Necomimi creator seeks funding for wearable waggy tail
Shota Ishiwatari, who worked on prototypes of the necomimi brainwave-activated cat ears for Neurowear, has turned to Kickstarter to fund a new, independent project, Tailly.
Attached to a belt, Tailly responds to the wearer's heartbeat to produce a wagging motion when a raised heart rate indicates excitement, slowing to a swing as the heartbeat drops. The tail comes with a white furry cover as standard; black, brown and grey are available.
Update (29 Jan): The campaign failed, but it's been restarted on Indiegogo.
The ambitious £60,000 fundraising goal is to cover manufacturing costs, giving the creator complete control over design and production. This target must be reached by January 6 if the project is to succeed.
Backer rewards include a T-shirt for £25 and several levels of tail package. The cheapest of these, at £60, includes a Tailly and a white cover. At the top of the reward table, for £5,000, is a custom Tailly made to your own specifications for length, colour and motion. Taillys sent out to Kickstarter backers will carry a 'Premium' label to mark the wearer as an early adopter.
As well as the Kickstarter page, you can find Tailly on Facebook and as @ProjectTailly on Twitter.
About the author
Huskyteer (Alice Dryden) — read stories — contact (login required)a web developer and Husky from London, UK, interested in writing, scooters, 1960s music, aviation and karate
Writer, Biker, Furry, Spy.
Comments
£60,000? That's a little steep. (For the pound-impaired, that's almost US$100,000.)
Kickstarter opened UK projects a month ago. They've raised £2 million so far, but I'm not sure the pie's big enough for this.
Thanks for sorting the pictures and links! :)
So for funding to be successful, 1000 people need to sign up for the basic package. In a month. Not impossible, but not easy either...
~ Huskyteer
WANT
WANT
Fuck being poor
So this isn't related to the brain-wave tail? I think a tail that responds to emotions would be more fun, also, judging by that picture, the neuro tails looked much nicer. I hope it succeeds as it's still a nice little gadget but I don't see myself with one any time soon. :(
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
Ooh, I didn't know there were brainwave tails, only the ears.
I'd like a cat tail I could lash when I'm cross, so people get the hint to leave me alone. The body language I'm able to use at the moment doesn't seem to be enough!
~ Huskyteer
There is. You can see the promo video here but I find this demonstration to be much more interesting. I'd rather have the tail before the ears.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
Me too - a tail would feel more natural, I think. You'd always be aware of wearing a headband, with the ears.
~ Huskyteer
but I want to know where it is to buy the tail
After three years, is there any further news on this?
Fred Patten
It's not happening.
http://www.kiluck.co.jp/?p=70
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
I was loaned a version to try out and show off, and I did so at several U.S. meets and conventions.
It was not quite up to repetitive use, given its location, but it could have been made more robust.
I think the creator was right not to go ahead without sufficient funding; it'd be easy to get burned on such a venture. Hopefully they or someone else can produce an improved version at a viable price point in the future.
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