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Looking back at Kickstarter's greatest hits of 2012

Looking back at Kickstarter's greatest hits of 2012
Formlabs' 3D printer was an explosive success on Kickstarter, but may be in trouble thanks to a pending patent suit lodged by 3D systems
Formlabs' 3D printer was an explosive success on Kickstarter, but may be in trouble thanks to a pending patent suit lodged by 3D systems
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Final Frontier is developing the third version of its inexpensive civilian space suit, the 3G suit, for use on commercial space trips
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Final Frontier is developing the third version of its inexpensive civilian space suit, the 3G suit, for use on commercial space trips
The Dark Sky app gives you a simple overview of the day's weather and predicts conditions
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The Dark Sky app gives you a simple overview of the day's weather and predicts conditions
Formlabs' 3D printer was an explosive success on Kickstarter, but may be in trouble thanks to a pending patent suit lodged by 3D systems
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Formlabs' 3D printer was an explosive success on Kickstarter, but may be in trouble thanks to a pending patent suit lodged by 3D systems
Safecast designed this limited-edition Geiger counter that collects and shares radiation data from users around the world
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Safecast designed this limited-edition Geiger counter that collects and shares radiation data from users around the world
Kickstarter projects by category – gaming wins big, followed by film and video projects
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Kickstarter projects by category – gaming wins big, followed by film and video projects
The MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based circuit that can be connected to everyday objects, transforming them into playful interfaces
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The MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based circuit that can be connected to everyday objects, transforming them into playful interfaces
The OpenROV kit provides hobbyists with an inexpensive, quality-tested, remotely-operated underwater vehicle for exploring their local waterways
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The OpenROV kit provides hobbyists with an inexpensive, quality-tested, remotely-operated underwater vehicle for exploring their local waterways
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Kickstarter, the popular crowd-funding site, has assembled a list of 2012's greatest hits which we've narrowed down to five of the more technology-related projects. Conspicuously absent from the company's official selection is the massively popular Form 1 3D printer by Formlabs, which features game-changing technology that quickly sparked a patent suit by 3D Systems.

Tallying the numbers, in 2012 more than 2.2 million people pledged approximately US$320 million dollars, successfully funding 18,109 projects. A total of 17 projects raised more than a million dollars, with backers hailing from 177 countries (or 90 percent of the countries in the world). Of all the categories, the video game projects made the most money at more than $83 million pledged, with film and video projects trailing in second place at $57.9 million.

Final Frontier develops a civilian space suit

Final Frontier is developing the third version of its inexpensive civilian space suit, the 3G suit, for use on commercial space trips
Final Frontier is developing the third version of its inexpensive civilian space suit, the 3G suit, for use on commercial space trips

A Brooklyn-based company called Final Frontier, led by a duo with 20 years of space suit design experience for NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Russian Space Agency, kickstarted its Third Generation (3G) space suit. The 3G suit is being aimed at the commercial space industry, so it's considerably cheaper – about $10,000 dollars each – compared to the millions you'd spend on NASA's current suit.

Open source Geiger counter maps global radiation

Safecast designed this limited-edition Geiger counter that collects and shares radiation data from users around the world
Safecast designed this limited-edition Geiger counter that collects and shares radiation data from users around the world

Safecast launched a limited edition Geiger counter that, along with the standard version, has collected three million data points. That's more than any other organization, and the data has been published freely and openly online. Now, the company is trying to put together a map of the entire world's radiation, which can then be cross-referenced in the event of future disasters. It's similar to (but almost ten times more expensive than) the Pocket Geiger, which connects to your iPhone and also collates data from its users.

OpenROV explores the world's lakes and oceans

The OpenROV kit provides hobbyists with an inexpensive, quality-tested, remotely-operated underwater vehicle for exploring their local waterways
The OpenROV kit provides hobbyists with an inexpensive, quality-tested, remotely-operated underwater vehicle for exploring their local waterways

At $830, NASA engineer Eric Stackpole's open-source remotely-operated underwater vehicle (OpenROV) kit is an affordable way to explore your local waters. Once assembled (which will take the average person about a weekend), it can dive to 100 meters (328 feet), and is controlled via a web browser on your laptop. While dedicated ROV hobbyists have been tinkering with their own designs for years, OpenROV streamlines the process so that anyone can get involved.

Dark Sky app predicts the weather

The Dark Sky app gives you a simple overview of the day's weather and predicts conditions
The Dark Sky app gives you a simple overview of the day's weather and predicts conditions

The Dark Sky app, which gives you the current temperature and weather conditions, made our list of the Best iPhone apps of 2012. It predicts whether you'll need to bring an umbrella when you're going out, and keeps you up to date with the latest 24-hour forecast.

MaKey MaKey inspires the world's first banana piano

The MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based circuit that can be connected to everyday objects, transforming them into playful interfaces
The MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based circuit that can be connected to everyday objects, transforming them into playful interfaces

The MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based board that can be connected to just about anything that can conduct electricity, turning everyday objects into a novel computer interface. You can play games with a controller made out of Play-Doh, or play software-based musical instruments with a banana piano, to name just two crazy applications. All the necessary pieces to get started cost $35, which makes this a fun and inexpensive project for kids of all ages.

You can check out the rest of the projects, along with helpful infographics that break down the numbers, at Kickstarter's official year in review.

Source: Kickstarter via Popular Science

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