Interesting hardware at the TC Conference: the coolest helmet and frying pan

The TechCrunch Disrupt conference has entered its third day, which is the "Hardware Showcase Day". Most hardware companies have chosen to exhibit today. Although the consequence is that there are many exposed chips or semi-finished prototypes on the small tables in front of many booths, making the originally fancy booths look a bit like maker workshops, this has also created a unique hardware atmosphere. Let's take a look at some interesting products.

Skully: The coolest motorcycle helmet

Surrounded by hardware companies filled with prototypes, Skully and its owner Marcus Weller's motorcycle are so cool that they have no friends.

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As a motorcycle helmet, Skully has a very cool appearance. It is equipped with a HUD head-up display, GPS navigator, rear-view camera, etc., and can be connected to a smartphone. Skully has a small LCD screen placed 6 feet in front of the right eye of the helmet, which can display the surrounding scene in 360 degrees, including the road conditions behind and the moving objects on both sides. In addition, it can also display the current speed, navigation, and even incoming calls and music information.

For motorcyclists, Skully can even adjust the brightness - when the sun is very dazzling, pull down the mask and press the switch, it can automatically adjust the brightness according to the current sunlight, so that the rider can see clearly in strong light without wearing sunglasses.

Skully's crowdfunding experience should be called legendary - it is the first product on Indiegogo to reach $1 million the fastest, and it has now raised nearly $2 million. And the average amount of money users spend on the site? Nearly $1,500. Skully offers a flexible payment method: you can choose to pre-order the full amount of $1,399 directly, or you can choose to pre-order now for $499 and pay $949 after receiving it.

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According to my experience on site, Skully can already realize 360° panoramic display and brightness adjustment, but no demo is provided for navigation and other functions. Interestingly, the audience behind me took out a certificate when it was his turn and said to the founder of Skully, "I am a policeman." But don't worry, Marcus Weller did not do anything bad - the policeman was obviously also a motorcycle fan who lined up specifically to experience it.

We will continue to pay attention to this company.

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Sentri: All-in-one smart home monitor

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Sentri is a product of a Taiwanese team. They want to make Sentri a home environment monitor. Sentri participated in the PingWest event SYNC 2014 Taipei Forum last month, and we have already reported on it.

Sentri is a square device with a high-definition camera inside that allows you to remotely view your home. The built-in motion sensor will alert you when something unusual happens, such as someone breaking in, to ensure your home's safety. It can also detect the temperature, air quality and humidity in the room, so you can see the living conditions at a glance.

In addition, Sentri also wants to become a control center for smart homes. For example, after accessing the APIs of various smart home appliances, you can control various appliances on the Sentri App, such as using it to remotely lock the door or adjust the temperature at home.

Sentri is now available for pre-order on KickStarter. If you are willing to spend $249 to order it, you may be able to experience the charm of smart home in advance.

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BloomSky: Your little weather station

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BloomSky is a miniature "weather station" that can be placed in the yard. Their team member Samuel Chow told me that the product was initially inspired by their discovery that the weather app on their phone did not reflect the actual situation at all. Often the weather outside was gloomy, but the weather app showed the sun was shining brightly.

This is because the weather station is to make forecasts for a large area, but in fact it may be installed far away from your specific location. BloomSky wants to change this situation and let such micro-weather stations provide the most accurate data and become a crowd-sourced weather platform.

BloomSky's hardware has a five-in-one chip that allows it to accurately detect meteorological factors such as temperature, humidity, and air pressure, and automatically take photos and updates every 3-5 minutes. In addition to updating your app in real time, you can also participate in BloomSky's crowdsourcing platform to help provide accurate information about local weather.

BloomSky has now ended its KickStarter campaign, but it is still available for pre-order on its official website for $149.95.

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Smarty Pans: A tool for turning a novice into a master chef

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I wonder how many people check recipes but never figure out how much 2 grams of sugar actually is.

Fortunately, Smarty Pans can help solve this problem. It is a smart pot that can turn you, who can't cook, into a master chef of many cuisines. With the relevant smart application, you can choose your favorite recipe and start cooking according to the instructions. But the magic is that there is a sensor at the bottom of the pot that can detect the weight, temperature and humidity of various ingredients, and display it in real time in the application, so that you can follow the steps of the recipe accurately, and you will not ruin the carefully prepared dish because of poor control of the heat or adding a spoonful of salt.

Smarty Pans now has more than 1,000 recipes in its app. Of course, if you don't need precise step-by-step instructions for these recipes, Smarty Pans can simply provide data such as temperature to help you operate more accurately.

Of course, I don’t know if Smarty Pans can handle it if the recipe contains the maddening Chinese expression “a little sugar”.

Smarty Pans is now available on Indiegogo, priced at $169.

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ExoNet: Public Wifi Scrubber

Finally, let me introduce a product that doesn’t sound so “sexy”, but people with privacy obsession will probably like it.

Although more and more places are now offering public Wi-Fi, there are actually many potential dangers. For example, anyone who accesses the same network as you can actually monitor your online activities. What's worse is that if a hacker disguises himself as a website and asks you to log in, he may also obtain your personal information.

ExoKey and ExoNet are designed to prevent these situations from happening. ExoNet is a slightly larger white box that you install on a private network such as your company or home, and then when you access public Wifi in a public place, connect to ExoKey on your computer, so that all data will be encrypted to form a private network, "just like your data has been cleaned." The key is that according to the founder, the price of ExoNet and ExoKey is between $40 and $20, and at this price, many people may be willing to try it.

ExoNet will be available on KickStarter soon. If you are interested, you can follow its official website.