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Check out these 11 awesome crowdfunding campaigns in May

Coffee mugs, camera systems, laser engravers, and more.

Viture one glasses crowdfunding campaign
Image: VITURE One

Crowdfunding is a cool way for innovative products to see the light of day, without the restrictions placed on in-house development at large companies.

It’s also a suitable place to check out video games from small studios, movies, and even campaigns for social good.

With all those campaigns competing for your attention, it can be tricky to find ones based on your interests. Let KnowTechie do all the work for you, with our picks of the crop for May.

The best crowdfunding campaigns to check out in May 2022

So… with how many crowdfunding campaigns there are out there, how do you choose what to back?

Well, I use a combination of checking out their campaign page, looking to see if any of the comments on their prior campaigns show dissatisfied backers, and companies I’ve already had successful pledge fulfillment from.

READ MORE: Check out these 11 awesome crowdfunding campaigns in June

I also tend to stick to gadget areas that I know a bit about, like photography, cooking, maker tools, and writing implements. That way I can judge if the campaign’s aspirations are within reach or not, which adds to my decisions.

I’m also picking campaigns with some time left to run, as it’s no fun finding out about cool campaigns after they’ve finished.

So, with all of that out of the way, here are some of the crowdfunding campaigns I’ve found worthy of attention in May:

Duovox Mate Pro

Night-vision cameras are already kind of magical, but this one dials it up to eleven. The Duovox Mate Pro creates a 2K image in even the darkest of nights. Use it to capture wildlife, as a full-color dashcam, or as a handy companion to walk around at night.

READ MORE: 10 awesome crowdfunding campaigns in August

The Starvis sensor gives 5MP images, with an insane 22+ stops of dynamic range. That’s 12 stops more than the iPhone 13 Pro, or a full seven more than the Sony A7s iii mirrorless camera. Insanity.


Revopoint MINI: 3D Scanner with 0.02mm precision

3D printing is cool, but if you’re not skilled at 3D modeling, you’re stuck using source files other people have created. That’s fine if you just want to print things, but what if you want to recreate existing objects, like if something breaks and you want to print a replacement?

Well, you need a 3D scanner, like the Revopoint Mini. It’s perfect for scanning things smaller than a 500mm cube, or bigger than a 10mm one. With 0.02mm accuracy, even delicate items like coins, jewelry or tabletop miniatures can be replicated in minutes with no loss of visual fidelity.


AirHood

Most modern houses or apartments don’t have an extractor fan in the kitchen that goes outside. That means every time you cook, you’re spreading tiny droplets of grease and other cooking by-products all over your kitchen, or every area near your kitchen.

AirHood wants to help, with its portable extractor fan that filters grease, smells, and smoke every time you cook. Get the wireless version, it’ll be more usable for more cooking types, and the 180-minute battery life is ample.


MagStick

Got a MagSafe iPhone? You want a MagStick, the first MagSafe-compatible portable tripod. The tripod can be extended to 63.5 inches, and it’s a multifunctional selfie stick and tripod with a stable triangular base. Oh, and it’s got a standard 1/4-inch screw for action cameras or smaller mirrorless cameras.

You can use it with non-MagSafe phones too, just use the quick-clamp button to snap the jaws together. When done, there’s a one-push release so you don’t have to fight with clamps ever again.


Multo – your own kitchen farm

Food costs are on the rise, and vegetables are selected for their hardiness in transit, not for flavor. What if you could grow all the greens you want, inside your own home?

Multo’s personal indoor farm is here to fill that need. The expandable system can grow 20, 40, or even 60 plants at once, from zucchinis to radishes to microgreens. It uses a noiseless pump to use ebb and flow tech, to hydroponically grow you veg without soil.

The best part? You can grow year-round, so you always have veggies to eat without having to worry about if they’re in season or not.


VITURE One

Want some XR glasses for entertainment use but put off by the bulky, ugly sets on the market? VITURE knows your pain, and the VITURE One crowdfunding campaign was created to not only look good to the user, but to anyone who’s looking at them.

And if you were worried about power, don’t be. See, the One is preinstalled with the best cloud gaming apps, from GeForce Now to Xbox Live. Oh, and you can remotely play your console while you’re out of the house, how cool is that?


Mr Carve M3

Want a laser engraver to kickstart your home business, but don’t know where to start? The Mr Carve M3 crowdfunding campaign adds the ability to swap the head between IR and blue lasers to the all-metal build that Mr Carve is known for.

Featuring a huge 400 x 400mm build area, the M3 has linear guide rails for continuous motion. That should increase precision, speed, and lifespan over other engravers, which all sound important.

The cool thing? You can convert almost any image into a vector for engraving with a couple of clicks.


H&Y REVORING Swift: Magnetic Video and Photo Filter System

Any photographer or videographer can tell you (myself included) that using filters is a necessary evil. Necessary because you can’t get the shot you want without them. Evil because they’re an annoyance of badly-fitting threads, or never quite having the right size on hand.

H&Y wants to fix that with the Revoring Swift crowdfunding campaign. This modular, magnetic filter system makes it simple to stack as many filters as you want. Start with a Revoring, the adjustable filter that can be used on multiple thread sizes.

That’s one filter of your choice to start with, but then you can expand the bridge system. Add drop-in filters, rectangular graduated filters, whatever your creative needs, need.


GillyGro: A Sleek Backpack with Built-in High Chair

Parenthood is so much harder than anyone tells you beforehand. That’s not even including how much gear you find needing to carry at any one time. GillyGro’s backpack has room to store all the gear you need, but it’s so, so much more.

It’s a changing station, a picnic mat, or a napping spot. Oh, but the best thing? It folds out into a booster seat/high chair, so your littles always have a seat at the table.


Trexo Wheels

When you need a particular shot, it’s frustrating to not have the kit you need. Trexo’s new Wheels is an insanely capable camera dolly, that gets you the shot you need, every time.

Create complicated pathing, teach it the path you want then swap in a professional camera and have Wheels repeat until you’re happy. You can even turn it into a 360-degree turntable, for versatile product shots.
While you’re looking for filmmaking equipment, don’t forget Trexo is running a Kickstarter for a super-compact motorized slider, the Trexo Slider.


ICECO JPPro: A Mobile Fridge Doesn’t Need ICE

It’s getting hot out there, but that doesn’t mean your drinks have to be. This portable fridge uses a Secop compressor to keep the contents from -4℉ to 68℉, so you can even use it to make ice cream in.

Oh, and you won’t have to carry it to the beach – it’s got tough wheels and a pull rod so you can wheel it over rough trails. It’s even got a UV sterilization lamp, so you can rest assured it won’t harbor any nasty germs.


Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

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