What is a modern Kickstarter – a forge of new projects, an advertising platform or a fair of abstract ideas? About contributors with a short memory, caliphs for an hour and new projects of the current month.
Foreword
Come, do not skimp, buy painting!
Georgy Vitsin, 'Operation Y'
In recent years, Kickstarter most of all resembles a kind of exhibition and sale. Just what is being sold here, you can't figure it out right away. Ready devices? No, most projects are at the prototype stage and will never see the light of day without additional funding. Then maybe the ideas themselves? Also no – if you dig a little deeper, it turns out that most of the 'unique developments' presented here are not so unique.
In fact, neither the originality nor the quality of the execution of the idea is of particular importance here, in general, its presentation is important. After all, in fact, it is not things that are sold here, and not even technologies – opportunities are sold here. Potential, but no less attractive.
The main audience will not understand how unique this or that project is, and what is the current cost of analogues in Chinese online stores, and how much it is generally needed in practice. If the project seems interesting to visitors, then they will gladly vote for it in rubles, and how original or financially beneficial it is is the tenth thing. Good or bad, it's hard to say in advance, you always need to look at a specific project.
Rocketbook wave
Rocketbook Wave is a special notebook that is both digital and quite 'analog'.
The idea is simple – you write notes in Rocketbook Wave like in a regular notebook, and then take pictures of what you wrote on your smartphone. The application itself will determine to which category the note you photographed belongs and in which cloud storage it should be placed. The user is only required to cross out one of the icons at the bottom of each page.
They suggest writing in a notebook with pens with special ink that disappear when heated. In this case, in order to clear a completely written notepad, it will be enough just to place it in a regular microwave for a couple of minutes … or blow hot air from a hair dryer on an unnecessary page.
There is nothing new from a technical point of view in this notebook. Reusable notebooks were invented many years ago (the simplest options are with plastic sheets, where the inscription is erased with a regular sponge), and there are a lot of pens with fading or washable ink on the market. As for scanning, everything is simple here – install a scanner program like Office Lens on your smartphone and scan text from anywhere.
But you obviously don't have to worry about the fate of the project – the developers came out with it at a very good time, when any idea of a 'bridge' between the real and virtual world is certainly of interest. For which we should thank the hype around all sorts of Google Glass, Microsoft Lens and other devices for working with augmented reality.
Project page on Kickstarter
Remidi
Remidi is a cross between a wireless controller and a simple musical instrument. In fact, the device is a glove with pressure sensors sewn into it. First, it lets you play on any surface, just like a piano or synthesizer keyboard. Secondly, to control sound effects, as if twisting the handle of a mixing console or waving a conductor's baton.
Each sensor can be configured separately, instead of notes, it can be some kind of chords, samples or words. The glove is compatible with all major music apps.
I will not undertake to judge the prospects of such devices, since I am very far from creating music. But something tells me that in reality it is more of a fun toy than a really useful tool. Too expensive for a trinket and too easy for serious work. There are clearly a lot of people willing to support the project, and it is unlikely that many of them will wonder what happened to its predecessors.
Project page on Kickstarter
Nurugo Micro
According to the developers, Nurugo Micro is one of the smallest yet high-quality microscopes for mobile devices. If, of course, the word 'microscope' is generally applicable to such accessories.
In fact, we are talking about a simple attachment for the camera of a tablet or phone, which is attached to the body with a plastic clasp. There are no cables, batteries, wireless protocols or other complications here. The microscope's eyepiece is a smartphone screen, and the user has the opportunity to take a photo or turn on video recording at any time. The maximum zoom is claimed to be 400x.
The thing is very funny, and for children it is also useful. But it is hardly unique – there are already enough lenses for smartphones in the world, and even on a single Kickstarter this is far from the first such project. The developers claim a certain patented technology that allows you to achieve a surprisingly clear and clear image, but let's be honest – a well-shot video and a beautiful design of the device played a much larger role in the fate of the project.
Project page on Kickstarter
Sense
Sense is a cross between a remote control system, a webcam, an alarm system and a smart home control center.
The main task of the device is to notify you only about those events that really require your attention, and at the same time to command a whole zoo of 'smart' devices without jerking you over trifles. If, of course, you have these devices.
For example, unlike conventional cameras with a motion sensor, Sense understands perfectly well that you do not need to notify you about every movement of your dog or cat. But the fact that the children returned home from school can be just reported.
If you decide to throw a birthday party for a relative or friend, Sense will not only capture the moment the candles are blown out on the birthday cake, but will also remember to play the 'Happy Birthday' melody. If, by the end of a stormy evening, one of the guests accidentally breaks the dishes or drops the contents of the plate on the floor, Sense without further ado will command the robot vacuum cleaner to remove this mess.
This clever behavior is achieved through two things. Firstly, through self-learning algorithms, somewhat reminiscent of the Google Now behavior model. The device can not only recognize faces, objects and sounds, but also remember how to react to them. And secondly, by supporting any third-party scripts and applications that teach Sense to act correctly in any situation. In theory, anyway.
The developers see Sense not just as another 'smart' device, but as a kind of reference model that will be the beginning of a new era of the 'smart' home. The fact is that today's 'smart' technology turns out to be not so smart. Most of it is controlled from a smartphone, which forces the user to make a lot of unnecessary gestures – the smartphone needs to be taken out, unlocked, found and launched the desired application, go to the desired section and poke the desired button, and so on. And Sense is an attempt to come up with a common standard for the communication of technology with each other. Ideally, for the world of the Internet of Things, this device should be what Google Nexus devices have become for the world of smartphones.
Needless to say, the plans are downright Napoleonic. But, on the other hand, people from such large companies as Mozilla, Qualcomm and HTC are involved in the project, which inspires some optimism.
The idea, again, is correct and wonderful in every respect. But I’ve heard all this more than once or twice. And although Sense looks more serious than many similar crowdfunding projects, there is simply a lot of work here, whether the company will cope with it is an open question. If the device becomes really popular, some of the work can be shifted onto the shoulders of the community (as, for example, are the case with extensions for the same Firefox), but now you can only dream of it.
Project page on Kickstarter
Instead of an afterword
Know what Kickstarter is really missing? Automatic selection 'See also …', which would be displayed before the description of any project. Or a button that allows you to launch a Google search for keywords. It would be very useful for both contributors and developers themselves to have a list of similar projects in front of their eyes and clearly understand how many attempts to breathe life into this idea were made before.
Kickstarter was originally conceived as an honest and as open source project as possible. No publishers, lender banks, underground bickering with competitors and marketing intrigues – just users and developers, without any unnecessary intermediaries. The only trouble is that he has a very short memory.
After the successful launch of the project, the developer very often realizes that he turned out to be a caliph for an hour – soon after the end of the company no one will remember him. Maybe he will honestly finish the prototype to his mind, or maybe he decides to deceive the depositors, new site visitors will not even know about it. And when in a couple of months another startup comes out with another exactly the same project, everything will start again like the first time. Sometimes this allows you to resurrect an undeservedly forgotten idea or simply to strengthen healthy competition. But more often it ends with a race on all the rakes left by the predecessors.
