Kickstarter Launch H1 2025

UPDATE: we decided NOT to go through with the Kickstarter campaign because this product is too niche. Instead, this robot kit product is available in our online store here.

I will be launching Maker’s Pet Mini on Kickstarter sometime in H1 2025 – not H2 2024 as originally planned. Unfortunately, I’ve ran into delays, and I apologize for the premature announcement.

Here are some of the issues that have ended up delaying the launch:

• FCC certification. The product must pass FCC EMC testing before it can be offered for sale in the USA. Some of the components failed the initial testing. Investigating the EMC issues and redesigning the product quite some time.
• Manufacturing quality. Some electronic components in the original design were prone to assembly defects. It took several design iterations to flush out those problems.
• Parts quality. As I played with product prototypes, I found quality issues with non-electronic parts. For example, low-cost wobbly wheels with mismatching diameter caused the robot to wander off the intended path. I had to resolve that while keeping the cost low.
• Performance. The early prototypes had some performance issues, including motor power. It took several more design iterations for me to take care of that. This was important to address because I don’t want to sell a low-quality product.