How a Smart Manicure Device Became a $1.3 Million Crowdfunding Idea

Tired of painting your own nails? There might be a solution on the rise at Kickstarter. From former Yandex.IL CEO Omri Moran, Nimble is a self-described “robot that paints your nails to perfection.” After being nearly stood up on a date due to a smudged nail polish situation at the salon, Moran went to extreme lengths to solve this problem once and for all, by eliminating the need for salons altogether. 

In just 10 minutes per hand, or one minute per finger, Nimble promises to paint and dry your nails full stop. Using over 20 patented technologies, the device employs an array of tiny high-res cameras, in conjunction with machine vision and 3D image processing to evaluate the size, shape, and curve of your nails. A small robotic arm inside then reads that data and paints your nails according to the machine’s assessment. Through the entire process, your nails are exposed to a heated airflow system that dries your nails while they’re being painted for maximum efficiency. 

As for the types of nail polish you can use with Nimble, it is limited to capsules available from the company itself. While proprietary “pods” aren’t exactly ideal given the uncertainty of Kickstarter campaigns, they do come in a variety of colors including nudes, reds, and bare shades. At its entry-level reward tier, the Nimble comes with three capsule sets containing three capsules each, for a total of nine nail polish capsules. Backers will be able to make their color choices at the end of the campaign. The company asserts its capsules are vegan, non-toxic, and recyclable, as well as “13-free.”

To tie it all together, Nimble is compatible with a dedicated app that talks to the device over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. From it, you can order new polishes, keep track of stats, upload photos to social media, and more. In addition to letting you know when it’s time for a manicure, a customer support chat function is available within the app for added convenience. More features have yet to be announced, but Nimble has stated that they will make their way to the app through software updates down the line.

Though you’ll want to take it with a grain of salt given the history of crowdfunding platforms, Nimble says it will start shipping the first batch of units within 5-6 months with an estimated delivery window of October 2021. At the lower, $249 level, you can secure yourself a Nimble device, three capsule sets, and a charging cable in the box. You can opt to pledge $300 for the higher reward tier if you’re feeling generous, but as far as we can tell, the only difference is the additional $50 expenditure. No extra perks are included.

With 24 days to go on Kickstarter, Nimble’s higher-than-expected demand bodes well for the fledgling company, though its supply chain might beg to differ. Whether its overwhelming success inadvertently puts a bottleneck on its release schedule remains to be seen.