This Week In Kickstarter, we've got a ball your kids can hack, an app that creates super hero trailers, a wallet for the modern man, and much more!
Hackaball - A computer you can throw
Hackaball is a computer ball that can be programmed to invent and play games.Hackaball is a unique tool for creating games for kids to play, including their own rules. Adults can keep their kids healthy and happy with the wide range of activities children can use the ball for, whether indoors or outdoors. Children can hack the ball and learn how it works on the inside.
Hackaball is for children aged 6-10. The computer inside the ball has special sensors that detect motions including dropping, kicking, shaking, or even remaining still. Children learn to hack the ball using the iOS app to change the behavior of the ball into whatever they're looking for.
The Hackaball looks like a fun new way to get kids active, while still teaching them modern skills like computers. If you had asked me how to make kids active while teaching them computer skills I probably would have told you it couldn't be done because they seem inherently different. Glad to know I was wrong and kudos to the Hackaball team for finding a relevant solution.
The Hackaball is fully funded, raising $188,275 of its $100,000 goal at the time of writing. The Kickstarter ends April 2, 2015.
Wizard Dodgeball (relaunch)
A fast paced two player game of casting spells, tactics, and of course, dodging balls.In Wizard Dodgeball you play as 5 different wizards a battle of red balls and wizardry. The game is a turn based tactical sports game for two players.
If you're familiar with dodgeball and/or a roll-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons, you'll be well equipped going in to a game of Wizard Dodgeball.Players will draft teams of wizards and choose spells that affect the teams stats. All information will be available on the cards in the game. The game uses a simplified stats system for ball throwing and dodging. Each wizard's cards contains a colored square indicating the 2 dice to be rolled for various actions.
Wizard Dodgeball looks like a good bit of fun for people interested in playing dodgeball without needing to get smacked in the face. I'd be interested in trying the game out myself to see if it is a possible substitute for the high intensity real version of the game, though wizardry does add an interesting stat buffing element to it.
Wizard Dodgeball has raised $8,418 of its $25,000 goal at the time of writing. The Kickstarter ends March 24, 2015.
Widerun - The first full immersive VR biking experience
A bike trainer you connect to Oculus Rift, taking you from San Fran to the Alps.Widerun is a fully interactive hike training program design to give the user an engaging, intensive biking session. Widerun is designed to bring a responsive and immersive biking experience that makes the user feel like they're really there with wide virtual 3D worlds.
Users can expect exciting and challenging fitness sessions. Widerun is designed by a team of cyclist enthusiasts. The VR trainer can be used indoor and outdoors and make exercise a journey through virtual environments.
As I've said maybe 100 times in these articles before, using technology to make exercise fun and exciting is something I've always been really interested in. Anytime I'm at the gym I've noticed the #1 thing people gravitate to is the stationary bike. Most people know how to ride a bike so naturally they'll be more inclined to move to the things they have some familiarity to. Using this cycling idea could bring a lot more people into trying out VR since the basic concept would be something they know, much like Wii sports brought in so many new gamers.
Widerun has so far raised £8,547 of its £30,000 goal at the time of writing. The Kickstarter ends May 2, 2015.
Ninja All-Stars
A game where you build a team of Ninjas to defeat rival clans.The game brings a set of fully assembled miniatures to the table for exciting "league style" gameplay. In Ninja All-Stars you build a team of Ninjas and fight for your clans honor and glory. The game can be played between 2-4 players in a series of challenges for the Moon Princess. Between challenges, players can earn experience and gain new abilities and aptitudes for combat. As you lead your clan, you grow your team and bring on new Heroes and Ronin.
The whole set can be scene below:
Ninja All-Stars could prove to be a fun game, but the numerous pieces are something that personally puts me off. By no means is that a slight on the game, but I find the best games don't take several minutes to set up and organize, and as a bonus, aren't a nightmare to put back nightly. However with solid mechanics and an engaging system, this game could be something I'd be interested in trying.
Ninja All-Star is already fully funded, reaching $89,833 of its $70,000 goal. The Kickstarter ends April 20, 2015.
Woolet: The Slimmest Smart Wallet for the Modern Man
A next gen wallet for a next gen man, never leave your wallet (or your phone) behind.Woolet is a super slim wallet designed to keep your belongings safe. Woolet is impossible to lose thanks to miniature sensors that synchronize with your phone to protect you in 5 different methods. It's also under 9.9mm thin. The wallet's Bluetooth enabled technology is self charging, and there's no need to search for expensive replacement batteries. The wallet is built to last and made of durable leather sourced from local suppliers. Woolet has a secondary function of keeping you from losing your phone, or vice versa. If you leave the house without one, the other will alarm you. The wallet comes in two colors: black and suede.
Woolet is a very modern take on the classic wallet, updating its functionality without sacrificing the charm and style that made it a staple of men's pockets for years. Keeping me from losing one or the other is a fantastic sell, and the build quality has me looking at my wallet with less satisfactory eyes.
The Woolet has already smashed its original $15,000 goal, amassing over $234,000. The Kickstarter ends April 2, 2015.
Superhero Academy
Combing choose your own adventure with Madlibs, this iOS app is designed to help kids create superheroes and generate a movie trailer.Superhero Academy is an iOS app where kids aged 4-9 can create super heroes and make movie trailers for them. Using a system that's one part Choose Your Own Adventure and another part "Video Madlibs", this app can inspire creativity and imagination in your child (or you, because face it you'd love to create your own super hero.) As they interact with the app, they are prompted to take pictures, video, and audio that corresponds with the story. Afterwards, the app automatically edits this all together into a movie trailer staring them.
I think this is one of those ideas that can only adequately be described as "awesome." The whole idea is something that I think will resonate with a lot of kids, especially in this day and age where superheroes dominate the big screen. The several types of powers, and the various villains, mean kids can mix and match and create those stories they've been dying to tell. And to be honest, I would love to try this out myself, even if the end result came out as a dorky 21 year old trying to act like Captain America.
Superhero Academy is nearly fiunded, raising $6,526 of its $7,000 goal at the time of writing. The Kickstarter ends April 1. 2015.
Disclaimer: The author (Bryan Heraghty) does not back any Kickstarter projects he writes about, nor are any of these inclusions sponsoring TechRaptor. These projects are included solely because the author thinks they are interesting.
What are your thoughts on some of the Kickstarters we saw this week? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! If you have a game or technology Kickstarter you think deserves attention, you can either comment below, email TechRaptor, or tweet @techraptr or @greyhoodedbryan your suggestion!