This Cube can Capture any Color

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By Alex Magdaleno2014-01-10 03:45:46 UTC

Now the ability to “paint with all the colors of the wind” doesn’t solely belong to Disney's Pocahontas.

Developed by three university friends, The SwatchMate Cube aims to expand the color palettes of designers and artists with the colors around them.

Utilizing an inner sphere with a light source and a color sensor, the Cube functions as a swatch grabber, recording the color of virtually any object placed underneath it. The Cube then sends the swatch via Bluetooth Low Energy directly to any smartphone into Photoshop; or if the Cube cannot connect to any device, it will store up to a maximum of 20 swatches locally.

Cofounders Paul Peng, Djordje Dikic and Rocky Liang designed the Cube to work both as a device for designers and artists to gain inspiration from natural color sources, but also as a means of color-grading their images, essentially making nature another tool in their kit.

After winning the 2013 Melbourne and Sydney Design Awards (while also getting on the short list for the 2014 Brisbane Design Awards), SwatchMate rounded out the new year with a successful Kickstarter campaign. The project almost doubled its intended $49,000 (55,000 AUD) target, reaching a sizeable $89,300 (100,317 AUD). Donors hit multiple stretch goals, unlocking additional features for the device including a thermometer and a light intensity sensor.

"We are looking to have the Cube available to consumers by June 2014," Peng tells Mashable. "An exact price point hasn't yet been decided, but we have indicated to about $120, although we currently have it available for pre-order at about $80 at [our current e-shop]."

SwatchMate is a product development studio based out of Melbourne, Australia. For more on the Cube, check out the video above.

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Image: SwatchMate

Topics: bluetooth, design, devices, Gadgets, gagdets, Newsy, Photoshop, smartphone, Tech