Habu has launched a campaign on Seedrs to help businesses managing multi-room spaces keep on top of their meeting rooms, while also raising revenues to ensure everything is booked up at all times where possible.

Jack and Robert Ollett, who used to work with event management companies, developed the cloud-based system after observing many of the businesses they worked with always seemed to be bogged down with the manual booking systems.

They said on its Seedrs page: “The majority of our target customers have devised their own ad hoc solutions. This is typically based on a mix of spreadsheets, email, word docs and shared calendars.

“The problem is that these tools aren’t well-suited for dealing with the increasing complexities of the market, where seamless links across data, the team, multiple devices and other services are key to the success of a business.”

The company went on to explain that this lack of integration can mean information is miscommunicated or lost and can result in double bookings, operational conflicts and crucially, under-utilisation of spaces.

Habu brings everything together in one place, allowing team members to see which spaces are booked up when, with contacts integration to stay in the loop. Customers can simply fill in a form to book a space and it will be instantly added to the system. It also has the power for analysis so organisations can use the data to influence their business decisions.

Habu also integrates with other platforms in a business, whether that’s accountancy, payment transactions, publishing, and marketing to become more valuable than just a room booking service.

Habu now wants to invest in its platform to gain more customers on top of the existing entertainment venues, business centres and tech hubs using it. The investment will go towards boosting marketing and PR to raise its profile.

It’s looking for £50,000 investment on Seedrs by the end of August in exchange for 7.69 per cent equity.

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Deus Ex Aria is a small addition to a Pebble or Android Wear smart watch that allows you to control your gadget without even touching it.

The gesture-control device identifies how you move your wrist and carries out commands in response. the tech is embedded into a strap that can be attached to either the Pebble Time watch or any Android Wear-enabled device, including the Samsung Gear Live, Sony Smartwatch 3, LG G Watch R, LG G Watch, Asus ZenWatch and LG Watch Urbane.

The strap identifies how the tendons in your wrist are moving, then an algorithm is used to convert these into commands that are sent to the smartphone (and then onto the watch if required) to fulfil the command.

When you first use the Deus Ex Aria, it will have to be calibrated to your body so it can recognise how you move your wrist. Then, you can decide which command triggers which action using the preinstalled options.

The company will also be opening up the API, inviting developers to create more gestures and commands in the future.

The company said: “Our focus is giving the best support and the best tools to the developer community. There are still thousands of applications and use-cases for Aria that we want to empower you, the developer, to discover and exploit them all.”

It communicates with your smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is the same way most smart watches connect to phones, ensuring power consumption is the most efficient.

The Deus Ex Aria is available on Kickstarter from $59 (£37) for early bird Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel units or $109 (£68) for the Android Wear option. When they have all sold out, you can get your hands on the devices for $69 (£43) (Pebble option) or $129 (£81) (Android).

The company is hoping to raise $100,000, with less than a month to go.

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Creative selling site Etsy has launched a new crowdfunding model that will allow its shop owners to crowdfund projects before launching new collections.

Fund on Etsy means sellers can appeal for funding to pay for things like machinery, materials and labour to help them make their items. When an investor pledges money to a campaign, they

Like on other crowdfunding platforms, if a seller doesn’t hit their goal, all campaign orders will be cancelled and those investing won’t be charged.

Joe Lallouz, product lead for Etsy’s Maker Innovation team wrote in a blog post: “Over the past few years, crowdfunding has emerged as a viable and friendly alternative to traditional financing channels for many creatives around the world.

“We believe that crowdfunding on Etsy is a natural way for sellers to forge even more resonant connections with their existing communities and customer bases and to grow in ways that may not have been possible before. Fund on Etsy can also expand the breadth of products buyers can find in our marketplace that they can’t find anywhere else.”

Fund on Etsy will become part of the company’s Etsy Economy, a people-powered economy with person-to-person communication. It’s about making people feel they’re shopping in a small one-off shop rather than a supermarket, with products only available on Etsy and in small batches.

“Over 10 years, we have learned how sellers work from beginning to end to bring products to market, and have developed products to serve their needs along the business spectrum, including tools to create and manage listings and payments, promote items, track orders and expand into new channels like wholesale,” Lallouz continued.

“Fund on Etsy is intended to address another need — financing and product development — and fits in seamlessly with sellers’ business lifecycles.”

However, the platform is only available in the United States at the moment and will only be used by a select number of sellers until August 16th.

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Smart glasses may be all the rage, but in a digital world, smart glasses shouldn’t just be used as an extension of our smartphone or computer screen, glasses maker Zappi said.

The Zappi smart glasses are designed to protect your eyes against the harmful rays of computer screens and smartphone, which emit UV and blue light, both of which have been linked to bad sleep patterns and eye troubles in kids.

According to the company, these UV rays attack our corneas every day and can degrade the crystalline lens of the eye. It’s thought that exposure to these light sources could cause cataracts. Blue light penetrates the eye much further and can be harmful to retinal cells and may lead to AMD (age macular degeneration) and eventually blindness.

