30 smart crowdfunding campaigns you may want to back this week

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Every Friday, we’re taking a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days. 

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Trident

This underwater drone can swim and maneuver its way through the water in dolphin-like fashion. OpenROV has already well surpassed its goal of $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Dobot

This affordable, Arduino-powered robotic arm can be controlled in seven different ways with industrial-grade precision. Dobot has already well surpassed its $36,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Angee

This all-in-one, autonomous security system provides you with a 360° view of your home — along with voice recognition, at-the-door identification, motion-detecting rotation, advanced learning and cordless portability. Angee is currently seeking $250,000 on Kickstarter.

KNK Force

This computerized plotter boasts two cutting heads and a true Z-axis. KLIC-N-KUT is currently seeking $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Ivee

This voice-activated assistant, similar to the Amazon Echo, will turn any home into a smart home. Ivee is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

ZymKey

This tiny piece of hardware delivers trusted data services between open Linux devices, like the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone. Zymbit is currently seeking $15,000 on Kickstarter.

Thinking Cleaner

This Wi-Fi module can be added onto your iRobot Roomba 700/800 to make it smarter and more aware. Thinking Cleaner is currently seeking $95,931 on Kickstarter.

FLUID

This gadget clamps onto your pipes to help you conserve water, save money and detect leaks by monitoring usage in real-time. FLUID is currently seeking $95,000 on Kickstarter.

CUJO

This unit will protect all smart home devices from the most sophisticated virtual intrusions, such as malware and phishing attempts. CUJO has already surpassed its goal of $30,000 on Indiegogo.

The RealThing

This full tube, completely analog, modelling guitar amplifier can be controlled from your smartphone, tablet and MIDI board. Klonz Labs is currently seeking $79,002 on Kickstarter.

The Barman II

This Bluetooth cocktail-mixing platform enables you to make drinks with just the touch of a screen. EBC Services is currently seeking $34,400 on Kickstarter.

InvizBox Go

This portable Wi-Fi privacy device can connect to public Wi-Fi and act as a Tor or VPN gateway. InvizBox is currently seeking $113,377 on Kickstarter.

Sondors Electric Bike

This inexpensive, versatile electric bike boasts a powerful 350W motor, all-terrain tires and can reach speeds of up to 20mph. Storm Sondors has already well surpassed its goal of $75,000 on Kickstarter.

Chameleon Electric Bicycle

This customizable, e-bike scooter sports some Tron-esque LED lights, a smart solar case, a Bluetooth controller and an 84V battery pack. Aldo Baiocchi is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

ANDBOT

This humanoid, who wants to become less of a robot but more of a companion, is capable of handling daily activities and protecting your household. Advanced Robotics is currently seeking $150,000 on Indiegogo.

Soundbot II

This lightweight, compact Bluetooth speaker can recharge wirelessly. Soundbot is currently seeking $20,000 on Kickstarter.

PupPod

This intelligent learning system for dogs allows them to solve problems and earn treats. PupPod is currently seeking $25,000 on Kickstarter.

WhittleCNC

This low-cost, high-quality CNC machine will help bring your ideas to life right from your desk or in the field. Zachary Adams is currently seeking $10,000 on Kickstarter.

Nibble

This pocket-sized development platform is equipped with Wi-Fi, an OLED display, microSD, an IR transmitter, a two-channel piezo speaker and a LiPo battery. Simone Picchioni is currently seeking $31,760 on Kickstarter.

Kaia

This sensor automatically analyzes the air in your home and provides you with real-time and historical analytics to help improve your indoor environment. MakeFutureStuff is currently seeking $150,000 on Kickstarter.

B.R.O. Ball

This Bluetooth, waterproof speaker is designed to function as an audible gadget that plays music and a football that you can toss around. Invincible Audio is currently seeking $75,000 on Kickstarter.

STELLIGHT

These bike lights offer customizable, app-enabled blink patterns to best suit your mood or purpose. Grabo is currently seeking $60,000 on Kickstarter.

