Saent

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

Buddy

This adorable companion robot can improve your everyday life by protecting your home as a security guard, entertaining your kids as a playmate and structuring your schedule as a personal assistant. Blue Frog Robotics is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Jewelbots

These Arduino-compatible, customizable friendship bracelets teach girls the basics of coding. Jewelbots is currently seeking $30,000 on Kickstarter.

Vortex

This responsive robot for kids isn’t only fun to play with, but is open source and completely programmable as well. DFRobot is currently seeking $54,035 on Kickstarter.

BLINKY.SHOES

These LED strips will make your shoes light up in bright, colorful patterns with every step. Ultimate Celebration is currently seeking $5,000 on Kickstarter.

Smart Tracker 2

This real-time GPS tracker will let you keep tabs on anything from anywhere. Smart Tracker is currently seeking $30,000 on Indiegogo.

Trakkies

This tracking device — which comes in two different forms with varying ranges — can be attached to just about any object, warning you whenever it is left behind. Trakkies is currently seeking $112,229 on Kickstarter.

REMzen

This intelligent mask analyzes your sleep while waking you up naturally with spectral light therapy. REMzen is currently seeking $15,000 on CrowdSupply.

This hardware and software solution keeps you focused on the task at hand by blocking out distractions and finding your optimal work rhythm. Saent is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Zodiac FX

This board provides many of the features of an OpenFlow switch at a fraction of the cost, and is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Northbound Networks is currently seeking $30,693 on Kickstarter.

Swish

This wearable basketball app offers tips, tricks and data as you’re playing, giving you access to the insight of the best coaches and players. Onyx Motion is currently seeking $7,870 on Indiegogo.

DropAP

This high-performance, smart router integrates with cloud services and mobile apps to extend beyond the home. DropAP is currently seeking $45,000 on Indiegogo.

IRDuino

This open source, Arduino-compatible USB infrared receiver gives new life to old remote controls. IRDuino is currently seeking $2,000 on CrowdSupply.

Biom

This flower pot connects to an accompanying app over Wi-Fi, transforming your plant into a “vegetal cyborg.” Biom is currently seeking $55,183 on Kickstarter.

Caruma

This all-in-one gadget links your car to the cloud to deliver notifications and advice, log trips, and livestream dual high-definition video right to your phone. Caruma is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

HamShield

This shield allows your Arduino to communicate with people and things far away using powerful amateur radio bands. Maker Casey Halverson is currently seeking $25,000 on Kickstarter.

ODO

This solar-powered, autonomous irrigation system is comprised of a controller, a gateway, sensors, sprinklers and a mobile app that can manage up to four lines at once. One Drop One Solutions is currently seeking $86,151 on Kickstarter.

EyeControl

This pair of portable glasses enables those with ALS to communicate by translating eye movements into spoken words or text. EyeControl is currently seeking $30,000 on Indiegogo.

Sensory Percussion

This sensor clamps to the side of a drum and connects to a software program to turn your kit into an expressive controller for digital sounds. Sunhouse is currently seeking $80,000 on Kickstarter.

ePawn Arena

This unique board interfaces with your smartphone, tablet or PC to let you use real world objects as game pieces. ePawn is currently seeking $165,652 on Kickstarter.

MOVI

This offline speech recognizer and voice synthesizer adds voice control functionality to any Arduino project. Audeme is currently seeking $12,000 on Kickstarter.

Helmet

This family monitor comes with an interactive social community that lets you share your favorite moments publicly or with authorized users. iBaby Labs is currently seeking $15,000 on Indiegogo.

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.

The funny videos, memes and messages can wait. This anti-distraction button wants to boost your productivity.

Face it: as great as the Internet may be, it can be downright distracting as well. From browsing sites like BuzzFeed to responding to Facebook messages, it doesn’t take much to diminish your productivity levels at work. In fact, a recent survey has found that 73% of employees under the age of 35 admit to spending time inappropriately online. However, help may be on the way thanks to one Hong Kong-based startup, who has developed a smart solution that combines both hardware and software to combat these all too common occurrences.

At its basic level, Saent acts much like any other distraction-reducing software. When triggered, the desktop app blocks sites and other programs that are deemed “unproductive” in order to encourage short term productivity. Yet, the startup has taken it one step further by adding a physical button, no larger than a coaster, as a tangible reminder for us to stay focused.

The device is capable of tracking the progress of your work throughout the day, as it gathers data related to your performance patterns and then generates reports based on your behaviors, like the time of day you are most and least productive. This is achieved when paired with its accompanying app over Bluetooth to either a mobile gadget or desktop.

What’s more, a touch of the button will launch what the company calls a “focused work session.” Each period, which is either 30, 50 or 90 minutes long, will block all apps and websites that are designated as “unproductive.” An indicator light on the unit will then monitor your progress with the indicator filling up as you get closer to finishing. There’s a gamification element to Saent, too. Users can compete with colleagues at work or loved ones at home by accumulating points based on the time spent distraction-fee via the app’s dashboard.

In terms of hardware, Saent boasts a Bluetooth Low Energy SoC, an LED, a microUSB port, a touch sensor, a push button and a Li-ion battery, all housed inside an ABS shell. While the software can also function as a standalone app, ideally the physical device is suited for long-term success and a much better alternative than multitasking.

“A lot of people think the solution is to multitask, but multitasking is actually a myth. Only 3% of people are actually capable of productive multitasking. The rest of us just do something called ‘task switching,’ which leads to mistakes and poor quality work. What we really need is a way to block out distractions and enable true focus,” its creators explain.

Looking ahead, the team hopes to enhance its software platform with various new features, including app recommendations, granular nofitication control, and one of our favorites, “what you missed” reports — something that will certainly help curb those with FOMO, or fear of missing out. So, are you prone to watching kitten videos on YouTube or posting memes during the day? Head over to Saent’s Indiegogo campaign, where the startup is currently seeking $100,000. Delivery is expected to begin in November 2015.

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Saent wants to make the Internet less distracting