Underwater drones, intelligent camera assistants and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

By

A drone that's just like a fish.
A drone that's just like a fish.
Photo: BIKI

Crowdfund Roundup bugWouldn’t it be great if you could capture stunning videos of sea life up to 196-feet deep without even getting your feet wet? You can with BIKI, the world’s first underwater drone for deep sea video recording.

It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have ultra-strong Kevlar Lightning cables, a modern cassette tape that’s also a standalone music player, an intelligent camera assistant that ensures you get a perfect shot every time, and more!

BIKI — the bionic underwater drone

We’re all familiar with flying drones, and if you’re lucky enough to own one, you’ll know they’re great for capturing incredible videos from the sky. But what if you want to go deep under water? That’s where BIKI comes in.

BIKI is the first bionic underwater drone. Equipped with a 4K camera and a fishtail that reaches speeds up to 1.12 mph, it can capture video up to 196 feet deep. It’s ultra-silent so you won’t scare underwater wildlife away, and it’s equipped with two 114 lumen lights.

Other features include camera stabilization, 32GB of internal storage for up to 120 minutes of video, and a 150-degree wide-angle lens.

BIKI is the ultimate device for capturing video underwater. You can pre-order yours through Kickstarter with a pledge of $549 and shipping is scheduled to begin in September.

HALO BACK — the super-strong Kevlar cable

Apple bundles a Lightning cable with every iOS device, but if you don’t take extra special care of it, you’ll need to replace it within about a month. That’s not the case with HALO BACK, the super-strong cable built with DuPont Kevlar fiber.

It’s so strong that’s its creators have guaranteed it with a lifetime warranty. It promises to charge faster than a standard Lightning cable, and its reinforced design means you won’t have to worry about tangles. Its USB tip is also molded to ensure you always insert it the right way up.

If you find Lightning cables just don’t last as long as they should, pre-order your HALO BACK today for $17. Shipping is scheduled to begin in July.

MIXXTAPE — the cassette reinvented

If you miss the good old cassette tape, you need MIXXTAPE, the modern music player designed to look like a cassette. It’s equipped with its own display, headphone jack, memory card, and Bluetooth connectivity, and it actually works inside a cassette player.

That means you can enjoy your music on the go through your headphones, or with your old stereo that’s been collecting dust since digital music took over. MIXXTAPE supports all popular audio formats, has a 300mAh battery, and touch controls.

What’s more, it’s incredibly affordable at just $40. Grab yours through Kickstarter before shipping begins this November.

Arsenal — the intelligent camera assistant

Arsenal can help you capture the stellar photos you’ve been dreaming of. It’s an intelligent camera assistant that works with DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, and it lets you take control using your Android or iOS device.

It doesn’t just give you remote control from up to 100 feet away, either; its intelligent algorithms also help you capture the perfect shot every time by determining the optimal settings for every scene, then fine-tuning your camera using 18 different environmental factors.

It’s perfect for those hard to shoot scenarios, or if you’ve simply been unable to get your head around a complicated camera. You can claim your Arsenal with a pledge of $125, and shipping is scheduled to begin next January.

PROOF — the first alcohol-tracking wearable

PROOF might be yet another crowdfund project with an all-uppercase name, but it’s the first wearable that can track your blood alcohol levels through your skin. It’s sleek and lightweight, and all you have to do is wear it.

PROOF tracks your BAC levels in real-time and lets you keep an eye on them via your smartphone. Its replaceable cartridges read one data point per second over 12 hours of continuous use — enough for an all-day binge — by measuring the perspired alcohol in your skin. You can even setup alerts that will warn you when you’ve drank enough.

PROOF is available for $59, 60 percent off its regular retail price, for those who pre-order through Indiegogo. It’s scheduled to begin shipping in December.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.