25 smart crowdfunding campaigns you may want to back this week

---

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. 

---

BLOCKS

This modular smartwatch lets you piece together various links on its strap, each with their own function. BLOCKS has accrued well over its initial Kickstarter goal of $250,000.

Raise3D

This series of high-res, upgradable 3D printers provide Makers with a touchscreen user interface, remote monitoring and print job management via Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Raise3D has already well surpassed its goal of $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Antelope

This lineup of embedded sportswear stimulates each of your major muscle groups to help you achieve your fitness goals faster than ever. Antelope Club has blown right past its $50,000 goal on Indiegogo.

CellRobot

This DIY kits empowers Makers to assemble, configure and control their own robot. KEYi Technology is currently seeking $75,000 on Kickstarter.

Glassy Zone

This wearable device tracks your surfing activity as well as your exposure to UV rays. Glassy Pro is currently seeking $35,000 on Indiegogo.

Waylens

This beautifully-crafted camera system empowers drivers to easily capture, edit and share interesting moments right from the road. Waylens has already quadrupled its goal of $55,000 on Kickstarter.

Shammane Smartwatch

This elegant wearable packs all of the technology and connectivity you’d expect from a smartwatch, without sacrificing style. Shammane is currently $55,000 on Indiegogo.

monkey

This upgrade for your existing intercom allows you to enjoy all the benefits of a smart lock without having to change a single thing at your door. LOCUMI LABS just hit its goal of $56,860 on Kickstarter.

Solu

This innovative, cloud-linked computer will make it so that you never again have to worry about your hard drive, backing up files or installing software. Solu Machines is currently seeking $227,812 on Kickstarter.

Skybuds

This set of wireless earbuds features a battery-boosting smartphone case for charging and storage. Alpha Audiotronics is currently seeking $200,000 on Kickstarter.

Readybox

This reliable, high-speed desktop 3D printer spits out objects six times faster than other consumer machines. Readybox has successfully attained its $12,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Amino

This countertop-sized biolab enables you to grow living cells and to create new and interesting things, such as fragrances, flavours, materials and medicine. Amino Labs is currently seeking $12,500 on Indiegogo.

Felfil Evo

This open source 3D printer extruder lets you produce your own filament ranging in color, diameter and material. Collettivo Cocomeri is currently seeking $34,172 on Kickstarter.

Helixee

This connected unit backs up the content from all your devices, either automatically or upon request. Novathings is currently seeking $79,605 on Kickstarter.

Tracksoar

This small, lightweight and ready-to-fly APRS tracker will diminish the headaches and costs associated with high-altitude ballooning. Mike Bales is currently seeking $22,000 on Kickstarter.

meeba

This smart, customizable and extremely fun doorbell allows you to select from various modes, and to monitor the doorstep right from your smartphone. meeba is currently seeking $40,000 on Indiegogo.

Elbee

This pair of earbuds lets you to enjoy high-quality sound, all while accessing your smartphone with simple voice commands and slight head movements. LBTECH is currently seeking $250,000 on Kickstarter.

SizeGenie

This body scanner can quickly and accurately take your measurements to ensure you always get perfectly-fitting clothes when shopping online. Tom Brooks and Pietro Veragouth are currently seeking $30,000 on Kickstarter.

Howz

This unobtrusive system analyzes electricity usage and sensor data to learn an elderly person’s daily routine and notify family members know if things don’t seem right. Howz is currently seeking $91,981 on Kickstarter.

HÜD

This medical-grade lens attaches to any smartphone camera, enabling you to take crystal-clear images of the moles on your skin. First Derm is currently seeking $25,000 on Indiegogo.

SFC-Mini

This Arduino-compatible, USB MIDI controller bridges the gap between hardware and software to offer you a complete synthesizer experience. Soudforce Controllers is currently seeking $17,036 on Kickstarter.

DigiRule

This 15-centimeter interactive binary ruler not only lets you draw straight lines, but boasts seven logic gates, four flip flops and a four-bit binary counter. Bradley Slattery is currently seeking $2,935 on Kickstarter.

Tinker Tie

This hackable, Arduino-compatible LED bow-tie can last over 20 hours on a single charge. Atom Computer is currently seeking $1,000 on Kickstarter.

Lumen

This nifty little gadget converts your body heat into everlasting light, without any external energy source. Rost is currently seeking $5,000 on Kickstarter.

Did you happen to miss last week’s notable campaigns? If so, you can check them out here.

Playing laser tag with an ATmega328P

Skirmos is an open source, versatile laser tag system that features an ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU), Arduino bootloader, color LCD screen (acts as a realtime HUD) and an infrared LED.

Additional key specs include:

• RF module
• SD card slot
• 
Sound card (accepts .mp3 and .wav)
• Speakers
• 
RGB LED grids (stretch goal)
• 
Internal LEDs
• Infrared receivers (38khz)
• 
16mhz clock
• Plastic transparent custom shell
• USB port (data from computer to system)

“The hardware will make Skirmos better than airsoft and lasertag combined. It maintains the realism, range and ruggedness to play outdoors like airsoft, while having the accuracy, feedback, and dynamic cheat-proof gametypes of lasertag,” Skirmos rep Allan Ivanov wrote in a recent Kickstarter post.

“This means the final design of the systems will include accurate iron sights and a rail system for attachments for ranges over 500 feet.”

According to Ivanov, Skirmos rifles communicate with one another via radio, with infrared optics facilitating “extreme ranges” for sniping.

On the software side, Skirmos allows players to easily alter fire modes (semi-automatic, three-round burst, automatic, etc), as well as the rate of fire. Plus, each player is assigned a specific ID to avoid friendly fire incidents.

In addition, Skirmos offers a trio of preset gametypes: basic, free-for-all and team slayer. However, the platform is ultimately expected to boast an almost unlimited number of gametypes.

“Because of the open source aspect, you will be able to create your own gametypes. This might be tweaking with the respawn time on Capture the Flag, to creating your own objectives and modes,”
 Ivanov explained.

“So imagine playing custom gametypes that other users have made like Search and Destroy. Rest assured, you won’t need to be a programming master to design your own games. If Skirmos is successful, we will create an auto-builder, a drag-and-drop program to quickly and easily create new gametypes (stretch goal).”

Interested in learning more about Skirmos? You can check out the project’s official Kickstarter page here.