– Well, you yourself think, what is the use of this cat?
– Well, why is it necessarily useful? For example, what is the use of this painting on the wall?
– This picture on the wall is very useful – it blocks the hole in the wallpaper!Three from Prostokvashino
The practical use of the device is far from the only possible reason for buying it. This is proved once again by the projects from this collection, which, although far from ideal from a practical point of view, have an interesting concept and a spectacular appearance.
Slow Dance: Slow Time Frame
Jeff Lieberman believes that you can endlessly look at three things: how fire burns, how water flows and how objects behave within the Slow Dance frame. Time within this frame seems to live its own life, and any object placed inside begins to move into the slo-mo mode.
True, only small decorative objects can be placed inside the frame – flowers, feathers, ribbons, twigs and so on. At the same time, it can contain up to two objects that are installed in special mounts on opposite sides of the magnetic coil.
The developer managed to achieve the effect of 'time dilation' with the help of electromagnets that rotate the stand with an object at a given speed, and LEDs placed around the perimeter of the frame, creating a stroboscope effect. On the one hand, there is absolutely nothing new. On the other hand, it still looks beautiful.
Project page on Kickstarter
Cronzy: pen with 16 million colors
Multi-shaft handles have been known for decades and are nothing of interest. Several refills with inks of different colors are placed in the body; to change the refill, press the corresponding button. You can still buy them at any newspaper stand or office supply store, but these pens are not popular at all. A wide and completely uncomfortable body – too high a price for the ability to quickly switch between a dozen colors. In any case, drawing with a ballpoint pen will not work, and there are much more convenient solutions for writing and taking notes of lectures.
With Cronzy, the situation is completely different. Yes, this pen cannot be called thin either. But she can write in 16 million different colors and has several interchangeable nozzles for painting and writing. It is also equipped with a built-in scanner that can detect and reproduce the color of any object that catches your eye.
Of course, there are no rods in it, their role is played by a CMYKW cartridge. Color management can be done using a proprietary smartphone application.
Indiegogo project page
Toasteroid: creative toaster
The idea behind the product is very simple – this toaster can burn pictures on bread. For example, he can make a toast for you with the weather forecast or with a message from a friend or family member.
You can choose a suitable drawing yourself by preparing a unique set of toasts for a festive party. Either just draw something or write just by swiping your finger across the smartphone screen.
In general – a kind of hybrid of a chat, a weather widget and a simple graphical editor and, in fact, a toaster. The main thing is that for any scenario of use, there is only one information carrier – toasted bread.
Project page on Kickstarter
Lift – flying charger for smart watches
The main disadvantage of most smartwatches is that they need to be constantly charged. The Lift developers decided that since this situation itself cannot be changed, then it is worth trying to change your attitude towards it. And we tried to make the process of charging the watch not only convenient, but also very beautiful.
Lift is a wireless charging dock that literally floats in the air. Moreover, the charging unit itself, if necessary, can also be used as an external battery.
The docking station is compatible with Pebble and Apple Watch, with plans to add support for smartphones in the future.
Project page on Kickstarter
Fireside Audi obox: fire column
I don't remember who first came up with the idea of adding a visualization mode to audio players, when an image is displayed on the screen, smoothly changing to music. I first noticed this in some old Windows Me dia Player, where a burning fireplace was selected as a splash screen. The fire in it fluttered to the beat of the music and flared up the brighter the louder the track was.
This screensaver looked good, but the picture is just a picture, and it still cannot be compared with living fire.
The Fireside Audi obox developers clearly decided to fix this omission. In their column, as in the old software player, the flame obediently dances to the music. But the fire is not drawn here, but the most real one.
The idea is funny, but for me such a column evokes associations more with a gas stove than with a fireplace. However, in life everything can look much cooler.
Project page on Kickstarter