10 Crowdfunding Projects on Kickstarter, Indiegogo That Show Promise

by Don Reisinger

The hoverboard, long part of geek lore and in movies, is a real device. Called the Hendo Hover, it has four disc-shaped engines at the bottom of a skateboard-like device that levitates off the ground. The company is trying to raise $250,000 for the effort.

Bleep, which as of this writing, has already surpassed its $20,000 goal, is a “smart cable” that both charges a device and backs it up at the same time. The device is able to do so by including a memory stick within its design so data is automatically backed up. No Internet connection is needed.

Rhinoshield is very similar to what customers would find in the old “bumper” that Apple offered to customers years ago. The device wraps around an iPhone 5, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, and shields both the front and back without sacrificing too much of the smartphone’s design. It comes in several colors and has already surpassed its goal of 6,000 pounds.

Now that 3D printers are all the rage, it’s no surprise that the Rapide Lite is so popular on Indiegogo. The device is a small, 3D printer that lets users create designs and print what they’d like. The device comes in three sizes and is capable of making everything from the Eiffel Tower to a simple heart. It’s a neat product. Its funding goal of $15,000 has already been surpassed.

Those who are familiar with the Chromecast, the small High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) dongle that connects to a television and streams content, will feel at home with the Matchstick. That device provides the same services, but is running on Firefox OS. Matchstick says that its HDMI dongle will stream everything from movies to music to games.

Radmo has found a new use for your car’s CD player. The mount works with a wide range of smartphones, tablets and GPS products, and connects into a CD player to improve stability. From there, it sits in easy reach of the driver and acts as a fixed mount for the device. With several days to go, Radmo has already exceeded its $10,000 funding goal.

AMPY is arguably one of the most innovative products in this roundup. The device connects to an Android-based smartphone, iPhone, smartwatch or fitness tracker, and uses your own kinetic energy when you move. It then provides that energy to the device of choice to charge it. Not surprisingly, the device has more than doubled its $100,000 funding goal so far.

Signul might not be the easiest product to understand, but it might be one of the most useful. The device is essentially a beacon that users place in different locations. Once they get close to those beacons, their smartphone will communicate with them and perform a task through the Signul app. According to the company, it can do everything from triggering alerts to sending messages to launch apps. It has surpassed its $25,000 goal.

Keecker is a unique but pricey product for those who want to bring content with them wherever they go. The device is part robot (it follows you around the home), part computer, part projector, part media streamer and part video camera. Users can have Keecker follow them into the living room and with the projector, display their computer on the wall. They can also watch movies, listen to music with its surround sound speakers and more. The company has reached its $100,000 funding goal, but the cheapest Keecker goes for $1,990 for early birds, only.

Bluesmart is an ideal choice for any frequent traveler. Bluesmart is essentially a suitcase that works with a cell phone and includes everything from a battery charger to a built-in scale to ensure it doesn’t get too heavy and incur extra flight charges. Bluesmart also has a built-in GPS and trip data tracking. Shockingly, the device has quadrupled its funding goal and still has 34 days left to accept crowdfunding.