myLIFTER is a "smart" lifting device that you control with your iOS smart phone or tablet over Bluetooth 4.0.

The myLIFTER is a motorized lifter that was designed to solve two problems:

The first is to eliminate wasted space by enabling you to lift and store things in places that are normally hard to reach. Use it for short-term or long-term storage!

The second is to help you lift heavy and awkward items with just the push of a button. For example, you can use it to lift something into the bed of a pickup truck or onto the roof rack of a car!

Each myLIFTER unit is 3” by 4.5” by 4.5” (slightly larger than an adult fist), and weighs around 2 pounds, making it easy for one person to handle and install.

Despite its small size, each myLIFTER can lift up to 50 pounds! It is ideal for lifting and storing objects like bicycles, kayaks, and cargo boxes.

Additionally, you can install multiple myLIFTERs together to raise larger items like a storage platform or Jeep hardtop. You can synchronize them within the app and control them all with a single button press. The myLIFTERS are so smart that when linked they will communicate with each other to ensure they lift heavy items evenly!

The spool has a built-in cable management system that will keep the myLIFTER's 25 feet of stainless steel lifting cable from tangling up, even if you raise and lower it with no weight attached.

myLIFTER has safety features built in that will stop it from lifting if users accidentally exceed the 50-pound weight limit. It also has an internal brake system that locks the spool automatically when it’s not moving or if it loses power.

We designed the myLIFTER to be controlled with your iOS smart device through an intuitive app-based interface.

If you don't have a compatible device, don't worry. We have also developed a handy remote control that you can use instead. This remote will let you pair with dozens of myLIFTERs, name them, and control them just like you can do with the app.

myLIFTER uses Bluetooth LE (4.0) to communicate with iOS smart devices. Current iOS devices that support Bluetooth LE are iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, all iPad minis, iPod touch 5th generation, and all iPads beginning with the third generation.

Each myLIFTER has a really neat feature built in called "smartLIFT." The idea behind smart lift came from us wanting to make lifting and lowering the same item over and over again hassle free.

smartLIFT allows you to program a preset high and low point for each item to lift and lower to. Once you set your high and low points, pressing the smart lift and smart lower buttons will automatically send your item to the preset places.

myLIFTER was designed to be easy to install and comes with a lightweight bracket that you mount to your ceiling with three included lag screws. After screwing the bracket to the framing in your ceiling, you simply lift the myLIFTER up to the bracket, line up the holes, and slide in two spring-locking pins to secure it into place.

Power is supplied from a small wall-mounted AC adapter. To get power to your myLIFTER, you run a small cable along your wall and ceiling through some included self-adhesive cable holders.

Each myLIFTER unit comes with the lifter, mounting bracket, mounting hardware, lifting hardware, power supply, power supply mount, and a 15-foot electrical extension cable. International backers need not worry, the power supply will accept 110 or 240 VAC input from the wall.

To purchase any of the accessories, simply add the cost to your pledge. Don't worry about telling us what the extra money is for yet. We will send out a survey when the Kickstarter is over.

The myLIFTER team is made up of a group of guys that have worked together for years on many different projects.

We grew tired of all the wasted space in our garages and decided there had to be a better way to store the items that we use every day, as well as the things that we wanted to put away for longer periods of time.

We had some brainstorming sessions and realized that all of us shared a similar problem. We all use our garages for storage, and our floors are always covered with our stuff! We decided shelving took up to much floor space, and many items like bikes and kayaks simply could not even fit on traditional shelves.

We decided to make a small motor that we could mount to the ceiling and get some of our bulkier items off of the floor and out of our way.

The first lifter was crude, but it worked well enough that we knew we were on to something. After a year of work and several revisions, we are ready to take our myLIFTER to the next step!

After several initial prototypes, we have finalized the design and have built six test units using 3D printed plastic parts and CNC machined metal parts.

We need to finalize the app used to control the myLIFTER and get it into the app store. Much of the hard work is done, but we want to clean up the interface to make it easier to control and synchronize multiple myLIFTERS.

We need to take the CAD models and schematics we have made and produce production and assembly drawings to send to the factories.

We have identified a couple of different factories for each major component that we can use, depending on how many myLIFTERS are sold. They still need to make the injection molds for the plastic parts, the stamping dies for the steel parts, CNC machine the parts needed for the gearboxes, and configure the machines needed to produce the circuit boards for each myLIFTER.

We need to finalize the shipping and retail packaging.

We have found a few factories that can do the final assembly and packaging for myLIFTER, and we will watch the Kickstarter campaign to decide which one will be appropriate, based on the number of units that we sell.

Between all of us, we have taken on many hardware, software, and app-based projects. We are having a blast working on the myLIFTER together!

We have come to Kickstarter for three main reasons on the myLIFTER project:

The first reason is that we need funds to further develop the app that you will use to control the myLIFTER. We have a working developer version that we have loaded onto many iOS devices for testing, but work still needs to be done to get it ready for the app store.

The second reason is that we need funds to get the first batch of myLIFTERs manufactured. Our vision for myLIFTER is a smart garage with many lifters. The only way to make that happen is to get the price down with a bulk order from a manufacturer.

And the third reason we have come to Kickstarter is we feel like we are just scratching the surface of things you can do with myLIFTER. We have come up with a few accessories on our own, like the bike hooks, kayak hooks, and storage platforms.

We will be watching the comments section closely during the campaign for accessory ideas. We will prototype and test the best ideas that we see during the campaign and then offer them for sale to our backers!

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

A project as complex as myLIFTER always carries risks and challenges. We have built and tested several working prototypes. It is now time to transition into mass production.

We feel the biggest challenge we will have to overcome is setting up the supply chain to bring all the parts needed together for assembly, as well as testing and packaging each myLIFTER unit.

We have contacted factories all over the globe that specialize in making the many different parts each myLIFTER requires. We have sent them our initial designs, schematics, and code to get cost and timeline quotes for each part.

We feel very confident that when issues do come up during the manufacturing process, our team of mechanical and electrical engineers can tackle each one and get it sorted out in a timely manner so we can deliver our rewards on time.

Source: Kickstarter Inc.