Sychedelic, a consumer neurotechnology company building brain wearables, announced the successful close of a $3.5 million seed funding round led by Cultadvisors LLP, TurboStart, and IdeaBaaz (Kuberan Ventures), to launch the first-of-its-kind closed-loop neurostimulation headphones designed to help individuals shift from stress to calm, focus, or sleep in as little as 20 minutes.

"The future of neurotech is the integration into daily wearables that aren't only used for 20 minutes, but utilized throughout the day," states Ria Rustagi, co-founder and CEO of Sychedelic. "We wanted to create something people genuinely want to wear every day — headphones that look beautiful, feel natural, play music, and can also help you relax, focus, or fall asleep without depending on caffeine, supplements, or sleep medication, says a press release.

More than a business idea, Rustagi's motivation for building Sychedelic is deeply personal. She developed PTSD after her sister died from a misdiagnosed brain infection and later suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her first child. Those experiences reinforced for Rustagi the need for accessible, everyday tools that support emotional regulation, stress recovery, and mental health.

3-in-1 Headphones

Unlike traditional brain wearables that often resemble medical devices or laboratory equipment, Sychedelic was intentionally designed as a premium lifestyle product that users can comfortably wear anywhere they already use headphones. The company describes the product as a "3-in-1 cognitive wearable," combining the functionality of music headphones, a smart wellness tracker, and neurostimulation in a single device.

Read more FDA Clears Galaxy Buds to Function as Hearing Aids

The headphones combine tDCS neurostimulation, binaural audio technology, and live HRV biofeedback to help users regulate cognitive and emotional states in real time. Rather than relying on stimulants like caffeine for focus or medication for sleep support, Sychedelic uses adaptive neurotechnology designed to help users naturally shift how they feel based on the moment – whether that means becoming calmer, more energized, mentally clear, or ready for sleep.

The launch reflects a larger shift happening across the wellness and wearable technology industries. According to the Global Wellness Institute, adaptive wellness technologies are becoming one of the fastest-growing sectors within consumer health innovation.

"At a time when the world is confronting increasing mental health struggles and overwhelmed healthcare systems, Sychedelic is pioneering a category where wearable intelligence becomes the first line of defense for humanity itself," says Mudit Kumar, COO at Kuberan Ventures/Ideabaaz." Sychedelic represents a new generation of Indian deeptech - where science, AI and human empathy converge to redefine preventive healthcare at a global scale."

Sychedelic believes the next generation of wellness products will feel less like healthcare devices and more like seamlessly integrated lifestyle technology.

Key Features and Consumer Benefits

• Change Your Mood in Minutes: Transition to focus, relaxation or sleep states in 20 minutes.
• Closed-Loop Neurotechnology: Provides real-time biometric feedback.
• Sleep Support Without Drugs: Supports relaxation and sleep without medication or supplements.
• Premium Headphones: Stylish everyday headphones. Not clinical-looking brain technology.
• 3-in-1 Lifestyle Device: Combines music, wellness and adaptive neurotechnology in one wearable.

Giuseppina Pilloni, PhD, and Assistant Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, affirms Sychedelic's approach and the power of Neurotechnology to help individuals optimize their overall health. "Sychedelic is approaching mental wellness through a compelling combination of wearable technology, behavioral science, and personalized insights that has the potential to meaningfully transform how individuals understand and optimize their overall well-being."

Ganesh Raju, the Co-founder of TurboStart, who led the funding round, expresses his excitement for the technology. "We're excited to back Sychedelic as they build at the intersection of wellness, consumer health, and technology, and we look forward to supporting them through the next phase of growth."

The company says the funding raised will support continued product development, manufacturing scale-up, global expansion, and additional investment into AI-enabled adaptive wellness systems and personalized cognitive experiences.

About Sychedelic

Sychedelic is a neurotechnology company building closed-loop neuromodulation systems designed to help individuals relax, sleep, and focus better. The company's wearable platform combines tDCS neurostimulation, binaural beats, and live HRV biofeedback to create consumer-friendly mental performance technology focused on emotional regulation, focus optimization, sleep support, and sustainable cognitive wellness.

Sychedelic was co-founded by husband-and-wife team Ria Rustagi, CEO, and Bhavya Madan, CTO, of New Delhi, India.

SOND, a Boston-based sleep technology company, today emerged from stealth with $7 million in funding and unveiled Dreambuds, an in-ear sleep system designed to sense the body overnight and respond in real time. The round was led by E14 Fund, the MIT-affiliated venture firm, with Crosslink Capital and Ubiquity Ventures.

Most sleep products track the night and score it in the morning. Dreambuds are built to respond while the user is still asleep. The earbuds monitor 12 physiological signals overnight, including respiration, heart rate variability, cardiorespiratory coupling, sleep staging, body position, snoring, and seismocardiography (SCG). The system adapts audio in real time through a personalized AI sleep coach that learns what helps an individual fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up better. The coach draws on a library of more than 500 programs, including paced breathing exercises, guided meditations, soundscapes, and sleep stories, and can generate new content on demand, guiding a breathing exercise or reading a sleep story on any topic. Dreambuds is the first commercially available device to capture continuous overnight SCG and respiratory effort from the ear, says a press release.

