A futuristic razor utilising lasers has had its $US4 million crowdfunding campaign pulled by Kickstarter.
The Skarp razor boasts that it can shave hair with a laser, and after posting a campaign with the goal of $US160,000, raised $US4 million in quick time.
Despite the success, the campaign has been pulled by Kickstarter over concerns relating to the lack of a working prototype, as Business Insider reports.
“We’ve concluded that it is in violation of our rule requiring working prototypes of physical products that are offered as rewards,” a statement from Kickstarter says.
“Suspensions cannot be undone.”
A video of a model of the shaver in action was posted to the page, and although the use of the laser does successfully remove some hair, it’s a far cry from an actual working prototype shaver.
Kickstarter takes a 5% cut of all successful campaigns, so pulling the campaign cost the company $US200,000.
The razor was billed as a revolution in shaving.
“Shaving has been using essentially the same technology for 5000 years,” Skarp says.
“To make any real progress we needed to take a radical new approach.
“The Skarp razor is powered by a small laser which cuts through hair for an incredibly close shave without irritating or damaging the skin.”
But if you were excited at the progress of putting lasers very close to your face and the rest of your body, never fear – Skarp have already jumped to another crowdfunding site.
A new campaign by the same startup was posted on IndieGoGo and has raised nearly $US200,000 in less than a day.
“Don’t worry everyone!” Skarp tweeted.
“You’ll still be able to get your Skarp Laser Razor next spring.”
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Denham Sadler is a former editor of StartupSmart. He was previously a journalist at the publication and has worked as a freelancer for the Guardian, the Saturday Paper and the ABC. In his spare time he likes puns and jaffles.
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