Crowdfunding in Japan: Flashy glasses, a stealth tablet, and a ruler for guessing when your pet will die

Love flashing LED lights, privacy, and rabbits? If so, you’re in luck! Here are six more quirky projects, currently crowdfunding in Japan.

Fun’iki Ambient Glasses

Flashing LEDs surround your eyeballs, epileptics be warned

Other than telling time, smartwatches do little more than act as a notification middleman for those too preoccupied to reach into their pocket or handbag and glance at their smartphone screen. Now, for those too preoccupied to dig out their handset and raise their wrist to eye-level, comes eyeglass notifications.

Hold on a second – doesn’t Google have this idea on lockdown? Yes, if you’ve got a spare US$1,500. For the rest of us, however, there’s Fun’iki Ambient Glasses – which manage to pack a fraction of the tech in an even more obnoxious package. Glassholes be damned!

Aesthetically speaking, Fun’iki looks quite similar to a standard pair of prescription specs. But instead of a small screen displaying tidbits of information, Fun’iki relies on six embedded LEDs that literally light up the lenses. Different colors can sync to a variety of smartphone app alerts and a tiny speaker can also supplement the multi-colored strobing that engulfs you. An SDK will also be provided to developers who want to add Fun’iki support to their apps.

Gradation and tempo modes can can help you “stand out at clubs and parties,“ and if you get too drunk and find yourself floating in the open ocean, the Fun’iki app has a text-to-Morse-code feature.

Fun’iku is nearly 90 percent funded on Makuake (CyberAgent’s own Japanese crowdfunding platform), with 32 days to go. A minimum pledge of JPY 10,000 (US$98) gets you one pair.

Desktop Robot Arm

A miniature, industrial-style robotic arm for your desktop

Also funding on Makuake is Japanese robot-maker Vstone’s miniature robotic arm. It can be controlled with a computer mouse or programmed (using C language) to complete simple tasks, such as arranging and stacking small cubes or drawing pictures. It comes pre-assembled in a custom carrying case with all the necessary accessories – simply mount it on the base and plug it into your computer via the included USB cable.

Vstone is planning to sell its robotic arm – which has far exceeded its fundraising goal with 12 days remaining – to the general public for JPY 38,000 (US$370) at some point down the road, but backers of its crowdfunding campaign can snag one for a minimum pledge of JPY 28,000 (US$273).

iSpy Invisible Tablet

Only you – and those wearing polarized sunglasses – can watch you play Candy Crush

In a post-NSA scandal world, privacy has become paramount. While The Man can almost certainly gain access to your device if he really wants to, hiding what you’re up to from those in your immediate vicinity can be achieved through stick-on privacy films. Taking that idea of physical privacy protection a step – rather, a leap – further is the iSpy Invisible Tablet.

iSpy is an actual piece of hardware with an advanced privacy screen built into it. Initially conceived as a medical application (for ophthalmic instruments), the quad-core Android tablet’s seven-inch screen appears to be blank white unless you’re wearing iSpy’s polarized glasses. The generic tablet and glasses can be yours for a pledge of $199.

Elephant Steady

Ayatori

Usagi Memory