Kickstarter I’m Supporting: Projecteo, an Adorable Instagram Projector

I haven’t backed a Kickstarter project in a while, so I hope this isn’t me opening the floodgates to all manner of folks who want free advertising, but here goes anyway.

Projecteo is a tiny Instagram projector by Mint Digital. It’s steeped in nostalgia, and yet it’s completely current. The project is funded multiple times over now, so a $25 pledge guarantees you a standard Projecteo and $40 gets you a limited edition model in Rollei P35 colors.

How’s it work? The pocket projector uses wheels of 35mm slide film (think Viewmaster reels if you were born before the 1990s) to show off Instagram photos that you’ve uploaded to Projecteo’s website. A single frame of 35mm film, cut into a circle, holds nine shots that have been “melted onto” the film. And apparently, no pixels means no pixelation. Its designers claim Projecteo can project “great-looking images up to two and a half feet wide in a pitch black room”. What sorcery is this? I had to find out.

A nice detail: Projecteo is made with “screws not glue,” so it’s recyclable and inviting to hackers. Projecteo’s people already nailed down their manufacturing process in China and predict the projectors will be shipped in February. Party in my basement with the lights out!

I think Projecteo opens up some fun with sharing photos in real life (IRL). As a side bonus, it could prove useful for artists painting murals on walls. And if View Master reels are any indication, it will hold nostalgic value to a future generation of hipsters. Pledge for Projecteo here. Click through for some more pictures.