Crowdfunding in Japan: waterproof coating, stackable circuit boards, and ‘good smelling balls’

Though crowdfunding remains a relatively new phenomenon in Japan, popular global platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo often feature projects based in or around the capital city of Tokyo. Some home-grown Japanese alternatives, like Campfire and Shooting Star are entering the mix, but are largely filled with “fund my trip to (insert country here)” requests and aspiring manga artists.

Tech in Asia rounded up six Japanese crowdfunding projects, ranging from interesting to absurd, with time still remaining. Get those credit cards handy!

Puracoat

Ditch the case and spray a protective coating on your smartphone

You might remember a viral video that made the rounds online a few years ago showing off a superhydrophobic spray called NeverWet that made chocolate sauce and mustard slide off of white clothing without leaving the slightest hint of a stain. Puracoat, which the company says was originally designed for waterproofing windows on high-rise buildings, achieves the same effect but was tweaked specifically for electronic devices. The spray uses nanotechnology to protect smartphones and tablets from scratches, water damage, dust, static, and bacteria – all while being non-toxic and safe on a variety of surfaces.

Puracoat says one 5ml bottle is enough for four smartphones or one full-sized tablet. The catch? Due to wear and tear, the spray must be re-applied every three to six months.

Indiegogo users must have been impressed, as Puracoat exceeded its goal of US$500 by more than 80 times (just over $41,000 at the time of writing). Funding ends on July 27 and the smallest pledge of US$18 gives you a bottle of the stuff.

FourBeat

Big physical buttons for making music and playing games with your mobile device

FourBeat wants to simplify our increasingly advanced mobile devices with bluetooth-enabled physical buttons that can be used for a variety of applications – from making drum beats to kid-friendly button-mashing games. The company includes its device-specific API with each peripheral, encouraging programmers to come up with interesting uses for the big, brightly-colored buttons. Two companion apps have already been created by Japan’s own Goodia game studio.

Fourbeat is only three percent funded on Indiegogo with about a day to go. US$79 is the lowest pledge that includes your own set of buttons.

Cakeboard

Make stackable circuit boards without getting zapped

Breadboards are indispensable tools for those learning how to make circuit boards. They’re safer and simpler than the real thing because they don’t require soldering. Tokyo-based Breadboard Maniac now wants to improve upon the standard Breadboard offering with its stackable Cakeboard. The thin boards are compatible with Raspberry Pi microcomputers. To get children interested in circuity, Cakeboard can also be connected to Lego blocks.

A US$30 pledge gets you a set of two Cakeboards and eight connectors for stacking them. Kickstarter funding ends on July 27 with about US$15,000 of the US$47,000 goal achieved so far.

NinjaStamp

Good Smelling Balls

Cleavage Diver