This article was published on June 9, 2011

iBamboo: an electricity-free iPhone 4 speaker system, and a nice snack for a panda


iBamboo: an electricity-free iPhone 4 speaker system, and a nice snack for a panda

Kickstarter is a source of seemingly endless iPhone accessories just waiting to raise the funds to come to market, but this one caught our eye. iBamboo is an alternative to mains or battery-powered iPhone speaker systems, instead using the natural power of… bamboo.

Yes, US-based Triangle Tree (whose other products include an edible spoon) have come up with this design, which uses a whole length of bamboo with a laser-cut slot that snugly fits an iPhone 4. Then, you just fire up the music player app of your choice and the hollow bamboo shoot naturally amplifies the sound from the phone’s built-in speaker. The designers say that the shape of the bamboo means that sound waves move in two directions at once, intensifying the stereo effect.

This patent-pending design needs $10,000 to come to market. Only 14 people have pledged funds so far on Kickstarter, with $495 raised to date. If you, or your favourite neighbourhood panda, wants to see iBamboo become reality, you’ll need to sign up on Kickstarter in the next 30 days.

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