Hasta La Gadget!

Years of hunching over his laptop took its toll on James Olander. He claims that the damage on his nerves reached an extent that he was advised by his doctors to lay off laptops or he might not be able to type again. Fortunately, James is an engineer. So he designed a laptop stand that can help him and the millions of other people who have hunchedoverlaptoposis. Or whatever its medical name is.

James calls his laptop stand The Roost. There are hundreds of different laptop stands already on the market, so why would you want The Roost? It’s not on fire, but there are three things that make The Roost stand out. First is the sheer height at which it can raise a laptop:

Here’s another shot that shows just how high it raises the screen:

Unless everything else in the image above is really tiny, I’d say that the MacBook Air is at or maybe even above eye level there. The second advantage of The Roost over other stands is that it folds into a very compact shape. Finally, The Roost is made of carbon fiber and a flexible and durable plastic, making it strong enough to support up to 200lb. even though it only weighs 5oz.

Pledge at least $65 (USD) on Kickstarter to get The Roost as a reward. You can check its official website for the list of compatible laptops.

[via GadgeTell]

Stanford University alumni Josh Chan and Tarun Pondicherry invented LightUp, a modular electronics kit that’s as easy to use as LEGO blocks. The kits is designed to teach children the basics of electronics and computer programming.

LightUp simplifies the process of building an electronic circuit so that it won’t discourage children from experimenting and trying again if they don’t get the result they want. Instead of requiring children to use soldering materials or wires, the parts in a LightUp kit connect to each other using magnets. This means that they’re easy to put together and take apart. It also means that if you purchase more kits, you get more parts to mix and match.

One thing that LightUp kits have that LEGO toys don’t have is an augmented reality app. When you take a picture of a LightUp circuit on a mobile device, the app can point out if any of the parts are incorrectly connected. It can also show the flow of electricity throughout the circuit, as shown in the image above. Finally, LightUp can be programmed using Arduino code, so kids can jump right into coding if they want. I’m not sure if the kit will come with programming aids or lessons though.

Pledge at least $39 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive a LightUp kit as a reward. The reward tiers seem to have different kinds of kits assigned to them; I’m not sure if the more expensive kits will include all the items included in the cheaper ones, so choose your desired tier carefully.

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Smartphone control of your home is nothing new thanks to the likes of Nest and many, many others — but automated window coverings have always been a spendy proposition. Now, Sonte is bringing its smartphone-controlled tech onto Kickstarter, giving backers a shot at the high-tech digital shades we saw at CES 2013. It works by going from transparent to opaque in a split second when current is applied, giving you privacy and light control — or a makeshift projector screen — at the flip of a switch or via an iOS or Android app. After measuring your windows, you’ll be able to purchase the size you need and apply it yourself like a regular window film as shown in the video after the break. Ten square feet or so of the material will run around $184 for a non-WiFi, switch activated piece, while a smartphone-activated strip of the same size will cost $234. So, if you’ve been looking for electric shades, and are up to the installation challenge, hit the source to pledge.

Filed under: Household

Comments

Source: Kickstarter

I’m a fan of crowdfunding and crowdsourcing of products. However, sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo don’t really let the community decide what sort of projects make the cut for a funding opportunity, so alot of similar – and sometimes downright crummy ideas make it to the stage where they can be funded.

JumpStartCity is new arrival on the crowdfunding scene, which wants visitors to help pick which projects are even eligible to ask for funding.

The biggest thing makes JumpStartCity unique is the addition of its “Elevator Pitch” stage – which allows those with products and services to convince readers that their projects are worthy of funding. Personally, I love this idea to help weed out the riff-raff before any money changes hands, and should help keep the number of projects which make it to the funding phase down to the cream of the crop. Members of the community can be notified whenever new ideas are submitted, providing greater visibility to each and every project than competitors.

Another step along the way is the Promotion Stage. This is a phase which occurs prior to funding to allow creators to promote their products and services and build buzz before fundraising begins. After they’ve built up some momentum during this stage, only then do they move on to the “Active” or funding stage. Unlike other crowdfunding sites, the funding stage is short – only 20 days – focused on producing the biggest impact in the shortest period of time. Creators can extend this by another 20 days after successful funding if they so choose. One other nifty feature of the platform is called “Cash at Goal” – which allows creators to immediately receive their funding as soon as the goal is reached, with any overages coming at the end of the fundraising period. This gives creators the ability to start their projects earlier if their goal is met early.

There are also benefits to community members for being active, including greater influence, extra points you can “spend” for your favorite elevator pitches, and potentially cash for receiving and watching elevator pitches. Early project backers also get a 10% discount during the first 24 hours of funding. Community members also get 1% of their purchase price back in the form of credits which can be used on future projects.

Since the site is in its infancy, JumpStartCity does face an uphill battle convincing consumers to participate in their site instead of the already-established players in the crowdfunding market. However, they do offer a unique approach with benefits to both creators and buyers which could set them apart.

You can sign up for JumpStartCity here, and then check out the current projects in the funnel here. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Understanding electronics is tricky. Electricity is invisible, the components are cryptic, and the concepts are hard to grasp. That’s where LightUp comes in. This is an AR-based system for teaching electronics by allowing kids to build little projects and “see” what the components are doing using augmented reality.

The projects snap together with magnets and you can send juice through the circuit to light up LEDs and turn on buzzers. However, when you take a picture of the circuit with your phone, LightUp adds animated lines to show you what the electricity is doing. While it’s not particularly useful for simple circuits – there’s not much going on – it’s particularly cool in that it tells you when your diodes are aligned wrong or your transistors aren’t working.

For $99 you can get a mini kit that includes an Arduino micro-controller as well as variable resistors, light sensors, and LEDs. A $39 kit offers considerably fewer parts but can be used to make a “morse code buzzer, night light, dimmer switch, [or] lunch box alarm.” I personally, could use the lunch box alarm to keep the kids out of my jellybean container.

LightUp is already fully funded. The project has a few competitors, including LittleBits but the AR capabilities really sell this kit. Rather than focusing on blind experimentation, LightUp offers just a bit more in terms of STEM education.