[tt] [Wearables] physiology wristwatch

[Eugen Leitl]

----- Forwarded message from Thad Starner <thad at cc.gatech.edu> -----

From: Thad Starner <thad at cc.gatech.edu>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:36:23 -0700 (PDT)
To: wearables at cc.gatech.edu
Subject: [Wearables] physiology wristwatch
Reply-To: thad at cc.gatech.edu

The U.S. Company Exmocare has developed a novel
wristwatch, which is capable of monitoring many
physiological signals. The watch can send a report
regarding the wearer's emotional and physiological
state to a loved one or caretaker, via email, SMS, or
instant messaging. The Exmocare wristwatch could prove
to be an important tool in the field of remote care
for the elderly and according to Exmocare should be
available stating early 2008.

The new Exmocare wristwatch monitors the wearer's
heart rate and heart rate variability, in addition to
the wearer's galvanic skin response and relative
movement. Using a technique called
photoplethysmography, the wristwatch measures blood
volume pulse (BVP) via infrared LEDs, sending an
infrared beam towards the skin's surface. The watch
calculates the BVP by measuring the infrared light
reflected from the wearer's skin. This technique
allows the Exmocare watch to monitor one's heart rate
from the bottom of the watch.

 The Exmocare wristwatch uses these physical signals
in order to analyze the wearer's emotional state. Any
emotional state leads to a specific, detectable change
in our body. The wearer's emotional state is inferred
based on general knowledge about the physiological
expression of emotions, as well as on the specific
context of an individual's physiology.

When the Exmocare watch is worn over a period of time,
it learns to recognize the wearer's baseline physical
state, This allows the watch to analyze various
changes by comparing them to the individual's normal
state. By recognizing the context, the device  can
produce more accurate reports on the person's
feelings.

One can decide who receives the monitored information
as well as what information they will receive.
User-configurable alerts enable the wearer to choose
how others will be notified in case something is wrong
(by email, SMS, or instant messaging). When something
happens to the wearer, the watch sends a signal to a
PC. The PC passes the information through the
Internet, and from there the caregiver, friend, or
relative can receive the alert even to their cell
phone.

By notifying the wearer and the caretakers of  even
the slightest physiological changes, the watch can act
as a preventative early warning system. Exmocare draws
attention to our body's warning signals, helping us to
make necessary  lifestyle changes and receive the
support we need. This unique watch can also be used to
monitor people with chronic illnesses and help manage
personal fitness and weight loss.

According to information supplied to TFOT by
representative form Exmocare, the new watch will
include a host of cutting edge technologies in one
small device, including: onboard DSP,local storage of
physiological information, connectivity over GSM for
remote monitoring, point-to-point wireless ZigBee
communication, remote location tracking and an OLED
user interface. 

TFOT recently covered a different technology that can
monitor physiological signs called BioHarness, which
was developed by the New-Zealand based company Zephyr.
TFOT also covered a different invention developed by
NEC, called KOTOHANA,  2 flower-shaped terminals
equipped with LEDs that recognize your emotions by
analyzing speech patterns. 

More information on the Exmocare wristwatch can be
found on the company's website.





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Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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