Over 800 backers on website Kickstarter have raised more than $125,000 to help manufacture a Kenyan device that keeps people connected online even if the lights go out or 3G signals drop.
Ushahidi -- a Nairobi-based non-profit crowdsourcing company that became known worldwide for helping to track Kenya’s 2007/8 post-election violence -- is behind the development of BRCK.
Features of BRCK, which is also dubbed the “backup generator of the internet”, include the ability to plug a SIM card into it, or the option to connect it to wired or wireless ethernet connections. In turn, the crowdsourcing company says BRCK can connect up to 20 devices with “WiFi powerful enough to cover multiple rooms”. Moreover, if AC power on the device fails, it falls back on an eight-hour battery life.
The BRCK device was listed on fundraising website Kickstarter in early May with a stated goal to raise $125,000.
However, Ushahidi reached this target on Monday night and has even gone on to surpass its goal with seven days to go before the funding round closes.
The funding raised on Kickstarter is planned to allow for the manufacture of 2,000 BRCK units in Shenzhen, China. The devices are further expected to cost about $200 each.
Share
