Now, turn your phone into a radar gun

One day it might be just another one of the hundreds of features that come standard in a smartphone. But for now, a new Kickstarter campaign promises to turn your mobile device into a speed-measuring radar gun using a simple Bluetooth accessory.

According to the creators of the Scoutee, their device uses the same radar technology as the larger devices you see baseball scouts and police using and is just as accurate. But it has been miniaturised into a pocket-friendly rechargeable device that also wirelessly connects to an iOS or Android app to automatically document all of the speed data being recorded. The app provides real-time feedback of the speed of an object being measured.

The Scoutee is light enough to be attached to the back of a smartphone using a magnetic adapter so it can be used just like a handheld radar gun. But it also has a tripod mount and a hanging loop to permanently perch it somewhere for easy repeated measurements.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Scoutee is attempting to raise $50,000 to help it go from the prototype stage to a manufacturable device and right now the cheapest way to get one for yourself is with a $130 donation. When available in April next year (if all goes well with production) it will sell for closer to $300.