Enter the Zappi smart glasses that protect eyes from UV and blue light using technology to filter out the harmful rays. They’re designed for people of all ages who do not normally wear glasses but use computer or smartphone screens often.

Zappi founder Andy Jones said: “Zappi is thinking ahead to protecting the eyes of adults, teens and children from the damage of UV and blue light that’s emitted from our much-loved technology.

“Our children start using digital devices from when they are toddlers and will have 25 years more exposure to the blue-violet light and UV that is emitted from our digital screens than we ever did, and this could certainly lead to eye disease in the future. ”

The Zappi glasses start at £25 for the kid’s version, in two styles – Nano and Radar. For £30 you can opt for the adult’s Spectrum or Frequency models. Packages for two or more sets are available at a slightly discounted price.

Zappi has so far raised £2,200 on Indiegogo, but it’s hoping to reach its goal of £9,500 in 38 days, so there’s plenty of time to get your hands on the glasses.

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AI robot manufacturer AKA has launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise $50,000 (£33,000) for its smart learning friend.

Musio is an AI-powered robot that learns everything about you and adapts its behaviour. Not only does it learn what you like, how you speak and your routine, it also interacts with your smart home, switching lights on and off, turning on the heating or air conditioning according to your preferences and much more.

It also comes with a developer kit, so those who like to tinker with code can add even more functions to the little critter.

There are three Musio models to choose from, each with different powers. The Simple model, which can be purchased for $159 (£100) isn’t connected to the internet, can remember five conversations and features 16GB storage, with a micro USB port for charging its 1800mAh battery. You can’t integrate this robot with your smart home, so it’s just there for a friend to talk to.

The Smart Musio is available for $299 (£200) and features a higher-capacity battery (2200mAh), runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and connects to your smart home. The top of the range Genius is available for $599 (£400) and features a higher-powered 2.5GHz quad-core processor for faster reactions, bigger 300mAh battery and a boost to 64GB storage.

All options are due to ship in July 2016, providing it hits its goal on Indiegogo.

Musio wants to use the money it raises to integrate new features into the AI robot, including movement and developing the Muse ecosystem to improve the interface and speed of learning.

The company said: “AKA’s mission was to create an A.I. robot that can think on its own and create an interactive learning environment for people. The dream has finally been realized, and as a contributor, you have the opportunity to participate in a new world of A.I. technology.”

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Hornby and Airfix have announced they are developing a new crowdfunding platform to bring some of the nation’s favourite toys back to shop shelves.

Like standard rewards-based crowdfunding on Indiegogo and Kickstarter, toy fanatics are invited to vote for their most wanted toy by pre-ordering it on the Airfix Kitstarter website. When a model gains enough supporters (and presumably, funds to make it worth Airfix’s while), it wil go into production and will be shipped when ready.

Fans are only charged if a toy meets its target and payment is only taken when it’s ready to be dispatched.

Airfix chief executive Richard Ames said: “This is a really exciting initiative for Airfix. We have a very large back-catalogue of model kits, many that are still remembered fondly by our consumers. We get lots of feedback about which models people would like us to re-introduce.

“Our KitStarter crowdfunding platform will enable Hornby to interact much more closely with our consumers. This will help us gauge demand accurately and respond quickly to their requests. Then we can prioritise which models we re-introduce. We are also confident that KitStarter will help us to reach a new generation of model enthusiasts that we can attract into the hobby.”

Products on offer at the moment include the 1977 Bluetits that is available to back for £20 and the Bullfinches also from 1977 for the same price. More projects will be added in future, including historical figure such as Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell, the 1949 Ferguson tractor and the World War 11 Spitfire plane which Airfix thinks will be the most popular model available on the crowdfunsing platform.

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The Pavegen smart floor tiles help generate electricity, which can in turn, be used to power streetlights and buildings in cities.

The tiles use electromagnetic induction and flywheel energy storage technology, generating power with every footstep. At the moment, it is achieving generation of 7W per pedestrian. If an area is covered by 20m of the flooring, it could generate around 1,500W of electricity.

Pavegen’s flooring also collects real-time data from every footstep, allowing analysts to process data for use in studies, data visualisations or social media.

The technology has been installed on a football pitch in Rio de Janeiro to help power the floodlights and at London Heathrow Airport. It has also been used in Harrods and Federation Square in Melbourne. ITs revenues to dates have topped £2.5m from 100 projects in 30 countries.

The company is appealing to raise £750,000 on Crowdcube to bring the cost down for each tile, which currently costs around £300. Pavegen’s goal is to find ways to manufacture the flooring so it will cost the same as standard outdoor floor tiles and it will also investigate into using recycled materials to reduce the cost.

At the time of writing, Pavegen had raised more than £1m from 813 investors. The campaign has more than a month to run and is offering 4.48 per cent equity.

Pavegen’s founder and CEO Laurence Kemball-Cook said: “We see this as the right opportunity to enable our next stage of growth for Pavegen.