Dreambuds also work without a phone in the bedroom. The charging case includes Wi-Fi, a display, and physical controls. After setup, users can start a sleep program, play a podcast, ask about their sleep, or continue a session directly from the earbuds and case. An optional companion app for iOS and Android adds sleep data and hypnograms, customizable sleep plans, and integration with Apple Health and Google Health Connect.

"Sleep technology has spent the last decade telling people how they slept," said Yadid Ayzenberg, founder and CEO of SOND. "Dreambuds are built for the next step: sensing what is happening during the night and responding in the moment, not just reporting back in the morning."

Dreambuds combine in-ear sensing, adaptive audio, active noise cancellation, and a phone-free case in a system designed for nightly use. The earbuds support audio programs for relaxation, masking, breathing, sleep onset, and overnight support, and the platform is also designed to support future research applications in sleep.

Read more Even Realities Hits $1B with $150M Funding

SOND was founded in 2022 by two MIT graduates. Ayzenberg holds a PhD from MIT, where his research focused on large-scale biosensor data analysis, a foundation for SOND's work in overnight physiological sensing. He previously founded The Sync Project, which was acquired by Bose in 2018, and later led Bose's consumer sleep business. Co-founder and CTO Amir Lazarovich holds a master's degree from MIT and previously led engineering teams at Google.

SOND's scientific advisors include Robert Stickgold, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, a leading researcher in sleep and memory consolidation, and Eti Ben Simon, PhD, Associate Director of the Sleep Innovation Labs in the Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas.

"Dreambuds bring sleep sensing and real-time response into the same in-ear platform," said Ayzenberg. "That matters because the ear lets us measure, deliver audio, and adapt the experience through the night."

About SOND

SOND is a Boston-based sleep technology company building Dreambuds, an in-ear sleep system designed to help people sleep better through real-time sensing, adaptive audio, and AI-guided sleep support.

Clair Health's wearable wristband uses a stack of ten biosensors, including biomagnetic sensors that it claims are not found in any competing consumer wearable, to read physiological signals like skin temperature, heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity. These markers are then run through AI models to determine a woman's hormonal cycle rather than taking blood or puncturing skin.

The concept of hormones is not abstract. They are physical molecules that attach to receptors throughout your body to cause quantifiable physiological effects that occur constantly, throughout several organ systems, and 24/7. This fundamental biology is the basis of Clair's methodology.

Following ovulation, progesterone increases and binds to hypothalamic receptors, raising your thermoregulatory set point by 0.3–0.5°C. It simultaneously lowers parasympathetic-mediated heart rate variability (RMSSD) by around 12%, raises resting heart rate by about 3.5 BPM, and modifies body composition through fluid retention that may be measured by bioimpedance. As estrogen levels rise during the follicular phase, it encourages vasodilation, which changes the spectral properties of photoplethysmographic signals, pulse wave shape, and arterial stiffness.

Clair’s multi-modal sensor array captures over 130 mechanistic indicators from the circulatory, thermoregulatory, autonomic, electrodermal, body composition, respiratory, acoustic, sleep, and activity domains. Their algorithms, which are trained against clinical-grade hormone ground truth rather than merely self-reported cycle data, learn the mapping between these multi-system physiological markers and the underlying hormonal state. As a result, the body continuously deduces hormones from signals it already produces.

Progesterone and estradiol are not measured by urine-based fertility and ovulation tests. They assess the hepatic metabolites of those hormones, E3G (estrone-3-glucuronide) and PdG (pregnanediol glucuronide). The test strips use the metabolite level to determine the levels of the parent hormone. Hormone molecules cannot be directly detected by blood immunoassays, the clinical gold standard for the majority of hormone testing.

Clair's approach is a different modality of inference – physiological rather than biochemical – but the epistemic structure is the same: measuring one thing to determine another, validated against ground truth. Their validation shows 94.1% accuracy in cycle phase classification and 87% sensitivity for LH surge detection, benchmarked against clinical-grade hormone assays (urinary LH for surge detection, serum and urinary hormone panels for phase classification). As Clair advance through their clinical study program in the coming months, the company said it will publish these validation metrics “so the scientific community can evaluate our inference chain on its merits.”

Clinically Validated Cycle Tracking

Tested across 40+ women and 127 menstrual cycles, Clair’s prototype analyzed more than 5,000 days of physiological data. Unlike studies relying on self-reported periods, our predictions were validated against clinical-grade hormone measurements.

The results showed 94.1% accuracy in identifying menstrual cycle phases using wearable data alone, along with 87% sensitivity in detecting LH surges. The study included women with regular and irregular cycles, diverse ages, BMIs, and skin tones.

Accuracy was higher for regular cycles (95.2%) than irregular ones (84.3%), highlighting an important area for further research and improvement.

Is Clair FDA approved?

Clair 1.0 will launch as a general wellness device, which does not require FDA clearance under current regulations. It provides cycle phase tracking, hormonal trend insights, and wellness metrics.

Clair 2.0 will pursue FDA 510(k) clearance to enable medical-grade claims -- including quantitative hormone reporting and ovulation detection for fertility applications. The regulatory pathway is well-established within the existing classification framework for reproductive health monitoring devices.

Can Clair track workouts, cardiovascular health, sleep, and other wellness metrics?

