28 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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Gest

This wearable allows you to control your computer or smartphone with your hands. Apotact Labs is currently seeking $100,000 on Kickstarter.

BeeLine

This handlebar-mounted, stripped-down navigation system will guide you in the right direction on your bike. BeeLine is currently seeking $92,118 on Kickstarter.

Pico

This fully-automatic appliance enables anyone to brew their own mini kegs of craft beer right from home. PicoBrew has already nearly tripled its $200,000 goal on Kickstarter.

STEMI

This DIY kit lets Makers build their own hexapod robot while learning STEM at the same time. STEMI has reached its $16,000 goal on Indiegogo.

Lumenus

This lineup of smart clothing integrates an automated hands-free lighting system to enhance road safety for bikers, motorcyclists and runners. Lumenus is currently seeking $54,000 on Kickstarter.

SpeedForce

This fully-integrated smart cycling computer lets you get the most out of every ride. SpeedForce has already well surpassed its goal of $20,000 on Indiegogo.

Wink

This Arduino-based robot is designed to transition students from graphical programming to more powerful written code languages. Plum Geek has blown right by its $6,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Hoku

This comfort monitor is comprised of sensors that measure temperature and humidity levels as they’re felt in your child’s clothing. Hime Hiko is currently seeking $45,571 on Kickstarter.

Slate Scale

This Bluetooth-equipped scale connects to your smartphone and serves as your personal dietician. Slate Scale is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

AuraVisor

This VR head-mounted computer works without your computer or smartphone, allowing you to break free of wires and cables. James Talbot is currently seeking $153,134 on Kickstarter.

NanoLeaf Smarter Kit

This lighting kit uses the ZigBee protocol to communicate with up to 50 smart bulbs within a 164-foot range, through voice commands given to Siri. NanoLeaf is currently seeking $40,000 on Indiegogo.

IdeaWerk Speed

This sleek 3D printer boasts a 450mm/second printing speed, which makes it at least five times faster than similar machines. Weistek is currently seeking $22,124 on Kickstarter.

Ockel Sirius B

This pocket-sized Windows 10 PC is as powerful as a desktop and as portable and light as a smartphone. Ockel has already achieved its Indiegogo goal of $10,000.

Flosstime

This first-of-its-kind smart floss dispenser will help you maintain better oral hygiene habits. Flosstime has hit its goal of $15,000 on Kickstarter.

AirBolt

This Bluetooth lock talks to your smartphone and unlocks with a single push of a button. AirBolt is currently seeking $36,168 on Kickstarter.

LucidCam

This portable, consumer-friendly VR camera helps you create content of your real world experiences to share with everyone. LucidCam is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

HAIZE

This simple, add-on compass points urban cyclists in the right direction using a minimalist LED display. onomo is currently seeking $76,645 on Kickstarter.

AXIS Gear

This smart device motorizes your window shades in minutes for enhanced comfort, convenience and safety at home. AXIS is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Lucis

This portable, wireless lamp can change color and brightness with just a touch of your hand. Lucis is currently seeking $15,000 on Indiegogo.

Mstick

This multi-functional LED stick can be controlled via its accompanying mobile app to open endless possibilities. Molt America is currently seeking $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Andiamo iQ

This intelligent suitcase boasts a USB charger, a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, a built-in scale, and can send you alerts about your luggage and travel plans. Andiamo iQ is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Write2Go

This gadget turns your handwriting into digital memos, instant messages and e-signatures immediately. PenPower USA has already surpassed its goal of $1,000 on Kickstarter.

The RESPOT

This coin-sized device prevents you from losing everyday items and your most prized possessions. The RESPOT is currently seeking $35,000 on Indiegogo.

DC One

This unit is an interlocking, programmable, single-channel DC power supply that can be powered by either a battery or an AC/DC adapter. KAM Lab is currently seeking $36,200 on Kickstarter.

Skateboard GPS Speedometer

This mounted footstep features a built-in GPS speedometer, crafted to withstand the punishing spills of downhill skating. Benjamin Newman is currently seeking $34,561 on Kickstarter.

