Wearable technology is all the rage lately. While Google Glass maybe didn’t take off quite the way everyone thought it would, it’s not uncommon to walk down the street and pass a whole slew of people wearing Apple Watches and FitBits. But wearables go beyond just wrist-based activity trackers (although those are certainly very popular), and a quick look at Product Hunt or Kickstarter will show you just how innovative the wearable tech industry has become.
11 Innovative Wearables For Your Whole Family (Even Your Pet)
1. The O
How many times have you left the house only to arrive at your destination and think to yourself, “I completely forgot to bring ____”? Whether it’s your phone charger or an umbrella, The O will remind you. The O acts as a virtual personal assistant by alerting you (via its mobile app) when you’re leaving home without something important.
2. Jewelbots
Jewelbots is wearable tech for kids — friendship bracelets that teach coding! The bracelets can be linked up to friends’ bracelets and then kids can use coding to help send each other buzz codes. When the Jewelbots are connected to the mobile app or the computer, more features are available for children to customize their bracelets by learning some code.
3. Whistle
Why should humans have all the fun when it comes to wearable technology? Whistle is made with your pets in mind. Dogs get loose and cats wander away from home, but with Whistle, you will always be able to find your furry friend. That’s not all, though. This device is a full activity tracker for your pet, so you can also monitor their overall health and track progress on the way to their goals, thus helping you to help your pet live a long and healthy life.
4. Ringly
If you’re a person who prefers an activity tracker primarily for the alerts you can get from your phone, you know that some of those wrist devices can be bulky and difficult to blend into your outfits. Ringly is in the business of making fashionable jewelry into wearable tech so that you don’t have to sacrifice style for text alerts, and you can leave your phone in your bag or your pocket. Keeping the phone out of sight means that you’re more likely to focus on the people around you, as well.
5. Octopus
Octopus is a watch that helps children ages 3-8 develop good habits. It’s icon-based so that kids can understand what it is they’re supposed to be doing, and it helps to reinforce routines as well as promote independence and responsibility. Parents can also program alerts that will show up on the watch for their children. Octopus has far, far surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $50,000 and, as of this writing, currently has over $605,000 raised. Octopus is expected to start delivering in March 2017.
6. CLASSON Helmet
Another Kickstarter that has far surpassed its goal (at the time of this writing, over $105,000 of a $30,000 goal has been raised), CLASSON is a smart bicycle helmet. With turn signals and brake lights that are triggered by your body movement, you’ll always be visible and signaling your intentions to motorists sharing the road. Additionally, the helmet uses lights to alert you when there are cars in your blind spot.
7. ZENTA by VINAYA
ZENTA is a wearable for your wrist, but unlike many other devices that only track your activity, ZENTA also tracks your emotional well-being and helps you to manage stress and emotions, thus helping you to transform your daily habits. From its Indiegogo page (which has raised more than double its goal of $100,000): “ZENTA is your personalized coach for both body & mind, on your wrist. Discover how your habits and actions influence your stress, happiness, and productivity. ZENTA constructs your unique digital profile over time by tracking your physical activity, sleep quality, breathing patterns, stress levels, emotion states, and overall mood. ZENTA helps you adopt positive changes to your behavior and lifestyle so that you become the best version of yourself.” ZENTA is expected to arrive in April 2017.
8. 61N
61N is a wearable camera so that you can shoot pictures as you go about your day. It makes the concept of video journaling much simpler to achieve. All you do is connect the app to your phone, and then enjoy taking and uploading hands-free photos, which you can then edit on your phone. 61N has surpassed its $50,000 goal.
9. Mover Kit
Mover Kit is a toy that kids (ages 8+) can program using code so that it reacts to their movement with light. Its Kickstarter page (which also more than doubled its goal of raising $50,000) notes that there are infinite ways to program the toy, which allows children to learn the fundamentals of electronics and programming, as well as to solve problems creatively. It is expected to be shipping in time for the holidays.
10. The Shock Clock
Not a morning person? You will be once you’ve used the Shock Clock. In fact, after delivering a mild shock to wake you up, it also uses motion tracking to know that you’re out of bed, thus preventing you from cheating and going back to sleep. If you do go back to sleep? There’s an option to notify your friends so that they, too, can zap you. Need a reminder to go to the gym? Pavlock’s Shock Clock can help with that too. If zapping yourself isn’t really your thing, there are also options for beeps and vibrations to help you wake up and stay up. Shock Clock is expected to deliver in September 2016.
11. Rythm Dreem
With Rythm’s Dreem headband, you can improve the quality of your sleep. According to its page on Product Hunt, Dreem monitors brainwaves, analyzes sleep, and stimulates the brain with sound in order to improve the quality of deep sleep. You’re also able to view your stats through an app.
Wearable technology is getting more innovative all the time. It seems that if we can dream it, we can make it. What kind of wearable tech would you like to see or own?