Crowdfunding
The best crowdfunding campaigns to check out in September 2020
Home workout equipment, robotic dogs, and more.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
Crowdfunding is a really 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 great place to check out video games from small studios, movies, and even campaigns for social good.
With all of those campaigns competing for your attention, it can be tricky to find ones based on your interests. Let KnowTechie do all the hard work for you, with our picks of the crop for September.
Check out these 10 awesome crowdfunding campaigns this month
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 also companies I’ve already had successful pledge fulfillment from.
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 September:
Spring: Keep your cat hydrated
Does your cat love water? Do they want to drink out of everything other than their actual water dish? What about if they don’t actually drink enough, causing illness and kidney issues? Fix all of these things with Spring, a constantly-moving, constantly-filtering water fountain for your furball that also monitors the amount they’re taking in.
For $99, you get all the water tracking, filtering fun, which also keeps the water at the optimal temperature for your cat.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wimeiot/spring-keeping-your-cat-hydrated?ref=4a1464&token=5d5d6c77″ text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Nubia Watch
Okay, so growing up, the only thing I wanted was the smartwatch that Penny, Inspector Gadget’s daughter, wore on her wrist. It had video calling, it had some kind of screen, and it was amazing. Someone at Nubia must have had the same hankering, because we’ve now got the Nubia Watch, a smartwatch with a flexible, 4.01 inch OLED screen that wraps around your wrist.
Want scrolling text or designs around your wrist at all times? Nubia has your back, but that’s not all this bendy watch can do. It’s got a high-precision heart rate sensor, fitness tracking, up to seven days of battery life, IP54 water resistance, and that flexible OLED which is clad in glass from Schott, who created the flexy glass that Samsung uses on its new foldables.
For $199, you get a Nubia Watch for 50 percent of the eventual retail price.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://nubia-watch-a-futuristic.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Quell
Love being in shape but get bored to tears by the actual gym part of things? Maybe Quell is just what you need, with its high-intensity, resistance-based workout that lets you gamify your workouts. Think of it as Punch Out!, but with your body as the controller. You’ll punch, block, and most importantly, feel every one of those punches with the customizable resistance bands.
Oh, and the other barrier to using fitness gear, setup time? Quell has you going in under a minute, so you can start boxing whenever the mood takes you, without having to fiddle with complicated equipment. Nice.
You can get the Quell system at early bird pricing right now, for roughly $227 (based on a conversion from GBP).
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://quell-tech.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Mobvoi Earbuds Gesture
True wireless earbuds are great, but their small size makes it hard to control them without an app. Mobvoi’s latest pair has AI onboard, to turn gestures into a control scheme so you don’t have to move your hands anywhere near your ears. Nod twice to pick up calls, or shake your head to cancel it. That’s pretty sweet. They’re also packed with all the tech you’d expect, like Bluetooth 5.0, dual-mic noise cancelation, and up to 50 hours of battery life (including the multiple recharges from the carrying case).
Grab a pair for $69 while early bird pricing is in effect.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://mobvoi-earbuds-gesture.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
The AirBolt: GPS -World’s smallest GPS
Bluetooth-based tracking chips are great, but they fall flat when used to keep tabs on our pets as they often run to places that are out of wireless reach. AirBolt fixes that by using GPS tracking, in a tracker that’s still small enough to slip onto a collar, or onto a keyring. It’s also got LTE-M/NB-IoT, giving it a perfect blend of indoors and outdoors tracking, up to 12 months of battery life, and it’s easy to share with friends or family so you all know where the thing being tracked is.
Grab one for $86 while early bird pricing is in effect.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://the-airbolt-gps-global.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
SEVEN & ME
Since going out to the coffee place is canceled right now, it’s a great time to invest in tech that can give you the same barista-quality coffee, without having your name misspelled. Seven & Me is a dual espresso maker and milk frother, so you can get those coffee creations with the press of one button. You can even teach yourself latte art, as the automatic milk frother gives you all the foam you need to create masterpieces.
Grab one for $199 while early bird pricing is in effect. That’s like, what? 30 grande coffees?
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://seven-me-make-coffee-espresso.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at indiegogo” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
xDrill
For you, what’s the worst part about drilling holes to hang shelves? Keeping the drill level? Not going in at an angle? Worrying you’ll go too far and hit something important in the walls? Well, xDrill fixes all of those things and more. Lasers measure the distances between the floor and your sidewall, so you don’t have to break out the tape measure. You can set xDrill to stop drilling as soon as it hits the depth you want, use it to measure your room, and keep your drill holes level with the digital leveler. Need to drill a specific angle? Double-tap the screen to save the angle and you can drill every hole after that at the same angle. Nice.
Grab xDrill for approximately $307 while early bird pricing is in effect.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://xdrill-the-drill-reimagined.kckb.st/knowtechie” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Blync: Ride your bike in virtual worlds
Blync turns your normal bike into a stationary bike, just like a Peloton. The thing is, instead of being shouted at to go faster by a sweaty instructor, Blync lets you ride through virtual words, with a VR headset. The weather won’t deter you from your fitness goals, and you can use the equipment you already own. Nice.
You can grab Blync for $92 while the campaign is running (VR headset and bike not included).
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blync/blync-ride-your-bike-in-virtual-worlds” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Petoi Bittle: A Palm-sized Robot Dog for STEM and Fun
Ever looked at one of Boston Dynamic’s robodogs and wanted one of your very own? Well, if you don’t want to spend $80,000 on one, maybe head on over to Kickstarter and check out Bittle. For $225 you can get everything you need to build your own pint-sized robodog, and then learn how to create the code that will control Bittle.
There are extension sensors available as well, that replace Bittle’s head with things like an intelligent camera module, a gesture sensor, a passive infrared sensor, and others. Get your desk-sized, never-needs-to-go-for-walkies robodog now!
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petoi/bittle?ref=discovery_category” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
SuperTank Pro, The Surprisingly Compact Mobile Power Station
It’s a fact that modern life needs all the battery power that you can find. So, what do you do when you’re not near a plug? Well, you grab a power bank and the Zendure SuperTank Pro looks like one of the best. It’s got a 26,800 mAh capacity, four USB-C ports, pass-through charging so you can recharge it while still powering your devices, and a huge 100W output. That’s enough to recharge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, at the same speed as the wall charger!
Grab one for $149 while early bird pricing is in effect.
[letsreviewaffiliate url=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zendure/supertank-pro-the-surprisingly-compact-mobile-power-station” text=”see at kickstarter” size=”small” rel=”nofollow” target=”newwindow” accent=”#d6c9e2″ border=”off”]
Editors’ Recommendations:
- Here are the best STEM toys on the market today
- The best new iOS and Android games to download in September
- Here’s all the gear you need to send your kids back to (virtual) school this year
- The best computer gaming peripherals for 2020
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
