregnancy, bladder control, and musculoskeletal stability. Who knew?

Moment — Wrap-around smartwatch

MomentAll the smartwatches unveiled at Google’s I/O developer conference last week may have stolen the headlines, but Kickstarter had a few of it’s own to unveil that you should definitely take a look at. Arguably the most noteworthy of the bunch is the Moment, which, in all honesty, is more of a bangle or cuff than it is a traditional watch. It’s designed with a thin, flexible display on it’s face, so the screen wraps around your entire wrist instead of staying confined to a small square, which ostensibly makes it easier and more convenient to use. With more screen real estate to work with, it has a bigger keyboard, and can also display notifications on the inside of your wrist instead of the outside, which makes it easier to read. The project has already met its funding goal, so if you back the project now it’s a pretty safe bet you’ll get one when they ship next year.

MindRider — Brain-sensing bike helmet

MindRiderOriginally developed at MIT a couple years ago, MindRider is a special helmet that shows, in real time, how your rides, movement, and location engage your mind. Using an array of EEG sensors to keep tabs on your mental state and a radio that relays that information to your smartphone, MindRider maps and tracks your engagement, and allows you to share your maps with others. These maps provide quantified insight into how stressed, focused, or relaxed you are during your ride, and thereby empowers you to maximize your riding experience. The big idea here is that, once enough brain activity data has been collected from MindRiders, we can begin to pinpoint routes where riders experience more stress and fear, and map out areas that need better bike lanes.

Go Kin Packs — Generate electricity from walking

Go Kin PacksTake a stroll through the aisles of any given outdoor retailer and you’re pretty much guaranteed to come across a dozen different gizmos that get their power from the sun. Solar powered gear has exploded in the past couple years, and is now a hugely popular way to juice up your electronics in the backcountry. But what happens when the clouds roll in? If you’re looking for something that powers your gadgets in rain or shine, sunlight or darkeness, check out Go Kin Packs. To generate juice, the packs use a pair of cords that clip onto your shoes. With each step, your legs pull and release the cords, which presumably spin a dynamo of some sort and create electricity as you walk. It’s definitely a bit goofier than rocking a solar panel on your pack, but it’s also a bit more reliable and immune to changes in the weather.

Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

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Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

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Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix
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Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.

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