Ripple

This solar strap for the Pebble Time promises to eliminate charging forever, with one hour of sunlight equating 13 hours of battery time. GIXIA Group is currently seeking $80,000 on Kickstarter.

Dynamo Harvester

This energy harvesting hub will charge your smartphone via USB as you bike. Thomas Treyer is currently seeking $55,167 on Kickstarter.

Hackey

This Wi-Fi key switch gives you a simple and easy way to control Internet-related services just by turning the key. Cerevo is currently seeking $15,000 on Indiegogo.

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

Gest lets you control your PC and phone with your hands

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Hello, Gest! Goodbye, keyboards and mice!  

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In anticipation for the next wave of smart devices that will infiltrate our everyday lives, more and more companies have set out to find new ways to interact with these gadgets. With hopes of moving beyond things like the mouse, keyboard and touchscreen, one Austin-based startup has devised a wearable that lets you control your computer or smartphone by simply moving your hands. Introducing Gest. 

The brainchild of Apotact Labs, Gest allows you to work with your hands in a more intuitive way, whether that’s switching between apps by twitching your finger, pointing at the screen to move the mouse or twisting your palm to adjust sliders in Photoshop. The whole premise is that you’ll never have to think about what you’re doing, you’ll just be able to do it.

The lightweight device features a palm strap with a bulk of the gadget resting on the back of your hand, while four finger connectors (which look like half rings) are attached to the main unit via short wires. 15 discreetly embedded sensors boast a latency of roughly 40-60 ms for greater accuracy and more recognized gestures, despite your hand’s orientation. So no matter if you’re drawing, typing, modeling, presenting or composing, Gest can learn the meaning of those motions and help you get things done fast in a more natural way. What’s more, you can customize your own gesture commands for additional.

“While Gest may be one-size-fits-all on the outside, on the inside it’s all about you. Everyone moves their hands in unique ways; the way you point at the screen is probably different than your friend,” its creators explain.

Thanks to the combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, Gest can determine your finger positions and offer unparalleled touchless control that would otherwise require a mouse or keyboard. Meanwhile, thumb movements are inferred using data from the other sensors. The wearable is equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy, LED status indicators and a rechargeable battery capable of lasting through a full day of work.

Impressively, Gest can function just like a keyboard, only that you can type in the air or on any surface without all of that clickety-clack. And that’s not all. The Apotact Labs crew has opened up an SDK with the hope of enabling developers to create new applications, integrations and use cases for the gesture control system, from manipulating virtual reality objects onscreen to adjusting layers and changing brush sizes in Photoshop. The company will also offer developers access to custom skeletal models and motion-processed data, as well as raw sensor data that’ll bestow the freedom to innovate using its Java and Python APIs.

“The last time we saw a truly drastic change in the way people interact with technology was when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone in 2007. We believe we’re on the cusp of another transformative change,” explains Mike Pfister, CEO and co-founder of Apotact Labs. “We built Gest on a foundation of technology that will enable it to become the de facto standard for gesture interaction.”

Intrigued? Head over to Gest’s Kickstarter campaign, where Apotact Labs is currently seeking $100,000. Delivery is slated for November 2016.

Every cyclist needs this handlebar-mounted device

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Dashboard is to cars as BeeLine is to bikes.

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In today’s environmentally conscious society, cycling has become the main mode of transportation for many city dwellers. This method has also proven to be a faster way to get to-and-from work, compared to rush hour traffic and crowded buses. However, there are some downsides that come with biking, such as getting lost, stopping regularly to find directions on your phone, and the unfortunate, yet very possible occurrence of getting struck by a vehicle amid the hustle and bustle. Cyclists already do our environment a favor by reducing emissions, so why shouldn’t cyclists have a safer and easier commute? Two London-based cyclists return the favor with BeeLine, a smart and affordable navigation device for bicycles.

Mark Jenner and Tom Putnam, the brains behind the navigation unit, came up with the idea when they planned to meet up for lunch, only for both to get lost on their bikes. And so, the duo decided to create BeeLine to make riding fun and stress-free. The wristwatch-sized device works quite similarly to a compass. Instead of pointing you north, BeeLine navigates you in the general direction of your destination, while also noting the distance to go. This “stripped back” concept of navigation allows for a safer and more engaged journey. It only requires a quick glance for directions, leaving you free to focus on the road and not looking for street names.

