CES 2013: iMusic BodyRhythm wants to pummel your shoulders via touch input

There's always a few wacky things here at CES, and at Pepcom's annual CES sideshow I stumbled upon the iMusic BodyRhythm. It looks a bit like a life jacket, but can be controlled by your iOS device via a special app. What does it do? It "massages" your shoulders via a series of tiny taps. Frankly, it wasn't the most relaxing massage I've had, as it felt more like Smurf paratroopers landing on my shoulders at strategic points, and then jumping around with clogs on.

Still, the high-end leather and novelty of the product will mean the company intends to sell more to high-end customers in Asia than your average Apple Store customer in the Mall of America.

The app had some pre-programmed massage sequences, but also added "games" like a drum tapping game and the ability to shake the device and get poked somewhat randomly. These were neat, but not what I'd call a comfortable massage.

And the kicker to all this: This is a Kickstarter project with under US$1,000 pledged so far. It's a little hard to tell from the project page, but it looks like you can pre-order the vaporous product for the low price of $149.

It's odd to see someone spending the money to attend both Pepcom and CES whilst also pitching a Kickstarter project. I would have thought that money could have been put toward making a shipping product, but welcome to the new age of wacky iOS accessories fueled by fever dreams of Kickstarter funding.

Here's their pitch video: