Every once in awhile I browse Kickstarter looking for cool projects by Austin inventors.
That’s how I stumbled upon Zimmer Barnes’ Apollo Armband Solar Generator project.
He came up with the idea of the solar armband generator while he had a broken arm. He rigged up a solar panel to the cast to create a generator for his mobile phone and other products.
So many of his friends and strangers liked the idea that he decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign to mass produce the devices. He’s seeking to raise $3,200 and he already has 22 backers who have pledged $2,401. He’s got seven days to go to meet his goal.
Barnes is a member of the ATX Hackerspace, which is a community of people who love to make things.
Barnes also describes himself as a activist for “what’s come to be known as the “Real Life Superhero” movement. Over the last six years I’ve gone on a wild variety of missions, from doing park clean ups to breaking up fights; delivering aid to homeless camps living underground to removing gang graffiti; time indexing violent crime and mapping the data to trying to get mugged in one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous neighborhoods.”