BeeLine’s setup is as effortless as its way of navigating. The gadget simply snaps onto your bike’s handlebar, and only requires the use of your smartphone to select the destination in its accompanying mobile app prior to heading out. You can save frequently used destinations for a one tap service, too. From then on, you won’t ever have to stop to find directions on your phone.

BeeLine’s capabilities extend well beyond navigation as well. It can show you your speed and distance traveled, or act as a clock. Think of it as a sleek dashboard for your bike. When it’s not in use, the innovative design protects the screen and enables you to attach it to your keys or throw it in your bag or pocket.

Since bikes come in many shapes and sizes, BeeLine boasts a one-size-fits-all silicone strap that can go around any stem or handlebar. Its backlit e-paper display is visible under any conditions, and its tough casing makes it weather and shock proof. Housed within the BeeLine lies an Atmel | SMART SAM3X8E at its core, along with an accelerometer, digital compass, gyro, and a microUSB rechargeable battery that can run for a few months. This ultra low-powered unit harnesses the power of your phone, thus cutting down its costs and making it an affordable asset to your bike. (It should be noted that for its prototyping stage, the team used an Arduino and a Proto Shield connected to an Android phone.)

Ready to buzz through your commute? Head over to BeeLine’s Kickstarter campaign, where the team has raced right by its $92,118 goal. Delivery is expected to begin in August 2016.

iKommunicate wants to keep the IoT afloat

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iKommunicate is a NMEA to Signal K gateway that connects your marine electronics to the Internet of Things. 

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Digital Yacht has unveiled a new interfacing technology for the marine electronics market. With hopes of enabling the Internet of Things while afloat, the team has unveiled an onboard sharing gateway called iKommunicate for use with the Signal K open source data exchange platform.

For those unfamiliar with the nautical world, NMEA is a plug-and-play communications standard commonly used for connecting marine sensors and display units within ships. The protocol has been around for decades, and while reliable and ubiquitous, struggles to adequately support today’s smart devices, not to mention all the data that it produces. However, the tide is a-turnin’ with the introduction of a new open source platform, Signal K, which has been quietly developing over the past few years and is now ready to set sail.

Signal K looks to become the next-gen solution for marine data exchange. Intended to not only be employed for communication between instruments and sensors onboard a single vessel, but also to enable the sharing of information between multiple boats, aids to navigation, ports, marinas or any marine asset. What’s more, it has been designed in such a way that it can be easily implemented by web-based and mobile applications, and can hook boats and ships up the Internet of Things while at sea.

This is where Digital Yacht comes into play. The Boston startup has created iKommunicate, a gateway that links NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 systems to Signal K. This allows existing marine electronics to integrate with the new standard by translating any old NMEA data that a user has onboard from their GPS, engine and equipment to the latest format.

“When you first install iKommunicate, you program the device through a simple web interface with your boat’s data — such as boat name, call sign, MMSI, photo and dimensions. This is a key part of the Signal K schema and allows this data to be used by apps and identifies you as a unique Signal K user,” its creators write.

Digital Yacht’s new device is based around the existing NMEA 2000 (CAN bus) interface along with an Atmel | SMART SAM4E16E Cortex-M4 MCU running at 120MHz with 1MB RAM and a SD slot for extended storage and firmware updates. What’s more, iKommunicate can act as a server so apps can run locally on a web browser for display or configuration, or a smartphone or tablet using a raw feed of data from the gateway.

Signal K will serve as a catalyst for developers to dream up new ideas and applications to make boating more fun, safe and affordable. For its Kickstarter launch, iKommunicate includes some built-in web apps to display navigation data and engine instruments in your browser, making it ready for use right out of the box.

Surely, the Signal K platform is exciting and can make a step change to the boating community. However, like any young protocol, it needs a catalyst of users to seed the interest for developers. The iKommunicate gateway looks to enables this by seamlessly integrating with existing systems, so that you to take advantage of this next generation of applications without changing your onboard electronics.

