Crowdfunded in China: massage masks, potted plants, and paper planes

This month’s edition of Crowdfunded in China waves goodbye to an old friend. Demohour, once the leading crowdfunding website for gadgets in China, has pivoted to pre-orders and sales of new gadgets, both from indie makers and bigger companies. That makes JD Coufenzi the leader when it comes to crowdfunding new projects, trailed by a handful of others. Here’s our top five favorite campaigns for the month.

Fun T1

This gadget attaches to your car’s rear view mirror to add touch screen functionality. All the images appear to be mockups at the moment, so it’s difficult to gauge exactly how the finished product will look. However, the T1 promises to let drivers use the added touch screen to control GPS, music playback, hands free calls, and more. The device comes with several apps pre-installed and is open to developers creating more in the future. A camera on the front works as a dash cam. One downside is the need for a direct electrical current, meaning you’ll have to have to run a wire to a 12-volt outlet or cigarette lighter. The Fun T1 has raised RMB 79,400 (US$12,700) on JD Coufenzi with almost two months remaining.

Every Beauty Goggles

Every’s "beauty goggles" give the wearer a therapeutic face massage controlled via a smartphone app. The goggles look like something Robocop would wear to a masquerade ball. Nubs on the inside of the mask massage around the eyes, forehead, and temples. Every promises relief from headaches, stress, and eye soreness. The goggles have raised RMB 17,100 (US$2,700) on JD Coufenzi with just under one month remaining.

Green Magic

Add some green to your home decor with this stylish little egg-shaped plant pot. Green Magic comes with an LED light so you don’t have to crowd all your plants next to a window. It also sports a digital readout showing the current temperature and time. If you like the slick design but aren’t responsible enough to water plants, you can keep whatever you feel like inside. And as with most gadgets on crowdfunding sites these days, there’s an app to control and monitor it. Green Magic has raised RMB 26,900 (US$4,300) on JD Coufenzi with 49 days remaining.

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