There are an abundance of stabilisers in the market for both smartphones and action cameras, which are usually presented as battery powered gimbals. GravGrip, an active Kickstarter project, aims to bypass electronic powered stabilisation by offering a more traditional and straightforward approach: hydraulics.
The GravGrip uses a similar hydraulic technology that is used to dampen a car’s glove box mechanism, as well as weight distribution to balance a smartphone or action camera on its axis. The product itself is compact, and can be easily stored compared to most 3-axis gimbals that are available. To top it off, it won’t require any batteries whatsoever to function and is claimed to be waterproof.
As mentioned earlier, the stabiliser itself is made with smaller devices in mind. Therefore, it’s doubtful that the product will function properly if you plan to attach bulkier cameras such as DSLRs on it.
The product’s crowdfunding on Kickstarter USD20,000 was fully funded in a mere two hours, and is almost reaching the USD300,000 mark as of this writing. Those interested to pick one up can pledge a minimum of USD35 (~RM149) for just the product, while USD40 (~RM170) and USD55 (~RM234) will land you the stabiliser with a handgrip and an extension pole holder respectively. Mounts for smartphones and action cameras will be provided for all pledge levels as well.
According to its Kickstarter page, GravGrip is planned to begin mass production in July and will be shipped to project backers in August this year. However, do consider thoroughly first before pledging as the risk of products ending up as vapourware is still possible – as with most crowdfunding campaigns.
(Source: Official website / Kickstarter via PetaPixel)