Interested? Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, where the Digital Yacht team has sailed right past its $20,000 goal. Delivery is expected to get underway in March 2016.

Flosstime is the world’s first smart floss dispenser

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What a flossome idea to improve oral hygiene!

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Did you know that nearly 80 percent of people don’t floss their teeth? Even though you’ve been told countless times how important it was to do so, you probably tune out the dentist whenever he or she starts lecturing about it. For some reason, it’s a task that’s difficult to incorporate into your morning and nighttime routine, whether that’s because it’s time-consuming or just one more thing you “have to do.” Fortunately, a smart gadget from one Palo Alto startup may have the solution.

Flosstime is an intelligent, elegantly-designed device that mounts to your bathroom mirror to help you establish a daily flossing regimen. Whereas more conventional dispensers are old, outdated and hard to remember, Flosstime is a habit-forming accessory that’ll help make the once-tedious activity fun, and more importantly, nearly impossible to forget.

The unit affixes to your mirror (either using micro suction tab or an adhesive strip) and dispenses the recommended 18 inches of floss every time you press its button, lighting up to show a smile. Once the floss has been provided, the device cues a 90-second timer in the form of blue-glowing quadrants that move clockwise around a circular light ring. When you go 24 hours without pressing the button, however, Flosstime will express its discontentment by turning orange and revealing a frown.

“Our research shows that the biggest problem with flossing is simply getting the floss into your hands. Once it’s there, almost everyone flosses properly! The automatic dispensing mechanism makes it easier for you to begin flossing and removes the worry of having too much or too little,” its creators note.

What’s more, Flosstime features both single and dual user mode so it can be shared by two people. After all, a couple that flosses together, stays together! While in dual user mode, the frown is split into two and each half is a separate reminder for each individual. If one doesn’t floss, the other will know. (It looks like leaving the toilet seat up won’t be the only argument pretty soon!)

When forming habits, why not start early? In order to make flossing a bit more enjoyable for the younger generation, Flosstime also comes with cute animal snap-ons. If not used everyday, the animal’s eyes glow warning lights to offer a child with a friendly reminder to floss their teeth.

One thing that we’re seeing an awful lot of with connected objects is the emergence of the so-called ‘Internet of Useless Things.’ Just because you can make something smart doesn’t always necessarily mean you have to. Cognizant of this, Flosstime has done an excellent job in enhancing one function. They explain, “We believe that the only time you need to be reminded to floss is when you’re in the bathroom! Getting a push notification on your phone to floss while you’re sitting on the couch enjoying a movie is not very effective.

Sound like a simple yet effective solution to improve your oral hygiene? Head over to Flosstime’s Kickstarter campaign, where the startup is currently seeking $15,000. Delivery is slated for August 2016.

Pico is like the Keurig for homebrewing beer

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Pico is a fully-automatic appliance that lets anyone brew their own mini kegs of craft beer, on demand.

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Consuming an ice-cold brewski isn’t that difficult. Brewing it on your own, well that’s a different story. Fortunately, one Seattle-based startup is looking to do the same for beer as the Keurig has done for coffee. PicoBrew’s 3D printer-like appliance can be used by just about anyone to craft their own malted beverage inside their own home.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you recall the team’s initial product, the Zymatic, which debuted earlier this year. The ATmega1284P powered device enabled ale aficionados to make their own stouts, porters and IPAs right from their kitchen. PicoBrew had raised more than $660,000 on Kickstarter and has since shipped more than a thousand machines. Now, its creators have returned with a smaller, faster and more user-friendly version of the Zymatic, which also happens to be half the price.

Whereas the Zymatic was originally geared towards experienced brewers, the Pico has been designed with the hobbyist in mind. The latest gadget employs much of the same technology as its older and bigger sibling, but with reduced complexity and cost. Ideal for any countertop, the Pico itself measures only 12 inches wide and is capable of producing five liters of fresh beer after a single brewing session. That size is more along the lines of a coffee-maker than a microwave.

