The NFT industry has grown in popularity over the last few years. Some recent NFT projects, such as the Bored Ape Yacht Club and the Azuki collection, have sold for millions of dollars. However, with so many new NFT projects cropping up every day, creators and developers have been pushed to look beyond traditional NFTs, which are usually digital artworks stored in blockchains. This has given rise to a new generation of NFTs that has proven utility across different industries. Here is a list of some of the craziest, most innovative NFT projects that offer practical functionality and real-world worth. (Image: Shutterstock)
Crypto Space Agency (CSA) NFTs: The CSA, an innovative crypto company, wants to leverage the power of NFT ownership to make commercial space travel possible for ordinary people. Last week, CSA launched its NFT project called the 'Gen-1 NFT Membership', which will allow holders to become space travellers or 'Cryptonauts' on upcoming commercial space trips. CSA has partnered with Blue Origin and has made seats available for Gen-1 NFT holders on the upcoming New Shepard space mission. The Gen-1 NFTs went live on Monday, with 5,555 NFTs priced at 0.25 ETH each (approximately Rs. 55,000). Blue Origin will then randomly select NFT holders and train them for spaceflight. (Image: Shutterstock)
KillRoy NFTs: Not one for space travel? Good news, you can still aim for the stars, right here on planet Earth, with the 'KillRoy' NFT collection. The collection was created by famous Hollywood director Kevin Smith who is responsible for hits like 'Jay and silent Bob' and 'Chasing Amy'. The NFT collection is named after Smith's upcoming comedy-horror movie series, 'KillRoy Was Here'. The collection of 5,555 NFTs will be released in the next three months and will provide holders access to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, a commentary track, and art from the film. More importantly, viewing access will be given to only the holders of the NFT. In a statement, director Kevin Smith also said, "the shorts and animation that the KillRoy NFT owners create with their own KillRoys (NFTs) will make up the bulk of our sequel anthology." Basically, holders of the NFT will also be able to contribute to the upcoming film. So, if you've fancied being a part of a Hollywood flick, the Killroy NFT is for you. (Image: Shutterstock)
Glenfiddich Whiskey NFTs: NFTs provide a robust ownership certificate that is stored in secure blockchains. This ownership model is now also being used by Distillers William Grant and Son for their famous Glenfiddich whiskey. The popular distillers are using NFTs as proof of ownership for their premium 46-year-old whiskey. Last year they sold 15 bottles of this premium whiskey, accompanied by a revolving NFT image. The images are an artistic presentation of the premium bottle, which also acts as a certificate of ownership. The bottles are scarce in the market, making them the perfect NFT asset. The owners of the NFT can sell it to others or redeem it to receive the physical bottle. (Image: Shutterstock)
VeeFriends NFTs: One of the more unique aspects of NFTs is the embedded smart contracts, a self-executing code that is triggered when certain conditions have been met. The NFT collection by Belarusian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk uses smart contracts that give access to his VeeFriends community and an annual conference known as VeeCon. The NFTs in the collection are cartoon characters drawn by Gary himself. In 2021, the collection launched with 10,255 NFTs, which gives all holders access to VeeCon. The conference is a networking opportunity centred around business, marketing, ideas, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and competition. Each NFT also gives the holder a handful of one-on-one meetings with Gary, a serial entrepreneur and trend-setter. These meetings can be used to flesh out ideas, discuss solutions to business problems, or just chat. (Image: Shutterstock)
Digital Racehorse NFTs: The world of competitive animal racing has also been gamified by the NFT space. Digital horse racing is becoming an expanding sub-sector of the crypto and NFT world. On digital horse racing platforms like Zed, you can now own, buy/sell, and breed horses in the form of NFTs without ever leaving your home. Digital horse racing is essentially a video game where the horses are represented as NFTs with different attributes like bloodline, genotype, breed, gender and colour coat. The rarer the horse's characteristics, the more valuable and likely it is to win a race. Owners of these digital horses have complete control over their daily routine, like resting and breeding, which can help increase the chance of winning. The race itself is a game of chance that uses algorithms to decide the outcome, but the algorithm also considers the horse's attributes and its past performance when determining a winner. (Image: Shutterstock)
World of Women NFTs: Even though NFTs are often seen as investments solely designed to line one's pocket with profits, they are also used in charitable endeavours. One such example is the World of Women NFT collection, which aims to raise money for women-led projects and organisations worldwide. Their latest drop of NFTs in March consisted of artwork created by World of Women founder Yam Karkai herself. The collection was titled 'World of Women Galaxy' and had a science fiction theme. The holders of the NFTs own the underlying artwork and have the intellectual property rights of the NFT. (Image: Shutterstock)
Coachella NFTs: The idea of NFTs being used to provide exclusive deals and unique experiences is catching on more and more every day. Now, Coachella, one of the world's most prominent music festivals, is getting into the NFT game. The festival organisers have partnered with the popular crypto exchange FTX to create their NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain. Festival attendees can use this marketplace to purchase and trade NFT tokens. The first set of NFT tokens will allow holders to have lifetime festival passes and exclusive access to virtual events Coachella plans to have this year. Other NFT collections are also planned for the future, which will give holders 10,000 images and sounds of the festival. A premium tier of NFTs will also be released to provide holders with a limited-edition photobook commissioned to celebrate the festival's 20-year history. (Image: Shutterstock)
Midnight Society Founders NFT: One of the most popular professions to emerge in the last few years is video game streaming. It has gone from a hobby to an innovative art form, with millions of people watching and following streamers. One of the most infamous video game streamers entrenched with fame and controversies is Dr DisRespect. Dr DisRespect, who has a massive fan following, has created his own gaming studio called Midnight Society. The studio has been working on a titled 'Project Moon' and has released something the studio calls the Midnight Society Founders Pass. The pass allows members to give input in the development of the studio's first game and access to exclusive NFTs. The cost of the pass is only Rs. 3,824, and it gives access to an early game build also. (Image: Shutterstock)