17 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 have caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days. 

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ReVault

This smartwatch doubles as a wireless storage device that allows you to securely access and sync all your files without an Internet connection. ReVault is currently seeking $65,000 on Indiegogo.

Musio

This artificially intelligent robot will learn, adapt and grow with you and your environment. Musio is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

SmartMatrix

This shield is an easy way to connect the popular Teensy microcontroller to RGB matrix display panels and create stunning LED visuals with just a few lines of code. Pixelmatrix is currently seeking $30,000 on Kickstarter.

Roby

This 3D-printed, Arduino-based robot kit can be modded, driven and even given a personality, all while teaching young Makers about programming and 3D design. Socially Shaped is currently seeking $25,000 on Kickstarter.

The BUTLER

This GSM and Wi-Fi-enabled video peephole/doorbell allows you to see, hear and speak to visitors directly from your smartphone. The BUTLER is currently seeking $40,000 on Kickstarter.

YotaPhone 2

This dual-screen, always-on smartphone features a fully-customizable display, hands-free messaging and e-reading for up to 100 hours on a single charge. YotaPhone is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Focus 3D Printer

This new 3D printer folds up like a briefcase and prints dozens of different materials. 3D By Flow is currently seeking $56,475 on Kickstarter.

LUMOPACK

This portable battery pack charges in 30 minutes and packs 6,000mAh of juice. Lyte Systems is currently seeking $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Ecoisme

This system will monitor your home’s electricity consumption and help you save money on your electric bill. Ecoisme is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

UNplug

This Arduino-driven device employs solar energy and electronics to reduce power usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Maker Markus Löffler is currently seeking $55,000 on Kickstarter.

TZOA

This wearable enviro-tracker monitors air pollution and UV exposure to help you stay healthy and explore your environment. TZOA is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Switcheroo

This board gives you the ability to connect and control just about anything, from your toys to your lights, right from your your smartphone. Dangerous Things is currently seeking $18,000 on Kickstarter.

ResisTrack

This gadget serves as an automatic muscle tracker, personal trainer and social motivator. Maker Marco Zoltan Daroczi is currently seeking $78,213 on Kickstarter.

Netonos Note

This amplifier integrates with your Sonos system to extend its capabilities to include surround sound receivers, group presets, doorbell chimes and playback of short announcements through its speakers. Netonos is currently seeking $80,000 on Kickstarter.

MODR

This modular system lets you personalize and add functionalities to your smartphone. MODR is currently seeking $70,000 on Indiegogo.

Geek Out V2

This device plugs directly into your computer’s USB port and replaces its mediocre sounds with high-def quality. Geek Out is currently seeking $28,888 on Indiegogo.

mimoodz

This multi-color LED smart bulb for your home can be controlled from anywhere via its accompanying smartphone app. Smart  Gator Labs is currently seeking $33,333 on Kickstarter.

Moodmetric

This piece of smart jewelry looks to enhance your overall well-being by measuring skin conductance and tracking emotional levels. Moodmetric is currently seeking $50,000 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. 

Making space available to everyone

I’m Brian and one of the Founders of Infinity Aerospace. In 2012, our company developed and marketed an Arduino powered platform for easily conducting custom experiments autonomously on board the International Space Station. We called it Ardulab and it was well received in the space industry. In essence, the Ardulab is a small microcontroller with an Atmel chip as the brain that’s enclosed by a space ready aluminum chassis. The Ardulab is an Atmel powered machine that’s won the faith of organizations like NASA and Stanford because of its advanced capabilities in a small form factor and its reliability.

Brian Rieger, Co-Founder of Ardulab (Source: Infinity Aerospace)

The microcontroller is heavily modified from a basic Arduino to be compatible with the Space Station computers, and the chassis adheres to a compliant form factor (10cm cube). The microcontroller only uses about 10% of the internal volume of the chassis, leaving the rest for an experiment to be installed.

Powering your Ardulab up for the first time, then get to know all the features and functions. (Source: Ardulab.com)

Fast forward to present day; Ardulab users include prominent space organizations like NASA-JPL, NanoRacks, and Stanford University. In addition, the overseer organization of the International Space Stations’ National Lab, CASIS, created a program called the National Design Challenge that funds k-12 schools to use Ardulabs in their science classrooms to build an experiment and then launch them to the Space Station. We couldn’t be more proud that the Ardulab product has catalyzed so many positive activities within the space community.

The Ardulab Chassis. (Source: Ardulab.com)

Up until today, the Ardulab had a minimum purchase price of $2,000 and was sold directly from us. This allowed us to recuperate the cost of design and development of the Ardulab as well as the incremental manufacturing cost of each unit. Unfortunately, this limited who could use the Ardulab and gain access to its features – features that make it very easy to conduct experiments autonomously on the Space Station. We realized this was a departure from the fundamental philosophy behind Ardulab; to give as many people as possible the tools and information they need to be successful in space.

The overseer organization of International Space Stations’ National Lab, CASIS, created a program called the National Design Challenge that funds k-12 schools to use Ardulabs in their science classrooms to build an experiment and then launch them to the Space Station. (Source: Wikipedia)

We are so excited to share that the Ardulab is now completely open-source. To support this, we’ve launched a brand new website (www.ardulab.com) where anyone can learn about Ardulab, download the plans with a click of a button, and follow the provided guidance that will take anyone from idea to space experiment. A middle school class in Houston Texas used the Ardulab to create a space ready experiment in 6 months, I can only imagine what the space community at large will create with full access to the Ardulab technology.

Interested? You can explore Ardulab in more depth on its official website.