Yes. Clair's sensor array is more comprehensive than most consumer fitness wearables, not less. We continuously capture heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, multi-axis motion, sleep staging, respiratory patterns, electrodermal activity, bioimpedance, and more.

You will get workout detection, cardiovascular health metrics, sleep analysis, and stress monitoring. But with Clair, these metrics are contextualized by your hormonal state.

Before Fitbit, another wearable device dominated the market for almost 20 years. With its famous tagline, "I've fallen, and I can't get up," Life Alert, an emergency medical alert device firm, developed a pendant-style remote control device that could connect people to emergency services at the touch of a button. Older folks were the target users, while family members who were concerned about them were the target consumers in a subtle way.

These two groundbreaking wearables have now been spiritually combined to create the Luffu Link, a safety and health monitoring bracelet. It is the first piece of hardware for Luffu, a health tracking system that Fitbit cofounders James Park and Eric Friedman introduced earlier this year, reports Nate Berg in Fast Company.

Luffu was created as a centralized tool to manage the health of an entire family. It gathers activity data from wearable monitors, prescription and appointment schedules, health data from medical providers, and self-logged information about everything from meals to emotions. Luffu uses artificial intelligence to identify trends over time and provide proactive health-related insights and notifications.

The idea originated from Park and Friedman's personal experiences overseeing the health of elderly parents and other family members, some of whom resided in other states or towns. Managing patient portals, prescription schedules, appointments, dietary needs, and the routine daily check-ins to make sure individuals are okay became more and more difficult for them. There aren't many excellent tools available. There aren't many piecemeal fixes, according to Park.

Related Wearable Technology: Using Data to Improve Health

The Luffu Link passively monitors and analyzes activity, calories burnt, sleep, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, breathing rate, and other common health parameters. Additionally, it may be utilized actively, enabling users to use voice commands to check off their daily pills or add details to their profile, all of which are processed by the underlying AI.

According to Park, the screenless Luffu Link wearable makes handling the details of personal healthcare easier. Additionally, the program allows users to contribute information to several user profiles, such as those of children, adults, elderly family members, and pets.

Park provides an example of a note that a user could contribute to the system using the voice logging button on the Luffu Link: "Mom was really agitated today as I gave her her medication."

The AI in the system can also identify imbalances and changes that aren't being recorded, which can be crucial for family members or caretakers watching out for others.

According to Park, such information typically takes the form of a daily briefing, such as a morning update on each family member's health within the system. However, Luffu can also provide alerts that are more urgent.

“That’s definitely one of the bigger design challenges in the system. Like how does the system know to do the right thing and let the right people know?” Park says. “There’s going to be very few things which generate an alarm-level alert.”

You can preorder the Luffu Link for $249.99, and is expected to ship in early 2027.

Google announced the release of a new Health Guardian feature that will work across qualifying Pixel Watches and Fitbit Air.

Health Guardian is a collection of health and safety technologies that makes use of physiological data that is gathered in the background to offer insights into long-term health patterns, such as blood pressure, insulin resistance, and sleep breathing quality.

Additionally, the company unveiled a new breathing emergency detection tool that can recognize when a user experiences a serious or prolonged decline in oxygen saturation, such as during severe pneumonia, choking, or an unintentional drug overdose. The Pixel Watch will first have this capability in a few European nations, reports MobiHealthNews.

The devices' AI algorithms look at physiological data over a period of weeks to identify changes in metabolic health and assess an individual's insulin resistance, which impacts how well the body absorbs energy from food.

According to Google, the insulin feature, which makes use of an AI model trained on more than 1 trillion minutes of data from 5 million opted-in users, is intended to assist users in early detection of changes linked to insulin resistance so wearers can, if necessary, modify their diet, sleep patterns, or level of movement to improve their metabolic health. According to Google, the feature is not meant to identify or treat diabetes.

According to Google, the feature estimates blood pressure trends over time by passively monitoring a wearer's pulse and mobility patterns. The insights are intended to assist the wearer in determining whether lifestyle modifications or medical consultation are necessary.

WavesFM, a foundation model trained on billions of minutes of unprocessed heart and movement data, was used to train the blood pressure trends model.

Related When can You Treat a Fitness Tracker as a Medical Device?

The goal of the tech giant's sleep breathing feature is to provide users with information about their breathing patterns when they are asleep so they may assess longer-term breathing habits that might be impacting their energy and recuperation throughout the day.

According to Google, the wearer can examine their patterns to decide whether to change their daily routine and sleeping conditions or, if necessary, consult a medical specialist.

"A first of its kind, opt-in feature on Pixel Watch, breathing emergency detection can offer a lifeline by recognizing when a person's blood oxygen level drops dangerously low. If they become unresponsive, it automatically calls emergency services and their emergency contacts so they can receive potentially life-saving care," the tech giant said in a statement.

"Breathing emergency detection uses an advanced, AI-based algorithm to analyze signals from your watch's heart rate, motion and altitude sensors. To try and minimize accidental check-ins, it verifies that you're in a low-motion state without rapid altitude changes. And to reduce false notifications from conditions like sleep apnea, it also confirms that you haven't been asleep for more than 30 minutes."

The feature will not detect emergencies after the wearer has been asleep for 30 minutes.​

Every month, wearers can see all regionally accessible trends in the Google Health app along with information about significant changes that have taken place.