One notable feature of the Pico is the its new PicoPak system, which includes conveniently pre-packaged ingredient combinations (ranging from award-winning porters to Munich malts) from craft breweries throughout the world. These may be purchased and customized to taste. All the user has to do is fill a keg with water, load the hop and grain modules with the pre-packaged goods, and hit “brew.” Once it’s done, the beer is fermented by adding yeast from the PicoPak, and then transferred over to a mini keg where it stays for five to seven days to carbonate.

What’s more, PicoBrew recently launched a PicoBrew BrewMarketplace, which allows any brewer to publish their beer ingredient combination and earn royalties on every sale. Meanwhile, customers can find great craft beer by exploring ratings and recommendations and even communicating directly with the brewer.

Earlier this year, the company also introduced its second product, KegSmarts — a Wi-Fi unit that attaches to a standard kegerator and provides information, like temperature and quantity, on an OLED display — all of which can be monitored and controlled from a mobile device.

Ready to brew your own personalized craft beer? Head over to Pico’s Kickstarter campaign, where the PicoBrew crew is currently seeking $200,000. Delivery is slated for April 2016.

This intelligent alarm clock is the perfect bedside companion

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Beddi is a next-generation smart alarm clock that helps you start your day off more easily and efficiently.

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Mornings are hectic. They start off rough with the blaring sound of your alarm, most likely coming from the unpleasant preset tones programmed in your phone. But the biggest challenge is actually getting up, which is even more difficult when you didn’t have a good night’s sleep. Then you have to worry about leaving the house on time, hoping the traffic isn’t too bad. By the time you’re out of the door, you’ve realized you didn’t have enough time for your morning cup ‘o joe. If only there was a way to make the early hours of your day not so bad…

Meet Beddi, an app-enabled alarm clock and Bluetooth speaker that includes over 20 features to make your morning and evening routines flow easily. Developed by Los Angeles-based startup Witti, Beddi boasts a minimalistic design and perfectly complements any home. The gadget combines all the elements you’d typically expect from a smart alarm clock, along with a Bluetooth speaker, USB charging hub, a night light and even a white noise generator to offset loud environment. It also has the capabilities to connect to your devices with its three smart buttons, allowing you to control things around your home with just one click. Each button has three modes, single click, double click and long press, giving you a total of nine different commands.

Not only does Beddi automatically sync with your phone through its accompanying iOS and Android app, it’s super simple to configure, intuitive to use and lets you set multiple alarms. You can turn out of bed to your favorite Spotify playlist as your morning alarm, along with a wake up light, and have dashboard display and voice announcement for weather and traffic updates. With its Google Maps integration, you’ll periodically receive alerts for your morning commute, informing you when you need to leave to arrive to work on time. To ease the hustle and bustle with city living, Beddi can even summon an Uber for you with nothing more than a push of a smart button.

And when it’s time to hit the hay, the unit is equipped with a white noise generator to keep you snoozing soundly through the night. Beyond that, you can set your own Spotify station or choose from a default selection of sounds, such as the subtle noise of a fan, the crashing of ocean waves or the chirping of wildlife in a forest, to help you drift off to sleep. As you catch some Zs, an integrated timer will turn off the sound after a predefined time period.

If you’re not impressed yet, then maybe this will do the trick. Since it knows your sleep habits, when you wake up and go to sleep, Beddi can automatically regulate your smart appliances. With its customizable and programmable smart buttons, Beddi can start your coffee machine, adjust your Nest thermostat or Philips Hue lights, send a text message and make a phone or Skype call. The best part? You can do this all without ever leaving the room or reach for another device. Heck, Beddi might as well be your new butler!

Beddi employs classic Bluetooth for its high quality sound and music, while Bluetooth 4.0 to pair with your phone. Additionally, the nightstand accessory comes with an auxiliary jacks and two USB ports for charging tablets. Unlike other docks, with Beddi you won’t have the annoying problem of your phone not fitting in the dock with its case. The 17mm slot will fit most cases, and is compatible with iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s+, as well as Galaxy S4, S6 and other 5.5″ screens.

