Kickstarter – 72 min left; want a waterproof mountable case for your iPhone 4/4s/5?

The San Francicso Bay Area and Silicon Valley is at the heart of new technologies and innovations that benefit society and improve our lives.

At Snowpals, we love to support innovators and those who are passionate about making our world a tad better. Every week or so, we’ll feature a Kickstarter project that we feel merit visibility and funding support. If you have a Kickstarter project you feel passionate about and would like to have it affiliated with Snowpals, .

Introducing this week’s featured Kickstarter project:

iconic.am: waterproof mountable case for iPhone 4/4s/5

by Paul; connect with Paul on facebook

Designer’s experience: “In our day jobs, we design components and systems and manage suppliers to deliver them. Our “portfolio” includes work on the Airbus A350XWB airliner, the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, James Webb Space Telescope and others.”

What is this project about?

Waterproof case mounts your iPhone anywhere. Secure quick-release adapter, wide angle optics, free app for wireless control and share.

Click on the ‘play’ button to watch the prototype case in use:

  • Launched: Oct 29, 2012
  • Funding ends: Nov 19, 2012 at 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST
  • 122 backers
  • $13,924 raised as of 11:05 AM on Nov 19, 2012
  • $35,000 goal
  • time left to reach goal: 72 minutes to go as of 11:45 AM on 11/19 – project ends at 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST on Monday Nov 19 2012

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HELP THIS PROJECT REACH GOAL WITH A PLEDGE

 

PLEDGE LEVELS & REWARDS:

  • Pledge $5 or more gets you a 

App Start Wristband – With this wristband and our free app you can start and stop recording on your iPhone without touching the screen.

Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
Add $5 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $25 OR MORE GETS YOU A

    Trucker Hat and Wristband – This highly functional trucker hat keeps the sun out of your eyes and shows your support in style.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2012
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $45 OR MORE

     50 backers Sold out

    Early backer – iPhone 4/4S case and adapter with two flat sticky bases.

    Estimated delivery: Jan 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $55 OR MORE

     11 backers

    iPhone 4/4S case and adapter with two flat sticky bases. ($70 estimated retail price.)

    Estimated delivery: Jan 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $65 OR MORE

     9 backers

    iPhone 5 case and adapter with two flat sticky bases. ($80 estimated retail price.)

    Estimated delivery: Feb 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $110 OR MORE

     2 backers

    upgrade pack: 1 each iPhone 4/4s and iPhone 5 cases, 2x adapters and 4x sticky bases.

    Estimated delivery: Feb 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $130 OR MORE

     18 backers Limited (32 of 50 left)

    Kickstarter Edition iPhone 4/4S case and adapter with flat and curved sticky bases. Case is upgraded with anodized green latches, laser etched with backer number.

    Estimated delivery: Jan 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
  • PLEDGE $130 OR MORE

     2 backers Limited (48 of 50 left)

    Kickstarter Edition iPhone 5 case and adapter with flat and curved sticky bases. Case is upgraded with anodized green latches, laser etched with backer number.

    Estimated delivery: Feb 2013
    Add $20 to ship outside the US
     
     

    I am new to Kickstarter; how does this all work?

     
 

Capture Everything, Anywhere, with your iPhone

  • Waterproof – take it anywhere
  • Shockproof – takes a beating
  • Mountable – quickly change mounts
  • Wide-Angle – see more of the action
  • Full access – use touchscreen and all buttons
  • Easy setup – pop your phone in or out with ease
Waterproof and Shockproof:  TPE bumpers absorb shock, oversized o-rings seal out water, aluminum latch locks it tight
Waterproof and Shockproof: TPE bumpers absorb shock, oversized o-rings seal out water, aluminum latch locks it tight
Mountable: Sticky base is versatile and included in all case pledge levels
Mountable: Sticky base is versatile and included in all case pledge levels
Other Mounts: We design custom mounts for you, available at our Shapeways.com shop (link)
Other Mounts: We design custom mounts for you, available at our Shapeways.com shop (link)
Wide Angle Lens: Custom designed  lens, optical grade glass, distortion free in and out of water
Wide Angle Lens: Custom designed lens, optical grade glass, distortion free in and out of water
Full Phone Access: Access all buttons and full screen
Full Phone Access: Access all buttons and full screen

iTunes App: 

  • Wave our wristband by the phone to record or stop
  • Works with gloves and under water
  • Instantly preview your shots
  • Edit video and one touch share
iconic.am wireless control app and wristband (link to iTunes)
iconic.am wireless control app and wristband (link to iTunes)

 

Who we are: 

We met in LA while working as engineers designing aircraft and satellites. We started this product about a year ago coming back from a trip to the lake after realizing that we all cautiously stowed our iPhones in ziploc bags. We wanted to use our iPhones to record outdoor video, but found that nothing existed to address our need. We siezed the opportunity to design something our friends would be excited to use.