Google's breathing emergency detection technology will not yet be available in the United States, but it will first be available on the Pixel Watch 4 and the recently revealed Pixel Watch 5 in a number of European nations.

Later this fall, the Google Health app will introduce its insulin resistance and blood pressure trends capabilities, which will work with the Fitbit Air, Google Pixel Watch 3, Google Pixel Watch 4, and Google Pixel Watch 5.

Google also announced Sign-to-Text, a new feature on its Pixel phones that leverages Gemini to translate one-handed or two-handed sign language into audio. The speaker's words can then be translated into words for the hard of hearing by someone speaking back to the phone. Pixel now offers Sign-to-Text.

Samsung announced that its FDA-cleared Sleep Apnea Feature will be available on the Galaxy Ring this fall, making it the first over-the-counter smart ring cleared to assess users' risk of the condition.

By bringing controlled sleep apnea risk assessment to a ring form factor, the new feature broadens Samsung's wearable health portfolio beyond general wellness tracking and gives users an additional way to spot possible symptoms of the prevalent but sometimes undetected sleep disorder.

"Starting this year, Galaxy Ring will become the first and only FDA-cleared, over-the-counter ring device for sleep apnea risk detection," Samsung digital health lead Sharanya Desai said during the company's Galaxy Unpacked event.

Samsung submitted its Sleep Apnea Feature v2.0 for 510(k) clearance in March, according to the Food and Drug Administration's database. On July 20, the FDA concluded that the product was significantly comparable to a legitimately marketed device, reports MobiHealthNews.

The enhanced function classifies the findings into three levels by using an AI system to determine how many breathing interruptions a user encounters each hour.

Over the course of ten days, users will wear the ring while sleeping for two nights. The purpose of the tool is to identify symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults who have never received a diagnosis.

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The feature does not offer a diagnosis or take the place of a medical professional's assessment and treatment. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted by obstruction of the upper airway during sleep.

The Galaxy Ring update's exact release date has not been disclosed by Samsung.

In 2024, the FDA De Novo authorized the company's Galaxy Watch sleep apnea function. This version examines movement and blood-oxygen data gathered over two nights by a compatible Galaxy Watch.

Ultrahuman opened U.S. pre-orders for Ring PRO following clearance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, bringing subscription-free health insights back to American buyers.

With up to 15 days of battery life expanded to 45+ days via the new PRO Charging Case1, Ring PRO delivers uninterrupted health insights. With a host of new medical-grade health intelligence features and all-new PowerPlugs, Ultrahuman returns to the U.S. stronger than ever, says a press release.

A feat of engineering

In addition to category-defining battery life, Ring PRO’s titanium unibody architecture houses a redesigned heart-rate sensing system and a dual-core processor that enables more accurate insights via on-chip machine learning.

With 250 days² of on-device health data storage, Ring PRO frees users from constant phone tethering. It also features ProRelease Technology, which allows the ring to be safely cut apart in the event of finger swelling or injury.

Ring PRO is available in Bionic Gold, Space Silver, Aster Black, and Raw Titanium, in sizes 5–14.

Related Vilo Launches AI-Native OS for Smart Ring

CEO Mohit Kumar said: "Ring PRO is a breakthrough in wearable technology – delivering category-defining battery life within the demanding constraints of a smart ring. We’re delighted to be back in the U.S., and engineering has prevailed – as it always does."

Built for longevity: PRO Charging Case

The PRO Charging Case is more than a charger – it's an extension of the Ring PRO experience.

Offering up to 45 days of combined battery life and up to one year of on-device data storage2, the PRO Charging Case unlocks uninterrupted tracking performance.

Both Charger Mini and the PRO Charging Case feature UltraSnap Charging Technology – an energy-efficient mechanism where Ring PRO magnetically clicks into place, generating less heat than conventional wireless charging. This protects Ring PRO's long-term battery health. Other features include:

• Find My Case: Track down your case with the integrated speaker and smart proximity guidance through the app.
• At-a-glance feedback: Confirmations and alerts via haptics, plus battery level status via LED indicator.
• Firmware acceleration: Faster updates, diagnostics, and troubleshooting via direct case connectivity.
• Wireless charging: Power up the case with any Qi charger.

No mandatory subscription. No paywall. No compromise

Unlike its main competitors, Ultrahuman does not charge ongoing fees for core health insights. Sleep, recovery, movement, stress, and circadian data are all accessible without a subscription — and users retain full ownership of their health data.

For those who want more, an expanding suite of optional PowerPlugs — developed with specialist partners — unlocks medical-grade capabilities including:

• AFib Detection — a world first on a smart ring
• Cycle & Ovulation Pro — 90%+ accuracy ovulation tracking, the most accurate available on a ring
• Respiratory Health — snoring detection and analysis, developed with Sleep Cycle
• Migraine Insights — based on Click Therapeutics' FDA-approved digital therapeutic
• GLP-1 Tracking — safety monitoring for the metabolic effects of GLP-1 medication
• BetterHelp — integrated mental health support and therapy access
• Jade AI — real-time biointelligence that connects the dots between Ring, Blood Vision, and CGM data

About Ultrahuman

Ultrahuman is a health intelligence company building hardware and software to help people understand and optimize their biology. Its ecosystem combines wearable devices, blood biomarkers and environmental intelligence to deliver continuous, subscription-free health insights. Devices are manufactured in Plano, Texas.

