SPIN: a remote control with a literal twist

How many remote controls have you lost in the black hole that is the couch? Or actually, how many such contraptions do you have to control everything and anything in your house? Chances are, you have a lot of them and it becomes like a harrowing quest just to change channels or turn the volume up or down. What if you had one remote control to rule them all, and with a twist bind them? One that didn't even have any buttons. That's exactly what SPIN is trying to sell on Kickstarter.

As devices become more complex, so do the controls that come with them. A single remote control would have at the very least two dozen buttons. While those are necessary to use the full functionality of say your DVR, chances are you most likely use just half a dozen of those buttons 90 percent of the time. And in that 90 percent, other buttons, and other remote controls, just get in the way.

Enter SPIN, basically a knob that tries to accommodate that 90 percent. It is loaded with sensors, including touch, proximity, motion, etc. so that it knows how you're twisting it, how you're holding it, and in what direction or orientation. Every variation can have a different meaning and can control a different appliance or device. Point the base towards a TV and twist to change the volume, or twist it while flat on a table to change channels. Pointing it on the direction of your smart lamp, however, will dim or brighten your room.

SPIN doesn't aim to completely replace all your remote controls, as its simplicity limits it to a few core functions. But those are quite enough to cover majority of the operations you might want to do. Now all you have to do is remember which gesture activates which device. And you also have to back this project on Kickstarter, that is, if you're interested in it. A 69 EUR early bird pledge is enough to get you one, but if you want a more personalized design, you can throw in 129 EUR. The project is seeking funding to the tune of 100,000 EUR. Right now only around 12,000 EUR have been committed, though there are still 41 days to go before it's all over.

SOURCE: Kickstarter