Categories
Apparel Kids/Babies Sensors/IoT

Hoko smart comfort monitor keeps your toddler temperate

It would be helpful if parents could be quickly informed if their small child is too hot or cold, especially when engaged in outdoor activities for an extended period of time.

Hoko is a smart, portable comfort monitor that should enable exactly that. One side of Hoko is a small, circular device containing a microprocessor, along with temperature and humidity sensors, that gets placed inside a child’s clothing. That side of the product is attached to a piece of soft fabric with a cute doll on the other side that serves as Hoko’s interface.

Categories
Kids/Babies Networking

Torch router sheds a light on how kids use the Web, can make access flame out

Every day it seems there’s some new service cropping up on the Internet that draws time away from something else. Monitoring the length and safety of screen time of kids online can be a constant battle.

Seeking to shed light on that situation, though, is Torch, a simple router designed to help parents monitor where kids go on the Web and how much time they spend there. Its Web management console includes sections to pause and track data usage by child and search history.

Categories
Maker/Development

Your kids will fill the brain of the creepy Ohbot2 robot head

Introducing young learners to concepts of coding and robotics are noble efforts, increasingly becoming more necessary as time passes with society’s growing dependency on technology.

Ohbot’s Ohbot2 is a robotic face with seven different servo motors that control parts such as its eyeballs and mouth. The creators envision its use a personable interface kids will instantly attach to and then program using Ohbot2’s simple, graphical programming interface. It may not be C+ or Python, but that’s not important: Ohbot2’s use in classrooms with young learners gives kids the fun, engaging opportunity to see how code affects real objects rather than regulating it to abstract environments.

Categories
Connected Objects Kids/Babies Toys

Roominate rPower lets kids build app-powered toy structures

Building toys are classic playtime tools for children. Not only are they entertaining, but they also help children develop important spatial skills. Now with phones, however, children are more interested in using apps to play.

With the Roominate rPower, kids can build all kinds of things with the blocks that Roominate offers including all kinds of rooms and buildings. Some of the blocks come equipped with wires embedded into them. An accompanying app hooks up with those wired blocks and lets kids control certain elements of each room, including lights, elevators, windmills, and fans.

The Roominate rPower, featured on the hit show Shark Tank, has managed to marry the kinetic fun of building toys and the innovation of apps. Not only can they get a feel for the basics of building a house, but they also experience the joy of seeing it run. For a complete set, backers can donate $95 with estimated delivery in November 2015. Roominate is looking for a funding goal of $45,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Whimsical Flex Cam PIC makes you smile, captures it in stills and video

With smartphone cameras constantly improving and the cost of their camera components dropping, there’s the impetus to put cameras into just about anything — cars, doorbells, pet collars and… things that look like mutated Gumbys.

Flex Cam PIC takes what appears to be a low-end smartphone camera (5 megapixel stills, 720p HD video) and throws it into a rubbery casing that allows it to be wrapped around a great variety of objects from bicycle handles to hula hoops. The device sports 16 GB of flash memory and a small internal battery that’s good for only about an hour of video. Taking a cue from the action cam world, it shoots with a wide angle (124°) and is waterproof. While it offers remote activation via Bluetooth, images and video are transferred over USB for higher-speed transfer.

Categories
Kids/Babies

Lullafi bably sleep aid is the next best thing to creating a cribmobile

Lots of new parents know that sometimes, when their baby won’t go to sleep, they have to try the car. For whatever reason, babies love sleeping in the car. Parents have been known to embark on trips to nowhere in the wee hours in the hopes of quiet slumber.

patent-claimedLullafi has figured out why the car works for getting babies to go to sleep. In order to save parents the hassle of late night driving, Lullafi mimics the soothing effects of the car for babies. This small device clips onto cribs and produces soft vibrations and soothing sounds to get baby to fall asleep. In addition, it has Bluetooth integration which lets parents stream whatever they want to the device, whether it’s ambient noise or their child’s favorite lullaby.