Measurements taken from a person’s fingertip could help identify physical patterns linked with stress, anxiety and depression, according to new study.

The international study, which included experts from Aston University, measured changes in the activity of the surrounding tissue as well as blood flow through the tiniest blood arteries using a wearable device that flashes light into the skin, reports Aston University.

These measurements were then combined with machine learning to investigate whether people reporting symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression displayed recognizable physical patterns.

The study involved 132 adults aged between 18 and 94 from across 19 countries. Participants completed a widely used 21-question assessment covering depression, anxiety and stress before undergoing repeated fingertip measurements.

The device examined how blood was flowing through the tiny vessels beneath the skin. It also measured substances associated with how cells produce and use energy, as well as skin temperature and heart rate.

Stress and anxiety can affect the nervous system, heart rate, circulation and metabolism, and scientists wanted to establish whether these effects could be detected through changes in the fingertip.

Machine-learning models were then used to compare the physical measurements with participants’ questionnaire results.

The Galaxy Buds Hearing Aid feature, which enables compatible Galaxy Buds to serve as over-the-counter hearing aids for adults 18 years of age and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, has been approved by the U.S. FDA.

The tech giant said that users with Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Galaxy Buds4 Pro can also assess their hearing with the Galaxy Buds Hearing Test feature, reports MobiHealthNews.

The Hearing Aid and Hearing Test features will be available on Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Galaxy Buds4 Pro in the US and select approved markets in Q4, 2026.

Clinical-grade, pure-tone audiometry is used in the five-minute self-administered hearing test. The user's hearing impairments are determined by testing each ear separately.

Hearing loss is then classified as normal or mild, moderate, severe, or profound, according to the test's results, which the business claimed are comparable to a professional audiologist's assessment.

The Hearing Aid feature then personalizes and adjusts the sound according to the results of the Hearing Test.

According to the manufacturer, the hearing aid also offers beamforming, a signal-processing method that employs several microphones to concentrate sound in front of a person while eliminating background noise from the side or back.

Related Tiny Cameras in Earbuds Allow Users to Talk with AI

"Hearing health is a vital component of our overall well-being, profoundly impacting how we communicate, connect with loved ones and engage with the world," Hon Pak, senior VP and head of the digital health team for the Mobile eXperience (MX) business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.

"With the latest clearance from the FDA, we are expanding access to hearing support and making proactive care effortless by integrating Hearing Test and Hearing Aid functionality directly into the Galaxy Buds."

The Larger Trend

A final rule allowing access to over-the-counter hearing aids was released by the FDA in 2022.

Two years later, Apple's Hearing Aid Feature became the first over-the-counter software for hearing aids that was approved by the US FDA and intended to be used with consumer electronics.

In September 2024, Apple obtained FDA approval under the De Novo procedure for the hearing aid software integrated into its AirPods Pro 2 headphones.

The software of the AirPods Pro 2 used machine learning to intelligently adapt sound to users' hearing needs, enabling the headphones to operate as clinical-grade hearing aids.

The company later obtained regulatory approvals in other countries, launching in the UK in February 2025 and Australia in March 2025.

Retaining your independence while actively participating in your health and well-being is one of the biggest benefits of aging in place. From physical activity and sleep quality to heart health and safety, wearable technology of today can offer insightful information on significant areas of everyday life. Although no gadget can take the place of routine medical treatment or healthy lifestyle practices, the knowledge they offer can help you make better decisions and have positive discussions with your healthcare providers, reports ThriveMoreAtHome.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch is a versatile smartwatch that monitors daily activity, exercise, heart rate, sleep, and overall wellness. It can detect falls, identify signs of irregular heart rhythms, and provide emergency notifications to designated contacts. With health, fitness, communication, and safety features combined, it offers a convenient all-in-one wellness device.

WHOOP Band

WHOOP Band is designed for continuous health and fitness monitoring, focusing on sleep, recovery, strain, and overall performance. It helps users understand how daily activities affect their body and recovery. Unlike traditional smartwatches, WHOOP prioritizes personalized insights rather than displaying time or notifications.

Related Wearable Device Detects Hidden Stress

Oura Ring

Oura Ring is a discreet wearable focused on sleep, recovery, activity, and overall wellness. It tracks sleep patterns, readiness, heart rate, and daily activity while providing personalized insights. Its lightweight, comfortable design makes it especially appealing to people seeking better understanding of their health and daily energy levels.

KardiaMobile 6L

KardiaMobile 6L is a portable personal ECG device that records a six-lead electrocardiogram in about 30 seconds. It helps users monitor certain heart rhythm issues, including atrial fibrillation, and provides valuable information that can be shared with healthcare professionals for better-informed medical discussions.

Garmin Smartwatches

Garmin watches are well known for their detailed fitness and health tracking features. They monitor daily activities, heart rate, sleep patterns, workouts, and stress levels while offering accurate GPS functionality. Many models also provide advanced fitness insights and significantly longer battery life than conventional smartwatches, making them ideal for active users.

Fitbit Wearables

Fitbit devices track steps, heart rate, activity, sleep, and exercise and come in a variety of styles and pricing points. They are a common starting point for people who are unfamiliar with wearable technology because of their user-friendly interface.

