Regular readers will know that we here at OPUSfidelis are fans of crowdsourcing and Kickstarter, a crowd funding platform that allows anyone to raise huge sums of money for virtually any project, provided they have the social networking skills and a vision that others can get behind. But while ‘anything’ used to be a euphemism for, “novels and pop music albums”, Kickstarter’s range of projects has literally expanded to anything.
Below are our top eleven most exciting projects that non-profits and businesses just like yours can now launch with a Kickstarter account and a little elbow grease. Why eleven? Because we like to go one step beyond.
11. Launch a Satellite
It used to be that space exploration was reserved exclusively for major world powers attempting to either establish new communication networks or up the communists. Now a company called NanoSatisfi is using Kickstarter to earn first-round fundraising for a new line of research satellites. The new satellites weigh about 2 pounds, but have more than 35 sensors and a slew of easily customizable programs that allow a new generation of researchers a chance to launch space-born experiments.
10. Clean the LA Smog
Say what you will about LA, but no one praises its crystal clear air. The air quality in Los Angeles is so bad that an estimated 3,000 people die prematurely each year thanks to the city’s air pollution. Fortunately, Urban Air plans to take dozens of rusted out billboards and repurpose them as bamboo gardens, which will not only help clear the air but also add a lot of color to the city.
9. Use The Next Level of Virtual Reality
Those familiar with the market know that people have been attempting to make cheap, light, non headache-inducing 3-D visors for the past 15 years and failing miserably. Now there’s Oculus, a new 3-D visor with HD capability, a wide range of view, and head tracking capability to boot. Thanks to Kickstarter, the first developer kits will be available April 2013 with a price point between $300-$500 (significantly less than the $20,000 this type of technology used to cost).
8. Revamp Communities
Above-ground space is always at a premium in New York City, making it very difficult to improve neighborhoods by adding a park, playground, or swimming pool. Fortunately, a NYC-based non-profit is solving the problem with Lowlife by turning an abandoned subway station into the world’s first underground park.
7. Take a Bite out of Homelessness
The Love Kitchen is a soup kitchen/bakery that not only feeds the homeless, but equips them with the job skills they need to move out of poverty. The only project on this list that is still raising money, and comes recommended, as a donation not only helps the poor, but nets you a bag of delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies.
6. Rethink Batteries
Batteries are expensive, wear out quickly, and take huge amounts of resources to process safely or recycle. Thanks to Kickstarter though, there’s Earth Battery, an easy to recycle Battery that lasts 20% longer than an average Duracell.
5. Build Factories
The Pebble, a digital watch that seamlessly connects to your iPhone and sips battery power thanks to a digital paper display, is poised to revolutionize how people communicate with their technology. Thanks to Kickstarter, the developers were able to raise over a million dollars in less than ten days, which was more than enough to build a factory, a distribution network, and a targeted but effective marketing campaign.
4. Create a Supercomputer You Can Use From Your Cubicle
Parallel computing — where a computer breaks down any problem into hundreds of small steps it solves simultaneously — is currently the most powerful computing system available and very popular with military contractors, scientists, and others with access to million dollar supercomputers. Until now, that is. Parellela is a kickstarter project created by chip manufacturer Adapteva. The finished product promises to have the performance of a 45 GHZ CPU, fit on a credit card, and run on less power than a Mr. Coffee.
3. Revolutionize the Fashion Industry
You may or may not know about recent breakthroughs in the field of 3-D Printing. Machines that were once worth their weight in gold and highly inaccurate now cost less than $10,000 and have the accuracy of professional craftsmen. The technology is poised to machine many new types of precision instruments and prototypes that would be too expensive or too unreliable if made by traditional methods.
What you probably don’t know is how this technology is being used outside the Research and Development sector. Continuum Fashion is using 3-D printers to create customized clothing for clients using an iPhone apps. In other words, yes, now you can design what could be this year’s hottest fashion statement, all on your phone.
2. Re-invent Web Advertising
Penny Arcade, a popular web comic site that specializes in geek culture, is using Kickstarter to raise the money it needs to function and expand. Their offer to backers? No more ads, and no more prompts to buy merchandise. They raised half a million in less than a month, and if they can do it, it stands to reasons that other popular sites will follow suit.
1. Sell Flying Cars
Finally, technology The Jetsons promised us is within reach. And while Kickstarter may not have funded the first flying car, (believe it or not, we’ve had them since 1947), The Synergy promises to not only be more efficient, but boast a new design that, coupled with a robust automatic pilot, can keep the plane in the airseven when piloted by an amateur with just a driver’s license. Could this be the end of commuter traffic? Well… no. But it does signal the arrival of lightweight, easy to fly, VTOL and short takeoff vehicles for the masses. The dream will most likely be a reality for the next generation.
