From time to time, we post about crowd funding projects that are interesting, but more and more we are seeing news reports about projects from Kickstarter or Indiegogo that turn out to be fraudulent. This sucks. For the most part, this goes unpunished and companies get away with all of the money that’s been invested.
It looks as though that’s about to happen again, with Fontus. Fontus is a water bottle that, in opposition to the laws of physics, claims to be able to generate enough water from the air, that you can carry its small, one liter bottle around on your travels and never have to worry about stopping to refill it.
With 2 days left to go in their campaign, the company behind Fontus has attracted $341,668 USD. More than 1,000% of its fundraising goals.
Now, Youtuber Thunderf00t, has posted a new video, exposing the Fontus as a complete scam. It turns out that, even in the best conditions, the bottle will generate no more than one liter of liquid in 60 hours. In less than 80% humidity, the bottles efficiency drops at least 50%. So, as it turns out, you don’t have to worry about refilling the bottle… you’ll die of dehydration well before it fills back up.
One of the main perks offered in the crowdfunding campaign is the actual product. However, the fine print from Fontus makes it extremely clear that in the event that they are not able to make a working product, no perks will ever be sent out and no refunds will be given to the people who supported them. What makes that doubly interesting is the fact that Fontus shows the product in action in their videos, but only discloses in print that they are just demonstrations and not actual working prototypes. Those still don’t exist.