Engineering Lifestyle
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karophi
You're right though, David, that I think Kickstarter projects need to give ...
selinz
This definitely empowers the "little people" to go off and create something that ...
Top 10 engineering Kickstarter projects
Sylvie Barak
12/28/2012 5:12 PM EST
Let there be light(bulbs)
LED lightbulbs have been cropping up rather a lot over the past year, possibly most notoriously in a deal linking Apple and Philips, but startups are taking a crack at the market too.
The LIFX bulb is one of these and purports itself to be “the light bulb reinvented.”
What LIFX actually is is a WiFi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb that you control with your iPhone or Android.
With a goal of raising $100,000, Lifx’s Phil Bosua promised backers “unprecedented control” of their lights, reduced energy costs, and bulbs lasting up to 25 years, with “an amazing range of experiences.”
People apparently bought into Bosua’s sales pitch (saw the light?) and pledged a collective $1,314,542.
The tech behind the bulb is remarkable not only for its beautiful design, but its simplicity and stunning user interface. LIFX uses a master/slave concept to connect to a user’s home router via 802.11n and then onto all the other LIFX smartbulbs via 802.15.4 mesh network. Each LIFX can connect to all country electricity systems from 110V to 260V, making them universally compatible.
The standby power usage of each bulb is very small, in fact a AA battery would keep a LIFX smartbulb in standby mode for approximately 1-2 years.
The firm said it would also be releasing a LIFX Software Development Kit (SDK) that would allow mobile App developers and home automation hackers full control over their LIFX smartbulbs.
Click next for more top Kickstarter projects from 2012 >>
LED lightbulbs have been cropping up rather a lot over the past year, possibly most notoriously in a deal linking Apple and Philips, but startups are taking a crack at the market too.
The LIFX bulb is one of these and purports itself to be “the light bulb reinvented.”
What LIFX actually is is a WiFi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb that you control with your iPhone or Android.
With a goal of raising $100,000, Lifx’s Phil Bosua promised backers “unprecedented control” of their lights, reduced energy costs, and bulbs lasting up to 25 years, with “an amazing range of experiences.”
People apparently bought into Bosua’s sales pitch (saw the light?) and pledged a collective $1,314,542.
The tech behind the bulb is remarkable not only for its beautiful design, but its simplicity and stunning user interface. LIFX uses a master/slave concept to connect to a user’s home router via 802.11n and then onto all the other LIFX smartbulbs via 802.15.4 mesh network. Each LIFX can connect to all country electricity systems from 110V to 260V, making them universally compatible.
The standby power usage of each bulb is very small, in fact a AA battery would keep a LIFX smartbulb in standby mode for approximately 1-2 years.
The firm said it would also be releasing a LIFX Software Development Kit (SDK) that would allow mobile App developers and home automation hackers full control over their LIFX smartbulbs.
Click next for more top Kickstarter projects from 2012 >>
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dblaza1
12/28/2012 9:22 PM EST
I am a huge fan of Kickstarter and I think it will be a game changer in system design but I ordered my Pebble a year ago and am still waiting! Got my Twine though and love it
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SylvieBarak
12/28/2012 11:58 PM EST
You'll be the envy of everyone when you get your Pebble! I am already plotting about how to win it off you in a game of poker or something! :) You're right though, David, that I think Kickstarter projects need to give better time commitments. Other than that... it's awesome. I want almost everything on this list!
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Robotics Developer
1/2/2013 11:44 AM EST
Kickstarter is a very interesting way to fund small startups! I am wondering how the site funding and money transfer details work. Does Kickstarter get a cut of the overall funds raised or is there a set fee structure? It sounds like a great way to get ideas funded, I may consider a few projects myself.
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Frank Eory
1/2/2013 12:50 PM EST
Great success stories! If not for Kickstarter, most likely none of these 10 products would have seen the light of day.
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elPresidente
1/7/2013 1:42 PM EST
Good thing Formlabs raised $2,945,885.
They will likely spend $2,900,000 of it on lawyers defending their patent infringement allegation.
Sad that dinosaurs (I'm looking at you RIAA) need the courts to keep a business going that has not evolved to the market environment, or where it's simply appropriate to throw in the towel.
3D printers are now under $1000. A good chunk of the 3D printer market got obliterated by this, and an entirely new segment got created - are the dinos making sub-$1000 printers to keep market share, brand, or play in the newly emerging segment? Nope - send in the lawyers and defend your $20,000 price tag.
Failure to adapt to the environment = extinction.
And lawyers will only hasten your demise when the money could have been spent on engineering R&D.
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selinz
1/8/2013 2:37 PM EST
This definitely empowers the "little people" to go off and create something that would otherwise be very difficult to both create and reap the benefit from.
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karophi
5/3/2013 2:18 AM EDT
You're right though, David, that I think Kickstarter projects need to give better time commitments. Other than that... it's awesome. I want almost everything on this list! In my opinion http://www.movingangels.com should be in the new list.
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