Looking for the perfect bedside companion? Head over to Beddi’s Kickstarter campaign, where the Witti team has already surpassed its goal of $25,000. Pending all goes to plan, delivery is expected for June 2016.

Meet the world’s first DIY origami robot

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With Kamigami, engineering is for everyone. Build your own bug bot and then control it with your phone. 

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STEM education has been a growing venture in schools across the country, with even the President himself making it a priority to encourage students as young as grade-school to pursue the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. After all, these fields are changing the world rapidly within the areas of innovation, economic growth and employment. But let’s face it; these subjects don’t come easy to everyone, so how do we instill STEM in kids? A team of UC Berkeley graduates found a way to pique children’s interests, while also inspiring the next generation of Makers. Meet Kamigami, an origami-style robot you can build and program by yourself — no engineering degree necessary.

Kamigami is the brainchild of Dash Robotics, a startup founded by Berkeley engineers Nick Kohut and Andrew Gillies. The company firmly believes in STEM education, and that the power of innovating is for everyone. Kamigami was created with this belief in notion, and it has proven to be an educational and affordable way for kids to get an early start in robotics, engineerin and biology.

Now live on Kickstarter, these robots come in a DIY kit comprised of laser-cut body components, a motor, a transmission, a rechargeable battery, a microUSB port, and plug-and-play electronics. The assembly takes less than an hour and instructional videos online shows you how it comes together. Plus, the robot’s behavior can be programmed and controlled all through Kamigami’s accompanying mobile app (for iOS and Android).

Each Kamigami can be configured with a unique set of behaviors and characteristics through a drag-and-drop interface, opening up a range of possible modes that take advantage of the robot’s integrated sensors and functions. So what type of games is it capable of? For starters, sumo wrestling (first to fall of a table loses), relay races (one robot can’t run until it’s tagged by another), tank battles (take turns trying to get into firing position) and IR laser tag, to name just a few.

And unlike other DIY robotic kits before it, biology comes into play in the automation of each Kamigami. In fact, the bots take into account animals and mimics their locomotion through its built-in linkages and motors. The robot’s chassis is made of a patent-pending material (an extremely durable plastic composite) that allows it to fold up through an origami-like process. This material doesn’t fatigue or wear, which makes for a more durable robot.

The mechanics of the robot itself are custom designed, and packed with processing power and sensors. The main microprocessor features a Cortex-M0 core and a Bluetooth Smart radio. Plus, the cockroach-ish unit is packed with an array of sensors including ambient light, infrared detectors and emitter, a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The electronics also entail motor drivers, charging circuitry and an accessory header for expandability. The infrared emitter and detectors enable each bot to send and receive signals from its mobile app, as well as communicate with other Kamigamis. The gadget runs on a rechargeable battery, with about 30-45 minutes of play time.

Sound like a bug bot you’d love to have? Crawl over to its Kickstarter campaign, where Dash Robotics is currently seeking $50,000. Delivery is expected to get underway in March 2016.

Felfil Evo is an open source filament extruder

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This desktop device turns pellets, materials from defective prints and recycled waste into 3D printer filament.

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Even as accessible as 3D printers have become, you still need filament in order to bring your idea to life. Unfortunately, this leaves you at the mercy of manufactures, which as you can imagine (or know all too well) can be costly. This is why a growing number of Makers are turning to desktop extruders capable of transforming inexpensive pellets into suitable materials for your printer.

Hoping to help lead the way to affordability is Turin-based startup Collettivo Cocomeri, who has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its easy-to-use, open source filament extruder. The Felfil Evo is looking to enable anyone to produce their own resin out of industrial pellets, excess materials from defective or unused prints, and even recycled waste.

Upon getting started, you’ll have the option to choose your desired color, diameter and type of filament, depending on the job at hand. The pellets or granules are poured into a hopper, melted by three heaters and spit out through a carefully-designed brass nozzle where it is cooled down. According to its creators, the lowering of the temperature allows for greater consistency of the final product, whose diameter can come in either 1.75mm, 2.85mm or 3mm.

