It's a few months late but Empatica's seizure and stress detecting Embrace smart band is now shipping to Indiegogo backers.
The wearable, which began life as an MIT Media Lab project, looks like a hipster fitness tracker but uses sensors to track electrodermal activity - sweat induced moisture.
As well as monitoring temperature and movement, this means Embrace is able to detect spikes in any activity, showing when a user is anxious, depressed, stressed or about to have an epileptic seizure. This core part of its functionality, for some users at least, is called the Embrace Alert System and works with a companion app.
Read this: How wearable tech and VR can tackle panic attacks
Its Indiegogo project, which raised $780,000, was marketed to both epilepsy sufferers and people who want to keep an eye on their general stress levels. Shipping was set for December 2015 so - by crowdfunding standards - the fact that Empactica has begun to ship (beta) devices is pretty impressive.
This is one wearable tech crowdfund project that has real science behind it, too. The Embrace has a sleek, minimalist design made from polished metal and Italian leather but its bulkier, beefier siblings, the E3 and E4 are being used in hospitals and universities for research into detecting epileptic seizures as early as possible.
Another nice touch with the original campaign was that for each Embrace that was purchased, a child with epilepsy would receive a free one. We're assuming these are either beginning to be sent out too or will follow the paid orders.
Have you received your Embrace? Let us know if it's helping with stress or seizures in the comments.
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