SMRT Mouth

This smart mouth guard provides real-time biometric monitoring to athletes of all ages. SMRT Mouth is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

MONO

This sleek 3D printer includes a seven-inch touchscreen with a user-friendly interface for Makers. Mono Industries is currently seeking $13,611 on Kickstarter.

Power Clip

This super portable, multi-functional device attaches to your keychain and does everything from charge your phone to find your lost keys to store your extra data. Nicholas Tachmintzis is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Evapolar

This desktop personal air conditioner not only chills, but also humidifies and purifies the air around you. Evapolar is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Turtle Mail

This Wi-Fi-connected, wooden mailbox for kids delivers and prints out messages from family, friends and even fictional characters. AE Dreams is currently seeking $30,000 on Kickstarter.

Yori

This telepresence robot allows you to interact with its surroundings, rather than just passively participate, using its extendable limbs. Yori is currently seeking $58,000 on Indiegogo.

CORE: Roam

This wearable, lightweight speaker is equipped with Bluetooth, a built-in microphone and LEDs for nighttime activity. Zachary is currently seeking $11,500 on Kickstarter.

Talon

This smart ring lets you play games and control apps using simple gestures. Titanium Falcon is currently seeking $300,000 on Indiegogo.

Did you happen to miss last week’s notable campaigns? If so, you can check them out here. Also, if your project is powered by Atmel MCUs and you’ve been featured on our blog, be sure to download the respective badges here for use in your ongoing marketing efforts. 

FLUID is a smart water meter for your home

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This smart device allows you to conserve water, save money and detect leaks by monitoring usage in real-time.

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Did you know that each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day? Flush a toilet? That’s three gallons. Wash a load of laundry? That’s another 25 gallons. Brush your teeth? One more gallon. And this statistic doesn’t include outdoor water use by sprinkler systems either. With a vast majority of the U.S. west coast experiencing drought conditions, H2O consumption has never been so paramount.

Luckily, one Minneapolis-based startup has developed what they’re calling the world’s first learning water meter that will help you to become more mindful. The aptly name FLUID has been designed for easy installation — simply snap the device around the main pipeline coming into your home, plug it in and connect it to your Wi-Fi network.

FLUID will help you better understand exactly when, where and how much water you’re consuming on a regular basis by providing real-time reports on its accompanying mobile app. By employing ultrasonic pulses, the jig is able to measure the velocity, flow and transit time of the water without ever having to cut into the pipe. This can all then be visualized on your phone.

Whats’s even more impressive is that it can even identify and track usage by appliance or fixture. In other words, it knows exactly where the water is coming from and enables you to learn the flow pattern associated with that appliance or fixture’s run cycle. The end result? Quantifiable data that lets you to see just how much H2O you’re using in the shower, doing the laundry, flushing the toilet, irrigating the lawn and so forth.

“Amazing things can happen once you become more connected to the water you use. You’ll become more aware of how many loads of laundry you are doing weekly, the length of your showers and other habits and behaviors,” the FLUID team writes.

And that’s not all, it only takes one small would-have-been occurrence for FLUID to pay for itself! When it detects constant or erratic water use, a notification will be sent to your phone indicating that there may be a possible leak or water that has been left running.

“It could be as simple as a garden hose that was left on, a running toilet, or in a worst case scenario a pipe bursts when you are away from your home on a trip or an errand. FLUID gives you the peace of mind that you won’t return home to huge water bills or thousands of dollars in water damages,” its creators explain.

Beyond making recommendations, FLUID empowers you to set monthly water consumption goals and keep tabs on your progress. In the future, the team hopes to integrate the tool with existing smart home hubs, such as Nest, WeMo and SmartThings, and provide a REST API so developers can design their own integrations.

Ready to become more mindful of water in and around your house? Check out FLUID’s Kickstarter campaign, where it is currently seeking $95,000. Pending all goes to plan, the first batch of units is expected to ship out sometime in May 2016.