“As we continue to expand globally and create value for our current shareholders, we will be looking to close a larger venture capital round in the near future. Crowdfunding has enabled us to reach this next stage of growth far quicker than conventional forms of raising finance.”

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Swimmo has launched a smart watch specifically for swimmers on Kickstarter that tracks your laps and fitness levels throughout your swim without the risk of it becoming waterlogged.

You’ll get feedback throughout your workout and can share personal bests or massive achievements with your friends on social media. If they think they can do better, you can take them on with a pool battle.

If Swimmo thinks you’re working too hard, it will vibrate lightly, alerting you to slow down. It’ll also tell you to speed up if it thinks you’re being lazy.

The whole time, it’ll be tracking your pace, heart rate and calories burned and synching with your iPhone or Android smartphone, so you’ll know exactly how you’re doing throughout.

If you’re a bit of a health fanatic and use other fitness trackers like Strava, RunKeeper or HealthKit, Swimmo’s data will sync with that, making sure you can get a whole picture of your fitness regime, not just your swims.

All of this is packaged up in a durable, waterproof casing, with a 1.29-inch screen that can be controlled with just a couple of taps. You can customise the display too, so you only see what’s important to you.

The company said: “Swimmers need a better way to monitor their results. Our team has created a tool that enables swimmers to train smarter, instead of harder. Swimmo is the first ever smartwatch designed to help swimmers improve strength, get in shape, and surpass their goals.”

You can snap up a Swimmo on Kickstarter from $169 (£115), which is due to arrive in October. The second batch is available for $179 (£120) and will ship a month later. For $239 (£160), you can get a special edition engraved Swimmo and multiples are available from $299 (£200).

The campaign ends on May 20th, so if you’re as excited as we are about Swimmo, act quickly to get yours!

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Reward Technology is running a campaign on Seedrs to help retailers tailor deals to consumer behaviour and habits via mobile.

The mobile solution delivers personalised content to a customer’s mobile when they enter a shop, shopping centre, office or hotel, making it more likely they’ll buy a product, but also boosting their loyalty.

Targeted at the retail, hospitality, security and office sectors, the solution uses data from a customer’s loyalty card collection to find out what an individual is interested in to enhance engagement, lower marketing costs and increase conversions. Businesses can also track the actions a consumer makes after receiving such offers on their smartphone or feature phone.

Reward Technology says: “For all these sectors working in the fast growing, highly disruptive and innovative digital and mobile worlds there is no neat single uniform solution for how any company detects, communicates and engages actively with its customers. RT’s solution is a bridge to this brave new world of digital transformation in key service and brand-led industries.”

The company said it was motivated to develop such a solution because the systems in place to use reward and loyalty cards are antiquated and merely sending customers offers through the post or via email won’t motivate them to spend money when in store. These processes also cost companies more money in marketing than sending offers to customers at the right time.

Reward Technology says: “While most retailers are either hesitant to be the guinea pig or engaging too early with emerging digital technologies, RT can enable them right now with a bridging solution that acts as a road map to take them where they want and need to go in the brave new digital world. Many retailers are engaging too early with emerging technologies, RT can enable them right now with a road map to take them where they want and need to go.”

Reward Technology has been awarded a £250k Innovate UK grant to develop a smartcard solution and develop other areas of its business, but it is still seeking £800,000 from private investors on Seedrs. It is offering 15 per cent equity and the campaign ends in 35 days.

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FirstV1sion is a vest that allows you to experience the action of sports. Rather than sitting on the sidelines, you can watch the game from the eyes of the sportsmen on the pitch.

FirstV1sion sais: “Major sport events have historically had the greatest TV audience numbers….In 2014, the FIFA World Cup had 2.600 million viewers and the 10 sports events with larger audiences had an aggregated 11.300 milllion viewers. The audiovisual production is key to drive international audiences of those who are not heavy supporters of a team. FirstV1sion’s goal is to make the experience of those viewers even more entertaining.”

FirstV1sion is a specially developed vest that sportsmen wear, with an integrated camera in the centre. As the player sees the action close up, so do you.

In February, FirstV1sion signed a deal with the Euroleague Basketball tournament and in March, footballer Andres Iniesta and basketball player Serge Ibaka will join the company as brand ambassadors. Both will use the tech to record their participation in games, which will be broadcasted around the world.

There are a number of other biometric sensors built into the vest, including those to measure heart rate and blood pressure, so sports fans can see exactly how the action is affecting their favourite sports stars. This data is transferred from the vest via RF transmissions.

The company said: “We want to share the dream of developing a revolutionary product that will change sports replays forever with the largest number of people possible. We need your support to develop our business plan and expand globally.”

Broadcasters and sports teams can rent the equipment to bring their broadcasts alive and attract more fans.

FirstV1sion is appealing for £1,836,000 on Bnk To the Future, although its minimum is£734,400. It is offering 10 per cent equity to supporters and at the time of writing, it had raised 11 per cent of the funds it needs to develop the business and fine more partners.

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