PLACE YOUR BETS

These five Kickstarter projects might change your life – or flop entirely.

Kickstarter. The crowdfunding platform that matches customers directly with businesses that make dream products. Except these projects aren’t in production yet, until sufficient backers chip in enough funds, during a month-long campaigning period.

It was through this platform that pioneering smartwatch company Pebble famously raised tens of millions; Japanese watchmaker Citizen at one point offered it a billion-dollar buyout deal.

Backers may thus join an exclusive circle with the latest cool tech, or walk away with a shoddy device that misses every mark. In the worst cases, funds are splurged by inexperienced executives and the firm goes belly-up; delivering no product and no refund. Intrigued, but hesitant? The Peak enlists two experts in the field of innovation and tech to rate the impact of five most talked-about projects of 2017, four of which have moved on to production. Will they revolutionise the way we live, or are they just gimmicky?

GEOORBITAL LIFE- CHANGING POTENTIAL: 95% RAISED: $1.8 million

WHAT A motorised replacement for a bicycle’s front wheel, turning it into an electric bicycle. It has a range of about 80km per full charge, but should it run out of juice, you can still do some traditional pedalling.

PEARSON Great compromise for cyclists who are less fit, or who don’t want to arrive at the office needing a shower. This could be made compatible with roads that charge vehicles as they drive over inductive mats; it would then be lighter. I’d consider buying it, if I lived in a place where cycling wasn’t a death wish.

CHENG Smart innovation, very clear message to consumers, and has “backward compatibility”, meaning it works with existing products that users already have. However, as these are all moving parts, replacements might be frequent and costly. The solid foam tyres mean less cushioning compared to air tyres, so the bicycle’s suspension must be able to take the strain.

POWERUP 3.0 LIFE- CHANGING POTENTIAL: 89% RAISED: $1.75 million

WHAT A propeller and control module that can be attached to a paper plane, which you can then throw for much longer fl ights and actually steer via your smartphone. A fourth version is in the works.

PEARSON Great idea, better still if there was a plane design-sharing website to complement it. It needs to be very cheap to replace as it is easy to lose. It would also be easy to add a stick-on camera module for any paper plane.

CHENG The selling point is that paper planes are easy to make, and they’re a part of everyone’s childhood. Smartphone remote control is icing on the cake and even I want to try it. I may have just found a source of Christmas presents suitable for all ages.

MINDSET LIFE- CHANGING POTENTIAL: 68% RAISED: $620,000; ongoing

WHAT These noise-cancelling headphones read brainwaves through electroencephalogram ( EEG) to see if you are in a focused state. Through self-monitoring, it supposedly encourages users to train themselves to tune out.

PEARSON I recall buying a biorhythm watch and I fear this might have a similar fad-based market lifetime. A fun gadget for a short while, then just a decent headset with an added security risk: EEG signals could be used to recognise private thoughts including passwords so security would need to be excellent.

CHENG Why would you need brain scans to focus? Focusing is a mindset. Maybe this will work for some but you cannot change a person’s character as easily as (implied). Interesting use of EEG tech, however. I’m just not sure about buying a gadget to tune out other gadgets.

VUE LIFE- CHANGING POTENTIAL: 73% RAISED: $3.14 million

WHAT A pair of regular-looking smart glasses. It doubles up as earphones that work through bone conduction, which pipes sounds via bones near the ear instead of plugging in. It has touch control and a paging function so you don’t misplace them.

PEARSON I need to get my new glasses adjusted because of pain from pressure at my ears so bone conduction audio concerns me, but the idea has prospects even though it is 20 years old. Many companies have not developed it and it raises the question: Why not? Recording, translation or voice control could be worked in, and it could be adapted for augmented reality.

CHENG Wearable tech is hard to get right and it takes an adventurous type to try it. So, this will be a godsend for some and an absolute no for others. Also, weight and battery life are always at odds. Between headaches due to a heavy frame, or short battery life, you’ll have to choose one.

MUZO LIFE- CHANGING POTENTIAL: 68% RAISED: $2.6 million

WHAT This device neutralises sound coming in through window panes by producing vibrations that “oppose” incoming noise. It’s also been touted to help mask noises from distant sources by supposedly generating a personal soundscape.

PEARSON My home is already quiet, but this would be nice in restaurants and bars. I’ve envisioned a similar concept before in 2000 – if this could fi lter out bores sitting at the next table, it’d be great. It could also be used to set a theme and mood in such environments. Bring it on!

CHENG The tech is nothing new, and with such a small frame, (this product) is unlikely to have good coverage or effect. The rest of the functions just boil down to it being a glorified speaker. I’d buy this if it worked, but that’s highly doubtful.