Most parents welcome any solution to restless babies. If Lullafi really performs as promised, it’ll make a welcome addition to the baby product market. Parents interested in this product will need to donate $55 for estimated delivery in September 2015. Lullafi is hoping to raise an ambitious $190,000 with the help of Kickstarter.

Categories
Kids/Babies Maker/Development

Fun with Circuits promises a storybook beginning for engineers in training

Kids are drawn naturally to technology, but oftentimes understand little of how those pixels light up. One way to change that is by stirring the first steps to understanding electronics into a familiar learning took for young ones: the storybook

The Fun With Circuits storybook and basic block-like interactive electronics kit that introduces children to electrical circuit concepts that are fundamental to STEM education. By using storytelling complemented by inviting illustrations, children more easily understand the electrical concepts that underly all types of technology through meaningful context. Kids have to use the colorful circuit components to solve simple puzzles to advance the story. .The developers recommend the product for kids aged 6 through 10 and seek $35,000 by May 9. For $75, one can be shipped by December.

We’ve seen a number of kids’ introductions to electronics and robotics lately. Similar products to Fun With Circuits include the Codie, but there’s something unique about pairing the learning experience with a traditional book that reinforces the idea of being hands-on.

Categories
Cycling Kids/Babies

Swedish Påhoj offers a stroller and bike seat in one for the young on the run

Travelling with a toddler or small child can be quite the chore. Especially when you consider carseats, strollers, and other safety measures that must be taken.

The Swedish-made Påhoj hopes to make transporting kids a bit easier. This combination child bike seat and stroller clips onto bikes, but also has wheels for ground travel. The black seat looks like a much sleeker bike seat with holes in the back for ventilation. It comes equipped with foot rests and a retractable handle that stays out of the way on a bike, but comes in handy for the stroller. Påhoj is lightweight and has an adjustable harness for kids of different sizes.

The only thing missing from Påhoj’s campaign is specification of which ages the product is appropriate for. Other than that, this product will definitely come in handy for parents, especially those in bike-friendly cities and countries. One will cost kr2,260 (~$249) with estimated delivery in December 2015. Påhoj is looking for kr500,000 (~$57,800) in funding on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Kids/Babies Video Games

Playbrush uses interactive gaming to get kids to brush their teeth

Many parents with small kids know how hard it can be to convince some children to brush their teeth regularly, and to do it well.

Playbrush is a device that attaches to the end of any conventional toothbrush, transforming the brush into an interactive game controller that can be used in conjunction with iOS (and later Android) mobile devices. When the user starts the app on their smartphone or tablet, the gadget will automatically connect to it via Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart) technology. Playbrush costs $72 and will ship in December. Its maker is hoping to raise $51,887 by May 9.

Playbursh is a device with potential, especially for parents of young kids who either try and avoid brushing altogether or race through the process in just a few seconds. Turning brushing into a fun activity might very well be the trick to get at least some of them to change their ways. That said, it’s impossible to tell from the Kickstarter campaign video just how strong the initial game itself is. If it’s just one weak repetitive game, those kids may very well get bored after a week or two and parents will be left with the same problem they started with. To address this potential problem, the device’s maker plans to add multiple worlds, levels and characters.

 

Categories
Podcasts

Backerjack Podcast #13: More USBs, Sliding Keyboard Discs, and Robots for Kids

In Episode 13 of the Backerjack Podcast, Steve and Ross check out some of the latest products seeking funds and preorders.

  • SnapPower, a replacement outlet cover that adds a USB port in seconds
  • Octodon, a wild smartphone input device that uses magnetic disks mounted to an unfolding smartphone extension
  • Codie, a little robot loaded with treads and loaded with sensors that teaches kids to code

Many thanks to SnapPower for sponsoring this episode! Please support its campaign.

Download  the episode or listen below, subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and follow Backerjack on Twitter and Facebook.