Safety and Medical Alert Wearables

Wearable technology is combined with fall detection and emergency aid in devices like MobileHelp, Medical Guardian, and other personal emergency response systems for single people. These can give users and their families more peace of mind.

Knowledge Empowers Better Health

The right wearable device is one that aligns with your individual health goals. Whether you want to sleep better, stay more active, keep track of your heart health, or understand your body’s daily patterns, wearable technology can provide meaningful insights to help you make smarter health decisions.

Wearable technology, such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, may be able to measure blood oxygen levels, track heartbeats, estimate blood pressure, and even identify temperature and activity changes that may indicate an approaching disease. These metrics were mostly gathered at hospitals, specialty clinics, and doctor's offices not so long ago, but now customers only need to press a button to review them.

These technologies are incredibly promising. Wearables have the potential to track recovery from illness, detect early indicators of disease, and provide a more comprehensive picture of an individual's health over time by continuously gathering physiological data. However, a crucial question still has to be answered as these devices get more advanced and entwined with healthcare: How can patients and medical professionals determine whether the data they offer is reliable enough to inform health decisions? – reports Michaela Martinez in Duke Pratt School of Engineering.

That question became even more pressing when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published revised guidelines for "low-risk" health products in January 2026. Certain noninvasive devices that assess physiological parameters, such as blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, may be classified as general wellness items under the policy instead of regulated medical devices. These characteristics might not be subject to the same regulations as conventional medical technologies as long as producers promote them for "wellness purposes."

The goal of the modification was to encourage innovation and lessen needless regulation. However, it is getting harder to distinguish between wellness products and medical devices as consumer wearables continue to develop from fitness trackers into instruments that produce clinically significant data.

Related Wearables Are Paving the Way for Data-Driven Healthcare

That ambiguity presents significant issues for Jessilyn Dunn, the Theodore Kennedy Associate Professor of biomedical engineering and biostatistics & bioinformatics at Duke University.

“Before this policy change, for devices that output clinically relevant parameters, the manufacturers were required to work with the FDA to demonstrate validity of the measurements,” said Dunn. “But as regulatory oversight recedes, these responsibilities are increasingly assumed by consumers and clinicians.”

Dunn is in charge of the BIG IDEAs Lab (Biomedical Informatics Group: Integrating Data Engineering and Analytics), where scientists create strategies to employ digital biomarkers and wearable-device data to better understand human health. The team's research examines how physiological signals obtained outside of conventional healthcare settings can be used to diagnose a wide range of illnesses, from chronic disorders like diabetes and heart disease to acute infections like COVID-19 and influenza.

Samsung is taking a major step toward the future of wearable technology with its new intelligent eyewear, designed to bring mobile AI beyond the smartphone screen. Built on decades of experience in mobile engineering, hardware design and product development, the glasses combine AI, lightweight hardware and seamless connectivity with the Galaxy ecosystem.

Samsung says its goal is not to replace smartphones, but to help people use them less while still accessing the mobile experiences and information they rely on, reports Samsung.

Why AI Glasses, and Why Now?

According to Samsung, AI glasses will only become mainstream if people genuinely want to wear them every day.

Unlike smartphones, intelligent eyewear can interact with the environment around the user. By understanding what people see, hear and experience, AI can provide more natural, contextual and seamless assistance.

This could bring AI closer to everyday activities and reduce the need to constantly look at a phone screen.

Samsung believes intelligent eyewear could eventually become a new interface for mobile AI—one that is more personal, immediate and closely connected to the user's surroundings.

Engineering for Comfort

One of Samsung’s biggest priorities was making advanced technology comfortable enough for all-day use.

The company applied lessons learned while developing Galaxy XR, particularly in designing technology that sits directly on a person’s face. Every major engineering decision was focused on comfort, fit and everyday usability.

The intelligent eyewear is designed to be slim and lightweight. Samsung uses **patented slim hinges, advanced thin-wall molding, lightweight materials and optimized hardware components** to reduce the size and weight of the device.

The hinge structure is designed to resist corrosion and withstand everyday use, while the patented temple architecture improves structural strength.

Related Galaxy Ring 2: How Samsung Could Beat the Oura Ring 5

Samsung has also addressed heat management. Thermal graphite material on the left side helps prevent heat generated by the application processor from transferring directly to the wearer’s face.

Designed for Different Faces

Because every face is different, achieving a comfortable fit presented another engineering challenge.

Samsung used computational design and worked with eyewear partners to refine the glasses around key contact points, including the forehead, cheekbones and areas behind the ears.

The company also balanced the weight across both sides of the frame so that users can wear the glasses comfortably without feeling that one side is heavier than the other.

Samsung says it has filed around 200 patent applications related to intelligent eyewear, demonstrating its long-term investment in the category.

The ultimate goal is for all this engineering to disappear into the experience, making the glasses feel as natural as an ordinary pair.

Built for Everyday Use

Samsung also subjected the intelligent eyewear to extensive durability and safety testing.

Because the glasses are worn directly on the face, they needed to meet standards associated with both mobile devices and traditional eyewear.

Testing included exposure to high temperatures, humidity, sunscreen, cosmetics and sweat, as well as repeated folding and hinge-expansion tests.

