Crowdfunded Gadgets That Let You Play Music, Charge, And Wash

Editor’s note: Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research, a technology, media and telecom advisory firm, and founder of Backerjack. He blogs at Techspressive

FretPen

Musicians have trouble spending time away from their instruments. But bulky instruments, especially guitars, aren’t very portable and cannot be left in cars or public places where they may be stolen. Those with busy lives who like making music are left with few options.

The FretPen allows traveling musicians to travel easier. This mini guitar has one string and uses an app and electronics to allow the user to make music on the go. With the iOS app, users can add effects to their music and play with either an acoustic or electric guitar sound. The FretPen is the size of a normal pen and even comes with a pen attachment so it really delivers on its name. This product uses Bluetooth technology to deliver wireless music to your smartphone. Using the app, the FretPen user can then edit the music they’ve made however they wish.

fretpen

iDAPT Modulo

The more devices people keep on their person as they go about their day, the more likely it is that they’ll need to recharge at some point. Of course, with everyone facing the same dilemma, finding a public outlet can be increasingly difficult. Portable charging solutions are readily available, but rarely ideal.

Winner of the Best of Show Award at CES 2014, the iDAPT Modulo is a portable recharging solution that is flexible in terms of compatibility and in how much power it can output. As its name implies, the Modulo can be paired up with other Modulos to offer more charging capacity, and more ports to connect devices to, allowing users to share power and keep more devices powered without the use of outlets. The Modulo is about the size of a current smartphone, so it fits almost any pocket and works with thousands of different devices.

modulo

The Reason 

The washing machine has seen subtle changes to bring them into the 21st century, but their designs have remained largely the same. One inventor has made the washing machine simpler, more energy efficient, and more compact.

The Reason washing machine has a slide-out drum, not unlike a trash compactor, and can handle loads of a single garment all the way up to a winter comforter and duvet. The Reason weighs the load of laundry, calculates the appropriate amount of water and detergent, and custom tailors each cycle to only use what is needed to clean garments. The entire device is operated with a single button and can handle loads up to 12 kilograms.

Reason