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 no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there – alongside some real gems. We’ve cut through the Pebble clones and janky iPhone cases to round up the most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects out there this week. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project — even the best intentioned — can fail, so do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.
MIN7 — Multifunction wooden speaker
Wireless speakers are a dime a dozen these days, but as the space has become more crowded and competitive, it seems that the general level of quality has dropped a bit. Don’t get us wrong; cheap Bluetooth speakers are a great for beating up — but if you’re looking to buy a wireless speaker that can pull double duty as a portable device and a standalone home stereo, you might want something more on the premium side.
That’s where Minifort comes in. The company’s first product, dubbed the Min7, aims to provide the best of both worlds. Not only is the speaker handmade and built from wood, but it packs serious power alongside a ton of connectivity options, both wired and wireless. The speaker boasts 2.1-channel sound via dual 4-inch paper-cone woofers and 1-inch silk-dome tweeters with a 5.25-inch subwoofer on the bottom, offering up a frequency range of 45Hz to 20kHz. We haven’t heard them in person yet, but the drivers are powered by a 150-watt amplifier, which should make for impressive volume in a speaker this size.
Triton Scuba Mask — Artificial gills
Back in early 2014, tech enthusiasts across the globe went gaga over a conceptual product called the Triton Scuba Mask. The product — which is essentially a tankless scuba mask that works like a pair of artificial gills — generated a veritable boatload of hype for many months thereafter, but was eventually dismissed as a high-flying, unattainable concept that would probably never come to fruition as a living, breathing product. But apparently, it’s not completely bogus. Earlier this week Triton’s creators actually launched an Indiegogo campaign for the device. We’re still not completely convinced that the Triton mask is legit, but here’s a quick overview of the technology that supposedly makes it work.
Instead of a large tank of compressed air, the Triton mask allegedly uses two specialized filters to extract oxygen from liquid water molecules. These are composed of two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom. Triton suggests that this extraction process is possible with the help of a material known as microporous hollow fiber: a real material that features billions super-small holes. According to Triton’s creators, these holes are “smaller than water molecules, [so] they keep water out and let oxygen in.” From there, a “micro compressor then extracts and stores the oxygen – allowing you to breathe naturally and revel in your underwater freedom.”
Nervana — Neurostimulation headphone
A lot of people like to get high and listen to music — but what if you could listen to music to get high? It might sound a little odd, but that’s exactly what Nervana’s crazy new neurostimulation headphones are designed to to. The headphones, which are earbuds, are equipped with tiny little electrodes that allegedly send a low power electrical signal to your brain and stimulate the release of dopamine — a neurotransmitter that induces feelings of happiness, enjoyment, and mild euphoria.
It’s more than just a jolt to your brain, too. Instead of just randomly sending these electrical signals to your noggin (via your Vagus nerve), the headphones actually sync up with the music you’re listening to and send out pulses that are modulated in relation to a song’s unique musical attributes. Considering how addictive music already is, this could turn out to be a slippery slope!
Oombrella — Unforgettable smart umbrella
In all honesty, you probably don’t need a smart umbrella. For most people, umbrellas of the “dumb” variety will likely work just fine. But if you’re prone to forgetting your umbrella and leaving it behind, Oombrella might actually be worth checking out. In addition to a brilliant Bluetooth-based anti-loss system, this umbrella boasts a boatload of cool features.
According to the Kickstarter campaign, Oombrella allegedly features Kevlar ribs so that the umbrella can withstand high winds and heavy rain without damage. Tucked inside the waterproof handle you’ll find a sensor capsule, which includes sensors that measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and light. Using Bluetooth, the capsule transmits data to the Oombrella mobile app — allowing users to receive weather notifications before rain even starts. The capsule also features a buzzer and LED light so you can get notifications when messages or calls come into your connected smart phone.
Lifepack — Solar powered, anti-theft backpack
Still lugging your stuff around in a raggedy old two-pocket Jansport? If so, it’s high time for an upgrade. Backpacks have come a long way in the past few years in terms of both design and technology, and the latest one to land on Kickstarter is arguably one of the craziest yet.
The Lifepack, as it’s called, is a super-functional, solar-powered backpack that managed to crush it’s modest $20K funding goal in less than eight hours — and with the feature list on this thing, that’s not surprising. In addition to a built-in solar charger and battery pack, the bag features an integrated locking cable (which doubles as a bottle opener) and a portable Bluetooth speaker. There are also four hidden pockets scattered across its exterior — including a passport-sized pocket in the strap that would allow you to safely conceal your travel documents. “I tried to put in every kind of feature that fits the digital nomad who is constantly on-the-go,” Lifepack founder Adrian Solgaard told Road Warrior Voices. “Really, it’s best-suited for people who travel a lot or work remotely.”
