Our next Future Human event is Micro Manufacturing, where we’ll be looking at how 3D printing and other new manufacturing processes are getting Britain off its knees, reinvigorating its economy, and allowing ordinary people to create extraordinary things. One of the guests on our panel debate will be Brendan Dawes, of Manchester design firms Beep Industries and magneticNorth, and he’s currently working on a witty and useful product that you Futurehumanistas can buy very soon.

It’s called Red Pop, and its an iPhone peripheral that allows you a far more efficient way to take photos. Rather than the sleek but often slow process of using the touch screen, Red Pop clips onto the end of the phone into the charging port, powers up the free Red Pop app, and gives you a big circular red button (in a nice nod towards the classic Leica logo) to press to take photos. It allows for faster and more constant photo taking, and gives back some of the satisfying tactility of film cameras without the tiresome business of film itself. Check out the video below for more info and demos:

Future Human has had a number of guests in the past who have used crowdfunding for their projects, from the Nu Desine crew and their AlphaSphere to Catwalk Genius and their innovative fashion funding model. And Red Pop did the same – pooling cash online from as many engaged individuals as possible in order to get it off the ground. They actually got $48,081, well over double their initial target, and the Red Pop has now gone into production ready for pre-orders to be made very soon (sign up with them to find out exactly when). Given the huge popularity of cameraphones, plus image sharing apps like Instagram and the rest, it’s innovations like these that are going to change the way most people take photos.

This kind of British manufacturing success story is what we want to celebrate at the event, and it will be fascinating to hear from Brendan how him and his companies are leveraging the new technology and opportunities available to them. The event runs from 7 – 9.30pm on Wednesday August 10 at The Book Club, Shoreditch, London, and advance tickets are available here. See you there, and keep your eyes peeled for the arrival of Red Pop!