Samsung applied its decades of manufacturing and quality-control experience from Galaxy products while adding testing specifically designed for intelligent eyewear.

Privacy at the Core

Privacy is particularly important for AI glasses because they operate in environments shared with other people.

Samsung says privacy was considered from the beginning of the design process. A front-facing LED indicator shows people nearby when recording is active, while an internal LED provides a similar indication to the wearer.

The glasses also use wear detection, which automatically disables recording when the glasses are removed. A feature called thwart detection can disable recording if someone attempts to block the external LED indicator.

Users can manage privacy and personalization settings through connected Galaxy smartphones. Samsung also says that users' audio, video and screen-sharing data are not used to train AI models.

The company plans to continue strengthening privacy features as the technology develops.

Samsung’s Vision for the Future

Samsung sees intelligent eyewear as more than another wearable gadget. It represents a potential new interface between people, smartphones and artificial intelligence.

The company has previously helped establish new technology categories, including foldable smartphones. Now, it hopes to play a similar role in intelligent eyewear.

Samsung acknowledges that this first generation is only the beginning. Its long-term vision is to make AI more wearable, personal and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.

The challenge is not simply putting AI into glasses. The technology must be comfortable, durable, private and genuinely useful.

If Samsung can achieve that balance, intelligent eyewear could become an important part of the next generation of mobile AI—allowing people to interact with technology more naturally while spending less time looking at screens.

For Samsung, intelligent eyewear is not the final destination. It is the first step toward a future where AI becomes a natural and almost invisible part of everyday life.

The emergence of the screen-free fitness tracker is what best describes fitness technology in 2026. The recovery brand, which was first made popular by Whoop, has faced up against two new rivals this year: the Fitbit Air and the Garmin Cirqa.

According to reports, another tech company is considering creating its own screen-free fitness tracker. Bloomberg claims that Apple's industrial design team has been considering many potential directions for the Apple Watch, including completely new forms and gadgets, reports Newswav.

Apple is reportedly experimenting with different kinds and sizes of displays in addition to creating new wearable gadgets without screens. This could lead to the creation of smart rings like the Oura ring and activity trackers like Whoop.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is even considering creating more expensive models in addition to the Apple Watch Ultra and less expensive variants that might be positioned beneath the Apple Watch SE.

Related Google Says Fitbit Air's Screen-Free Design is Paying Off

For almost ten years, the Apple Watch has been the focal point of the company's fitness and health goals, and it has resisted the urge to expand into other wearable form factors. While Garmin continues to provide devices for various sports and customer needs, Samsung introduced a smart ring in 2024.

Eddy Cue, who assumed oversight of Apple's fitness and health software divisions last year, is reportedly a huge fan of Whoop and Oura. Cue reportedly told coworkers that Apple needs to advance more quickly and become more competitive in the health space, with Oura and Whoop providing more appealing options. beneficial characteristics.

The Apple Watch is still very popular. According to reports, Apple Watch sales increased by 21% in the first quarter of 2026. The firm plans to release the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 in September, both of which are anticipated to be slight improvements over the original model.

The Whoop 5.0 is currently available for a one-month free trial, which permits you to use the full device without having to pay a dime.

Google is making a major advancement in consumer health technology by adding a new function to its wearable devices that tracks changes in insulin resistance over time. The functionality is a component of Google's most recent health-related enhancements, which were revealed alongside the company's new wearable devices.

The new feature is intended to give users information about metabolic health without the need for needles or blood samples. Google's solution analyzes data from wearable sensors and using artificial intelligence to detect any shifts in insulin resistance rather than testing glucose levels directly, reports CIOTechOutlook.

Google's larger Health Guardian health-monitoring system will incorporate the capability. In order to find longer-term alterations that might point to changes in metabolic health, it uses data like heart rhythm, sleep habits, and physical activity that are processed by AI models.

Google's method is different from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which use sensors that usually need to penetrate the skin to assess glucose. Instead of giving real-time blood-sugar readings, the new wearable function aims to give a more comprehensive indicator of metabolic trends.

Related Smart Implant Saves Diabetes Patients from Hypoglycemia

The Pixel Watch 5 and Fitbit Air devices are anticipated to offer the technology. Google has marketed the function as an early warning system that may motivate people to monitor their health more closely and, if needed, seek expert medical counsel or make lifestyle adjustments.

The discovery coincides with a growing number of tech businesses investigating the use of fitness trackers and smartwatches for preventive health monitoring. Heart rate, sleep, activity, blood oxygen, and other indications are currently measured by wearables, and firms are attempting to extend their capabilities into areas that are typically associated with clinical monitoring.

Because insulin resistance is closely associated with metabolic disorders, such as an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, Google's new function is especially noteworthy. Wearable technology may help users recognize metabolic trends earlier by tracking changes over time.

But rather than being a medical diagnostic tool, the feature is positioned as a wellbeing indicator. Google does not assert that the wearable can offer a clinical diagnosis or take the place of traditional medical tests.

The launch of insulin-resistance tracking demonstrates Google's larger approach of integrating wearable sensors, AI, and health data to provide more individualized insights. Additionally, it marks a change in the market toward proactive health monitoring, where consumer gadgets will be able to do more than just track fitness activity; they will also be able to assist consumers in understanding long-term health trends.

