Min Ji Kim Kim – Looking Outwards – 01

A video by creator Ken Kawamoto introducing the tempescope and its functionality.

A few years ago, I discovered this video while scrolling through my Facebook feed. I was fascinated by the idea that this object could not only serve an aesthetic purpose as house decor but also a functional one to remind one, for example, to take their umbrella because it’s raining.

Tempescope is essentially a clear case that visually displays weather conditions using a custom app. You can either set your location or manually choose whatever effect you want. Creator Ken Kawamoto built the first prototype in 2012 using the Objective-C and C++ programs after wanting to experience the Okinawa weather from his living room. In 2013, he created an open source version (available on GitHub) so other people could reproduce the tempescope at home.

After receiving a lot of attention from multiple media outlets, Kawamoto recruited a team of five people to create a retail version of the prototype and a funding campaign was initiated on Indiegogo. Although it received substantial attention, the campaign ultimately did not reach its funding goal and as of now, the project seems to be at a halt with no further development plans.

You can learn more about the tempescope here.