Paul: Paul is a surfer, skier and mountain biker who spent college winters in Tahoe and now builds telescopes. Paul is responsible for the optics and web development.

Tim: Tim is a snowboarder and volleyball player who has been controlling vibration on aircraft and spacecraft for the last 6 years. Tim is responsible for app development.

Zoltan: Zoltan is a mountain biker and snowboarder who was making flight control systems for 6 years before going to USC to get his MBA. In his spare time, he volunteers with FIRST (high school robotics) team 1197. Zoltan is responsible for mechanical design.

Alex: Alex is a surfer, snowboarder and volleyball player who worked as a materials engineer in semiconductor manufacturing before going back to school at UCLA. He is one of the founders and now serves as an advisor to the team. 

Where we are now and how we will close with the Kickstarter pre-sales:

We’ve designed, prototyped, and then redesigned the case and mount over and over. We’ve performed a lot of analysis to ensure it works well and can stand up to abuse. We’ve been using the product and improved on all the things you only discover after testing something in the real world.

Yes, we did the analysis
Yes, we did the analysis

We met with our manufacturing partners and inspected their factories. We collaborated with them on the design to ensure that it is producible and affordable. We developed the app, designed and manufactured samples of our custom lenses, and completed our 3D printed mounts. The time has come to build injection molding tooling for manufacturing the production run of the case.

Zoltan - Grinding
Zoltan – Grinding

This is where you come in: The Kickstarter funds are dedicated entirely to tooling and material for the production run. We specified the highest grade of tooling for the best surface finish and part consistency. We’ve taken the project this far, now it is up to you to help us bring this project from prototype to production.

So if you are ready to start getting great video from some creative angles, lock in your pre-order now. You know Kickstarter is all or nothing so tell your friends about iconic.am and share it on Facebook, every contribution level helps.

Manufacturing Plan 

  • schedule starts after funds are processed (typically 2 weeks)
  • Week 1: place orders for injection molding tooling, place order for die casting tooling, place lens order, place die cut material order
  • Week 2-3: set up assembly tooling with rapid prototyped parts, die cut components (screens, acoustic pass-throughs, sticky pads) arrive
  • Week 4-5: injection molding tooling finished, proved out, prove-out units assembled, prove-out units tested for IP rating (waterproofness)
  • Week 6: production units begin assembly
  • Week 7: production units begin shipping
Thanks for all the support!

http://entrepreneur.marshall.usc.edu/

http://www.1013media.com/

http://orangeavenuemusic.com/

http://cruzontour.com/

RISKS AND CHALLENGES

LEARN ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY ON KICKSTARTER

-Optics Accuracy: We have a preferred vendor that we chose based on their technical capabilities rather than price. We bought and tested lenses to our final specification from them.

-Injection Molding Tooling Producibility: Our vendor has provided quotes based on final CAD models, but there will almost certainly be details that need to be worked out. We plan to mitigate risk by being co-located with our vendor during the detail design phase of the tooling and initial production.

-Case Waterproofness: We performed all of our testing with rapid prototyped parts. They are not as waterproof (because they’re porous) as the final injection molded parts will be. We dunked our iPhones with these prototypes plenty of times, but our waterproofness rating tests need to be performed on production parts. This presents a schedule risk that we will mitigate by testing design elements in mock-ups. For example: a tube machined to look like the optics portion of the housing assembled with real optics, o-ring, and retainer to test that seal. We are working with a vendor that produces IP rated sealed electronics and incorporated their recommendations into the design of the iconic.am case.

Our Risk Mitigation Qualifications: 
In our day jobs, we design components and systems and manage suppliers to deliver them. Our “portfolio” includes work on the Airbus A350XWB airliner, the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, James Webb Space Telescope and others.