Pruto mesh communicator

Kickstarter:

Different from traditional walkie-talkies, Pruto is always ready to pick up and transmit your voice to your group, no push-to-talk is required. You simply speak whenever you want to share your “wow” moments in real-time with friends while you rush down a slope, without the distraction of stopping to handle equipment.

Planning for an off-the-beaten-path trip with your teammates, but the unstable cell phone signal makes teamwork difficult? Pruto work it out! Adopted mesh network that requires neither Wi-Fi nor cellular networks, it provides a more reliable connection no matter where you are so your fun won’t be interrupted by weak signals or dropped calls.

As product developers, our Bear senses went tingling as soon as we saw this campaign. The product itself is almost a moon shot. We have seen many startups trying to create something like this and failing. Remember MILO?

The idea is not new. Can Pruto execute?

The video makes it look like a great product. There isn’t much they need to show in the video, just visual effects to give you an idea of what it does. Can the product actually delivery what it promises?

Backers have already been requesting the creators for more transparency, and it seems that the product is not a mesh product, but uses DMR radio. This is more like a walkie talkie in a different form factor. Does this mean that they are misleading consumers by calling it a mesh communicator?

They claim that the testimonials prove that the product is real and working. Well, they are just videos of random people, and two out of three are hiding their faces behind shades. Oh wait, they are the same people who appear in the campaign video. So they are models and not actual users.

Background check

We weren’t able to find any information about the company or brand. If it is truly an innovative product, they would have patented the technology and protected their trademark as well. No effort has been put in that. This suggests that this might be a scam campaign.

They don’t mention anything about the team either. Only a photo of their supposed founder.

No company name. No business address. They use Outlook email addresses to communicate with backers. Why not use a custom email address on their domain?

Similar product

There is another product that promises the same features in a similar form factor. MILO was funded in November 2020 and raised $2.5 million but has yet to deliver. The MILO campaign looks a lot less scammy, but we are not surprised that they are unable to delivery because this is not an easy product to make.

Hi, I’m Takeshi.

I’m a cyborg bear. You might think I go for techy stuff, but I do have an artistic side and appreciate good design.