Star Trek. Not only did it send some great, and some not so great, actors into space for five years voyages and the like, it also influenced a lot of actual technological innovation. The series has done so much of this that there are actually books on the matter. Think about it. Google Glass? Totally influenced by Geordi’s visor. The iPad? Totally influenced by their data pads. Our universal hatred of Wil Wheaton? Totally influenced by our universal hatred of Wesley Crusher(jk.) Now you can add a new “totally” to that list. Here is a Trek-influenced combadge named, appropriately, the CommBadge.
This communication badge is eerily similar to those seen on the fronts of many a Starfleet officer, from Picard and Kirk all the way down to the lowly ensigns. The main difference being, of course, they don’t feature the iconic Starfleet logo, being as how they are not affiliated with Star Trek or Paramount. They instead opted for a nice and clean circle as their signature look. It works simply enough. The CommBadge connects with Bluetooth to your iOS or Android phone, allowing you to talk through the badge, instead of having to root that darned phone out of your pocket. Now you can pretend you are on the bridge of a starship as you discuss what groceries you need to get from the local Piggly Wiggly. Cool!
This nifty little gadget isn’t out yet. Instead the makers have, uh, beamed to Kickstarter to help achieve finishing funds. You can preorder your very own Trek-like badge for the interstellar price of around $85. This offer does not pertain to actual Starfleet officers, as everyone knows the Federation doesn’t even have money.
