For some time now, we’ve been hearing that Samsung is keen to deliver a startup feel for parts of its business. This has resulted in a number of spin-off companies from the Creative Lab initiative the firm put in place. Known as the C-Lab, this is where crazy ideas, those that the traditional Samsung wouldn’t come up with, are born and Welt is just one of them. A portmanteau of Wearable and Belt, the Welt is a smart belt that tracks your movement, as well as keeping an eye on your waistline. Not too long ago, this innovative wearable hit Kickstarter, and quickly reached its funding goal thereafter.
At the time of writing, the Welt project has $71,827 in pledged funding, with 23 days to go. This is impressive, no doubt, but that funding goal of $30,000 is pretty modest by Kickstarter terms and given the amount of press this device has gotten over the past year or so, it’s no surprise it was funded quite so quickly. Of course, the functionality that the Welt brings with it is probably behind much of the funding, given that there are a lot of customers out there unwilling to wear a wearable device due to them not looking fashionable, or otherwise. The Welt, on the other hand, is something that the majority of men will find comfortable, and the range of different styles and designs that they’ve created will no doubt help here, too. As for the device itself, the Welt will track your steps, keep an eye on your waistline and then connect to your smartphone and also shame you into letting you know how many hours you’ve spent sat down during a given day. The idea is to get people to be more active during their everyday, and while this might not be the best approach, it’s certainly one of the more discrete options out there.
As for the Kickstarter itself, there are a number of options that customers can choose from, ranging from $129 to $179 for each belt, as well as a two-pack of Welts for $259. Whether or not this will take off and become a big hit for Samsung’s C-Lab remains to be seen, but it looks as though they’ve gotten the overall fit and finish all sorted out as well as the overall functionality.