The NeoLucida Project began an idea of two art professors, Pablo Garcia and Golan Levin. They wanted to recreate an antique drawing device to see if it was used by of some of the Old Masters.
The NeoLucdia is an optical drawing device that uses a prism to reflect what you see onto paper. Then, you can essentially trace what you see.
They crowd funded the device on Kickstarter, needing around 500 pledges. A few more people were interested than they expected. In fact, more than 11,000 people pledged to help make the NeoLucida a reality.
Interestingly, these two entrepreneurial professors weren’t all that interested in making the device and making money. They were more interested in how people would use it and, what they could learn from that.
This is where ‘the crowd’ became a whole lot more interesting and rewarding. This project has empowered the crowd, allowing owners of the NewLucia to share their knowledge of what works.
It’s become a crowd laboratory as the company shares free plans for owners to 3D print spare parts. And, the owners share their own modifications and enhancements.
And, there’s crowd learning. There is a global discussion among tens of thousands of people about whether the greats, including Da Vinci used the original form of this device, the Camera Lucida.
So, you see, there is so much more to the crowd than just funding your ideas. Use the crowd wisely.
Do you want one? Pre-ordering is available until the end of May for the next batch of devices. And, what does this device cost? It’s just $47 (and $11.50 international shipping). The power of crowd funding has reduced the cost to manufacture and, has made the art of drawing available to anyone.
The NeoLucida Project
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