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Snail Speedometer
A garden radar gun calibrated for snails, reading in millimetres per minute.
by Gwen Ashdown
€15,035
pledged of €15,500 goal
- Backers
- 330
- Funded
- 97%
- From
- €29
Backed by Klara D., Youssef B. and 328 others
Recently backed
- Klara D. · Ljubljana ·
- Youssef B. · Casablanca ·
- Esben M. · Odense ·
- Renate P. · Nuremberg ·
Story
Most radar guns on the market read from 5 km/h upward, which is well above anything found in a garden. The Snail Speedometer starts at zero and reads in millimetres per minute.
Logging every pass
The unit uses a 60 GHz radar module with a resolution of 0.1 mm/min and a range of 2 m, mounted on a stake at the edge of the bed. Every pass is logged with a timestamp, so a single snail's progress across an afternoon can be reviewed later rather than watched live.
Reading the leaderboard
The weatherproof display posts a daily leaderboard, identified by shell marking where the marking is visible. Unmarked snails are logged as unidentified and ranked separately, so as not to disqualify them.
The alert
A top speed alert sounds above 50 mm/min. This has happened once, during an early test, and the reading was confirmed against the log rather than taken on trust.
Shipping
The stake ships worldwide. A 72-hour battery covers a typical measurement session regardless of which lawn it is measuring.
| Radar module | 60 GHz, tip-mounted |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 0.1 mm/min |
| Range | 2 m |
| Display | Weatherproof e-paper, daily leaderboard |
| Identification | By shell marking, where visible |
| Alert threshold | 50 mm/min |
| Battery | 72 hours, USB-C |
| Mount | Stake, 300 mm standard |
Stretch goals
- €20,000A second radar module, for parallel races(not yet)
- €24,000A weekly leaderboard export, emailed automatically(not yet)
Rewards
One speedometer
€29
One Snail Speedometer on its stake, with the leaderboard display.
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 230 claimed
Two speedometers
€55
Two units, for a garden with a front and back bed to compare.
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 80 claimed
Garden set
€99
Three speedometers sharing one leaderboard display, for a garden with several beds to compare.
- 30 of 50 left
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 20 claimed
Add-ons
Add a Reward to your Cart first: Add-ons come with one.
- Spare stake€12
Just support it
No Reward, only the satisfaction. With a Reward in your Cart, this adds to that Pledge as bonus support.
Updates
Approaching the goal
We are close to fully funded, with two weeks left. The second radar module and the leaderboard export are still open stretch goals; either would need meaningfully more support to unlock.
One alert, confirmed
A top speed alert sounded during a resident test, at just over 50 mm/min. We checked the log against the timestamped pass and the reading held. No change to the threshold is planned.
Logging began on schedule
The first units off the bench have been logging test gardens for two weeks with no missed passes. The daily leaderboard is holding up well, including for the unidentified column.
Backers also backed
- FIG. 1 · TF-0026Live
- Pledged
- €35,800
- Funded
- 149%
- Remaining
- FIG. 1 · TF-0022Funded
Grass Growth Notifier
Garden · Gwen Ashdown
- Pledged
- €26,400
- Funded
- 132%
- Backers
- 320
More from this category
- FIG. 1 · TF-0016Upcoming
- Goal
- €8,000
- From
- €29
- Launches in
Comments
Does the display work through fog?
It works through fog. The stake does not, if the ground is soft.
Backed for my hosta bed. Curious whether it separates species, or just counts anything that moves.
Will it read slugs as well as snails?
It will. Slugs read slower, and the leaderboard reflects that honestly.
The alert went off during a resident test. Was that a real reading?
Yes. We reviewed the log afterward and confirmed it.
Chose the 600 mm stake for the back lawn. The bed there is further from the path.
Backed two units, one per raised bed. The leaderboard will need both.
Shell marking on my garden's snails is not very distinct. Any advice?
Chalk works, applied lightly. It washes off within a week, which is intentional.
Ninety-seven percent funded. Nearly there.