Kickstarter Tech Project of the Week: BRCK

Project Name: BRCK - your backup generator for the internet
Category: Hardware
Goal: $125,000
Currently Funded: $61,014
Deadline for pledging: June 4, 2013

Imagine a MiFi mobile hotspot that's as tough as a brick and has multiple options for connecting to the Internet. You've just pictured the BRCK, which hails from the Nairobi, Kenya-based company Ushahidi, originally formed to map reports of post-election violence in Kenya in 2008.

Ushahidi has since morphed into a non-profit, open-source tech company, but its platform carries on the original mission of building tools that improve the way information flows in the world. Ushahidi knows people from San Francisco to Nairobi—especially journalists and aid providers—need to connect remotely, and its motto is "if it works in Africa, it will work anywhere."

Accordingly it's created a smart, rugged device that can connect to the Internet no matter how difficult the situation or remote the location. The brick-shaped BRCK acts as a hotspot for up to 20 devices in range and connects via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and 3G or 4G mobile phone networks. Thanks to its eight-hour battery, it keeps running even if the power goes out, providing steady connectivity no matter where you are, how you're getting around, or which network is available.

Ushahidi is asking for $125,000 from Kickstarter to proceed with manufacturing. Right now you need to pledge a minimum of $200 to get your BRCK, scheduled to arrive by November 2013.

Ushahidi managed to earn more than 20 percent of its goal in the first day, so funding the full amount looks promising. There's the usual litany of extras such as t-shirts and stickers at various pledge levels, and you can also get a subscription to Ushahidi's CrowdMap platform starting at $300. If you're a high roller with a spare $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket however, the team will take you on safari in Nairobi to "build cool stuff" at their iHub in the center of Africa's "Silicon Savannah."