kSafe is a smart safe that unlocks when you’ve reached your goals

If you don’t have any willpower, you could work on trying to motivate yourself, or you could buy a gadget that takes care of it for you, instead. That’s the idea behind kSafe, a smartphone-connected safe which launched on Kickstarter less than a week ago and has already smashed its $50,000 goal.

To use it, you put something you love – from your favourite snack to the TV remote – inside the safe. You then set a time for it to open, or a goal you have to reach before you can get inside again – which could be fitness related (such as taking a certain number of steps) or location based (proof that you’ve been to work or the gym) The safe automatically locks, and you won’t be able to open it until you reach the time or goal you’ve set. Seriously: there’s no way to override the system.

As well as using it for personal goals, kSafe can also be used to motivate your children – by letting them have their favourite toy/game controller when they’ve done their chores, for example. It can also remember and reload past goals, so you don’t have to keep setting it afresh each time.

The kSafe app, for iOS and Android, allows you to keep track of how well you’re doing on a daily basis and to chart your progress over time. It even works with existing fitness trackers like the Fitbit. The team behind kSafe, which includes two MIT graduates, has previously had success with the Kitchen Safe, which kept treats locked away until a specific time (like the end of the day or week). They now have a working kSafe prototype, and aim to ship to backers in October.

It measures 195 x 244 mm and comes in snow white, space black, or snow white with a translucent base. Early birds can snap one up for $79 (or £53, a £34 saving on the retail price).