I personally rarely take interest in Kickstarter campaigns. Most of them end up aiming high and shooting low, and even among those that do get the required funding, few actually deliver on promised products. There are some exceptions though, in the form of innovative products or ideas that not only get funded, but blow campaigns out of proportion and are definitely worth watching and following.
One such Kickstarter is an ambitious project for developing a new camera stabilizer called the solidLUUV. While the name sounds slightly ridiculous, the product itself is far from it. The LUUV is essentially a stabilizer that is aimed at cameras that weigh less than 500g, meaning pretty much every compact camera out there, including smartphones. So what does the solidLUUV do besides bringing out a few chuckles every time someone pronounces the name? It stabilizes filmed footage, something that not even the best optical image stabilization features have managed to pull off flawlessly so far.
The best thing about it? It actually works, and the prototype already won several awards. It’s no surprise that the LUUV’s Kickstarter has not only reached its goal, but has already doubled it, with 28 days left to go. Interest in this stabilizer is huge, and rightfully so. It makes filming without shaky effects a breeze, and the small stabilizer is light and portable. It does look somewhat odd, but that’s fitting for something called the solidLUUV, right? The LUUV is a 3-axis mechanical stabilizer that can be operated with one hand, absorbing vibrations and shock caused by your body’s natural movement.
It’s also extremely flexible in what cameras it can accommodate, with the only real restriction being weight. That means it can be used together with even the largest smartphones, most compact cameras and even cameras like the GoPro Hero4. It’s also pretty future-proof, since it’s in no way restrictive to the age of the cameras used with it. It’s surprisingly easy to use as well, the designers explaining that “No extra tools are needed, simply adapt the weights inside solidLUUV for your specific camera, attach the camera with our simple Plug & Play action, and go!”. The technology used is patented, so the Kickstarter’s 100,000 Euro goal is likely going to be used to set up a manufacturing process.
It’s definitely a stabilizer worth keeping an eye on, especially since the prototype has already nabbed a few awards for ingenuity and efficiency. Whether or not you feel like backing it is entirely up to you, regardless, the LUUV will be available globally when launched, with shipping slated for “any country”. The video above showcases the solidLUUV at work. For more information on the nifty invention, you can take a look at the solidLUUV official website, which also links to the product’s Kickstarter.
