Andrew Gardner, creator of a pen made from modular magnets and pen parts called POLAR, had his recent Kickstarter manufacturing fundraiser for the pen close at 58 times the value he asked for-earning $817,164 in Canadian dollars rather than his requested $14,000. The enormous leap in fundraising volume for the pen is likely due to the massive interest its video demo generated online with major tech sites such as Wired and CNET. Now, however, that interest may have backfired-in the form of the ban by the Canadian government.
CBC News has reported that Health Canada, a Canadian federal government organization responsible for citizen health and safety, is considering banning the pen because of the small magnetic parts it contains. While larger in size, the pen is being compared to the magnetic desk toy Buckyballs, which were banned in Canada in April of 2013. The small magnets posed a serious health hazard if swallowed in pairs, sometimes binding together and causing blockages, tears or internal bleeding.
Health Canada has not yet made a decision, still gathering information on the products design and manufacturing. If the pen is banned in Canada, Gardner will have to seek manufacturing outside the country, as well as refund the money of Canadian Kickstarter backers.
For more information, visit the story on the CBC’s site.
