Some of today's most successful products got their start in the same place: ABC's show “Shark Tank.” The premise is that business owners pitch their ideas to investors and hope that they make a good enough impression to get funded. the show lives up to its name, too—the investors didn't get where they are by supporting bad ideas, so business owners have to hustle to make sure that their ventures are likely to be a success. Over the show's run, several engineering and science products have gone up in front of the panel of investors. Here are the five best:
This business, founded by Justin Wang, created an innovative water bottle that keeps cold liquids cold for a full day, and hot liquids hot for up to 12 hours. Not only that, but the bottle is also equipped with a UV-C device. You might remember UV-C from all of the press it received during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been touted as a very effective way to kill pathogens, and the LARQ PureVis bottle takes advantage of that. Using its UV-C LED lights, it can self-clean every 2 hours and eliminate 99.99% of viruses and bacteria.
Where is it now? The LARQ PureVis water bottle is still going strong. (It helps that the company was quite successful even before appearing on the show.) It's available at several major retailers for $95.
Billed as “the solution to all your breaks, tears, and cracks,” FiberFix Heat Wrap is an adhesive wrap that's 100 times stronger than duct tape. It's specially designed for high-temperature repairs (up to 850° F) and hardens like steel. This wrap is particularly helpful for automotive repairs like exhaust leaks—soak the wrap in water, apply it to the leak, and it'll buy you some time to get to a shop. That's not to say that it's only good for quick car fixes, either. FiberFix Heat Wrap is suitable for a variety of repairs, high-temperature or otherwise.
Where is it now? FiberFix Heat Wrap is very successful and available on Shark Tank's website and at other retailers. One roll of 2” wide wrap is approximately $12.
These construction sets consist of flexible pieces that snap together, encouraging dexterity and imaginative play in kids ages 6-18. They snap together, and some sets allow for structures as big as three feet tall. In July 2020, several pieces from a Qubits building set took a ride on a high-altitude research balloon. That means that they got the chance to go where few toys have gone before—right to the edge of space. Each kit comes with a booklet full of inspiration for construction projects suitable for all ages.
Where is it now? Qubits STEM Construction Sets are very popular. Parents and kids alike love them alongside LEGO and other building toys. The sets are available in multiple sizes on the Qubits website and other online retailers.
Engineering is all about problem-solving, and InstaFire was created to solve what's possibly the oldest problem facing humanity—how to easily and safely light a fire. This product is made of a carefully engineered blend of recycled wood, volcanic rock, and paraffin wax. It lights easily and when lit, the flame can endure 20 miles an hour winds, rain, and even immersion in water. It's also completely non-toxic, easy to store, and capable of lighting wet wood.
Where is it now? InstaFire products are available through the company's website, as well as other online retailers.
Writing your ideas down is one of the best ways to work through problems and remember information. There are just a few problems with conventional notebooks—they fill up, pages fall out, and they get lost easily. That's where the Rocketbook can help. It allows the user to write down whatever they need, just like a conventional notebook. It connects to the cloud, allowing the user to then access their notes from any other device. After the Rocketbook is full, popping it into the microwave erases the contents so it can be reused over and over. Interestingly, this product wasn't funded when it appeared on Shark Tank but has still gone on to succeed.
Where is it now? The Rocketbook is available at online retailers, as well as electronics and office supply shops.
Shark Tank sees a lot of products, from potato greeting cards to innovative wrist weights. Every so often, one of those ideas displays an interesting feat of science and engineering. These products all solve seemingly simple, age-old problems in innovative ways, and have gone on to commercial success after appearing on the show.
