Jewelbots, a New York City tech startup, recently launched a Kickstarter campaign with a mission to raise $30,000 for its self-titled friendship bracelet.
Jewelbots is described as a technology-enabled jewelry for tween and teen girls. It is not only a great way to show off a friendship, it is also an open-source wearable also teaches coding. Each bracelet is a means of communicating with friends by lighting up when a friend is near or buzzing to send messages to a pal across the school.The company shared:
“Using basic engineering logic, girls can program their Jewelbots to do just about anything they—and their besties-turned-collaborators—dream up, opening their minds to STEM during an age when many lose interest.”
Sharing why they choose to create the bracelet for girls, Jewelbots stated:
“The girls we know are curious and creative, just like we were when we were young (and still are!). We wanted to create something that lets them communicate with their friends while discovering the tools of programming.
“According to a 2012 study from the Girl Scout Institute, 75% of girls were interested in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.) The same study also showed that these girls were very likely to be interested in creative pursuits like drawing, writing and fashion. Girls are not one dimensional. We want to show them that you can be interested in tech.. and everything else that’s fun about being a girl.
“Unfortunately, despite this initial interest in STEM, girls are not choosing to study computer science. In fact, the number of women pursuing computer science degrees has actually dropped since the mid 80s! We want to inspire a deep curiosity and lasting love for computers and programming. A love that these girls can take with them throughout their careers and lives.”
Jewelbots immediately works right out the box. The girls can pair their bracelets to their phones through Bluetooth by holding the button down for two seconds. They do not have to create an account. The accompanied app comes for both Android and iOS smartphones.
Features of Jewelbots include:
- Four LEDs
- USB 3.0
- Bluetooth
- Open Source
- Android/iOS
- Vibration
- Mesh Network
- Eight Color LED
- Customizable
In regards to how Jewelbots function as open sourced, the company added:
“They can program their bracelet to interact in different ways using the Jewelbots app, or, if no phone is around, they can simply pair them when they are near another friend with a Jewelbot. Jewelbots are not just pretty jewelry, they are a powerful communication tool.”
Backers can receive Jewelbots for the price of $59. Since its launch, the campaign has surpassed its initial goal and has secured nearly $50,000. It is set to close on August 7th.
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