It should also be noted that Evo can extrude any thermoplastic polymer whose melting temperature does not exceed 300°C (572°F). The temperature control is handled through an Arduino-driven and customizable PID system. Thanks to its easy-to-navigate menu, you’ll be able to select a preset or fine tune your preferences via its display and adjacent knob.

Those wishing to get their hands on an Evo have three options. Targeted at more experienced Makers, the basic kit includes only essential components: a gear motor, aluminum structural support, an extruding screw, thermal insulation, a folding chamber and a nozzle, along with 200g of PLA pellets. Other components, such as heaters and electronics, are up to the user to purchase on their own, based on their needs. Meanwhile, the complete kit comes with everything necessary to begin, as well as a step-by-step instruction manual. Lastly, a fully-assembled Evo is available as well for the inexperienced and/or those just seeking an out-of-the-box experience.

Interested? Head over to Evo’s Kickstarter campaign, where the Collettivo Cocomeri crew is well on their way to reaching their $34,172 goal. If all goes to plan, delivery is slated for May 2016.

Building a crowdsourced, decentralized IoT network around the world

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The Things Network is a low-barrier way to get started with smart city projects. 

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When it comes to which kind of wireless network will be the go-to choice for the Internet of Things, the jury is still out: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE, 5G, 802.15.4, the possibilities go on and on. And pending experiments underway in Amsterdam go as planned, don’t be surprised to find LoRaWAN as a frontrunner on that growing list. For those uninitiated with the technology, LoRaWAN is a wide area network that boasts low battery, low bandwidth and long-range wireless communication. It enables things to talk to the Internet without the need for 3G, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth — meaning, no codes, heavy battery consumption or monthly subscriptions necessary.

This long-range WAN is a practical suitor for smart city and M2M applications, as seen throughout the Dutch capital. In this particular case, Amsterdam has tapped the open IoT data network, The Things Network. Due to its seven-mile reach and affordability, the non-profit organization has been able to cover the entire city with only 10 gateways. And unlike other similar municipality projects, this one was entirely crowdsourced and implemented in a matter of six weeks with help from third parties, such as the Port of Amsterdam, The Next Web, KPMG, Deloitte, Peerby and Trakkies. 

There is, however, one minor speed bump on the road to a distributed, citizen-owned service: each of the currently available LoRaWAN gateways cost around $1,200, which isn’t so great for global scalability. Cognizant of this, The Things Network decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign offering a consumer-friendly base station with a price tag that’s only one-fifth of other products currently on the market.

“The Internet was created by people that connected their networks and allowed traffic from, to and over their servers and cables to pass for free. As a result, there was abundant data communication and exponential innovation. The Things Network is doing the same for the Internet of Things by creating abundant data connectivity. So applications and businesses can flourish,” the team explains.

The community-led initiative is hoping to make it easier for those looking to set up their own networks thanks to three new pieces of hardware: The Things Gateway, The Things Uno and The Things Node. The Things Gateway is at the core of it all. This small, simple-to-install gadget acts as the router between the things and the Internet. Not only does it link to your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, it runs open hardware, uses GPS to determine its location and the node’s whereabouts later, and serves up to 10,000 nodes.

Meanwhile, The Thing Uno is like an Arduino Uno but with LoRaWAN capabilities. This lets you upgrade your existing Arduino projects by making wireless with a several mile radius. Compatible with existing shields and the Arduino IDE, the board includes connections for an optional external antenna on the breakout circuit to better optimize the range. What’s more, The Things Network is collaborating with 3D Hubs to make a customizable 3D-printable enclosure for your Uno.

But that’s not all. The Thing Node is a keyring remote equipped with sensors (movement, light and temperature), an RGB LED, a button and three AAA batteries, all housed inside a waterproof shell. This “matchbox of sensors” can be integrated with your IFTTT account, as well as employed to devise your own low-cost prototypes applications for a Things Network in your town. Example use cases span from bike finders and pet trackers to smart doorbells and security systems, and so far, teams in Boston, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Kochi, Sydney and Manchester have all begun actively pursuing projects.

Interested? Head over to The Thing Network’s Kickstarter campaign, where the foundation is currently seeking $170,036. Delivery is slated for July 2016.