Crowdfunding website Kickstarter has proved itself time and again as a place where product designers and entrepreneurs can test out the market for their product before beginning manufacture, providing a platform for truly inventive products.
This year alone has seen everything from virtual reality headsets to high quality traditional leather shoes to a light for video chat or Facetime all surpass their funding goals, and more products are listed on the site each day.
Here are a few of our favourite Kickstarter-funded projects since the platform launched in 2009.
Oculus Rift
When Oculus Rift launched on Kickstarter in the summer of 2012, virtual reality was still a futuristic dream from science fiction movies. The Rift was the first VR headset to really catch the public’s attention and demonstrated that the technology was finally here and at a price point that made it popular with consumers.
The Rift was a game-changer, as shown by the fact that Facebook paid a cool $2bn in cash and stocks for the Oculus VR company shortly after its first prototypes were released.
Pebble
The Apple Watch may be the most hyped smartwatch around, but back in 2012 few people thought about connecting their smartphone to their watch until Pebble launched its Kickstarter campaign. The company reached its $100,000 fundraising goal within two hours and smartwatches took off.
In 2015, Pebble went back to Kickstarter to fundraise for new versions of its watch, namely the Pebble Time and the Pebble E-Paper watch where they continue to push the boundaries of what a smartwatch can do and how long its battery life should last.
The Micro
3D printing is the future, but home printers had remained stubbornly just out of reach of consumers until the launch of The Micro on Kickstarter in 2014. For just $249 for the earliest adopters, the Micro can print almost any design from PLA or ABS – all from a device that can fit on any desk.
Sesame
We are more connected than ever, with our smartphones connecting us to the digital world 24/7, but one technology we all still use on a daily basis is the tried and tested keys and door lock. Sesame attaches to almost any deadbolt lock and lets you control it with your mobile phone.
A connected lock means that not only can you open the front door for guests without having to go down the stairs, but even let people in while you are at the office. And with a 500 day battery, you should never have to worry about forgetting your keys again.
Veronica Mars movie
Technology and gadgets may make up a large number of the projects on Kickstarter, but the platform is also very useful for bands and film-makers looking to finance their next album or movie.
Veronica Mars was a hit television show in the 00s with a loyal fan base, so when the producers announced that they would make a movie to bring the show to a conclusion if they raised sufficient funds on Kickstarter, it quickly became one of the quickest projects to make its crowd-funding goal in history.
Want to see more> Here are 10 other cool products from Kickstarter