There may be a pocket-friendly alternative to a tripod for camera phones and digital cameras starting in August.

Boise State University senior Matt Baty has designed the Statc, a golf ball-sized device that can steady a mobile phone or digital camera where tripods fear to tread — and its neodymium magnet won’t damage flash memory.

Baty, 27, an information technology major from Bedford, Va., came up with the idea during a trip to Seattle, when he wished he could take steadier pictures on his iPhone.

When he returned to Boise, he began prototyping ways to mount his phone with the aid of TechHelp, a publicly funded group that helps Idaho companies with manufacturing and product development needs.

The process was fraught with trial and error. “We probably built five different prototypes to get where we are today,” says Blake Young, new product development specialist at TechHelp. “It’s a pretty innovative little device.”

The next step was finding investors, and assembling a package of promotional materials, including professionally shot videos, which Baty posted on Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website that allows potential sponsors to make small donations. Statc began fundraising on May 22, with a goal of $27,000 by June 21. So far he has raised about $8,500. He plans to sell the device for $54.99.

For Baty, the camera holder is a personal passion that’s part of a larger life goal.

“I made it for me,” he says. “Ever since I was little, I wanted to start a business.”

Harrison Berry: berryht@gmail.com