Would you wear a little AI wearable that regularly observes you and analyzes your surroundings? Lingverse, a smart hardware and AI business based in Singapore, is betting that people might be prepared for that degree of attention. Lingverse has secured $29 million to create iKairos, an AI wearable. According to the company, it is a personal AI guardian that can assist you before you ask for it.

The device may turn to face you or your surroundings. According to Lingverse, this two-way view may provide its AI with additional context regarding your life's events. AI might be more practical in day-to-day living with that additional viewpoint. It also results in a highly personal trade-off, though. Before it can determine what you need, the device might need to watch you closely.

Most AI assistants wait for an order. The software reacts when you ask a question or press a button. Because wearable AI gadgets go with you, they can collect additional context. To detect items or describe what is nearby, many use cameras that face outward, reports Fox News.

Lingverse wants iKairos to collect further context. The device has the ability to aim its camera at the wearer. According to Lingverse, iKairos may be better able to comprehend you and your surroundings thanks to this dual-perspective design. As a result, the device might be able to select a more advantageous time to provide support.

How It Works

iKairos is a modular device, according to Lingverse. You can put it on a desk or wear it. It has the ability to move its eyes between you and the surroundings. This enables it to get context in both directions.

According to Lingverse, iKairos does not record any video. Rather, its camera occasionally captures static images. According to the company, no browsable library of raw photographs remains on the device or in the cloud because each image is promptly erased when the AI analyzes it. According to Lingverse, the gadget only records audio when it detects a human speech. According to the company, it won't record everything around you all the time. However, Lingverse hasn't yet disclosed how long voice-triggered audio is accessible during or following processing.

Read more Track Like a World Cup Athlete with Wearable Tech

Although the device records data locally, its artificial intelligence processing takes place in the cloud. According to Lingverse, no data leaves the device without your express permission. Lingverse aims for a battery life of 12 to 16 hours. The device's real runtime will differ depending on the environment in which it is used, how frequently it syncs, and how frequently it takes data, Lingverse says.

The primary concern with iKairos will probably be privacy due to an inward-facing camera. According to Lingverse, a real camera shutter is part of the hardware. When you close it, the camera is blocked and you have a visible privacy control.

Additionally, you will be able to put iKairos in silent mode by pressing and holding a control. According to Lingverse, this prevents the gadget from listening, and the screen and an indicator light verify that silent mode is in effect.

Pricing and Release date

Preorders for iKairos will start in the third quarter of 2026, through the company’s website. According to the Lingverse, each device will be shipped within ninety days after the preorder.

The precise cost will be disclosed closer to the debut. According to Lingverse, more sophisticated functions will need a subscription, while basic services will function thru a free tier. The pricing of the subscription and the features that need payment have not yet been disclosed by the company.

Next year, Meta's early lead in the global AI smart glasses market will be challenged by Apple and Samsung Electronics, paving the way for a three-way struggle between major tech firms over the next generation of AI-powered gadgets.

Apple intends to present its first smart glasses at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2027, with a commercial debut anticipated later that year, according to industry insiders on Sunday.

The device was supposed to be released by the end of this year by the Apple, but it was reportedly postponed as it addressed privacy issues with wearable AI technology, reports The Investor.

It is anticipated that Apple would adopt a similar approach to the introduction of the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. The hardware and software platform will probably be shown by the Apple at WWDC, giving developers time to design apps before the product is released to consumers months later.

It is anticipated that Apple's strategy will prioritize privacy.

Related Apple May Launch AirTag-Sized AI Pin with 2 Cameras

According to reports, the company, which has made privacy a core principle for over ten years, is creating the glasses to restrict the gathering and processing of personal information by third parties.

Apple is expected to focus on-device AI capabilities for data processing and visual recognition rather than significantly depending on cloud-based processing. Industry sources say it is unlikely to involve facial recognition.

Apple is also anticipated to steer clear of Meta's "supersensing" strategy, which continuously scans the wearer's environment. As part of its larger privacy-focused strategy, the corporation is unlikely to train its AI models using user-captured photographs.

Additionally, the company is debating whether to introduce a camera-free model. Another alternative under consideration is a camera-equipped version that limits standard photo and video capabilities while using the sensor mostly for AI tasks like object and location identification.

As a result of its collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, a major player in the eyewear industry, Meta presently dominates the market by providing AI-powered capabilities in its Ray-Ban smart glasses. Last year, Meta had 85.2 percent of the global market for AI smart glasses, according to market research firm Omdia.

Samsung is joining the competition with its own AI-driven wearable platform.

Samsung unveiled its smart eyewear, created in collaboration with Google, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker, at its Galaxy Unpacked presentation in London on July 22. This fall is when the product is expected to launch.

Northwestern University engineers have developed a small, wireless polygraph system you can wear.

Unlike polygraphs used in television crime dramas, this wearable version isn’t optimized to detect lies. Instead, engineers and physicians designed it to sense underlying stress hidden deep within the body –  no interrogation room required.

The lightweight, bandage-like device gently adheres to the chest, where it simultaneously measures heart activity, breathing patterns, sweat response, blood flow and temperature. Together, these signals capture a real-time, whole-body view of stress, reports Amanda Morris in Northwestern

By continuously tracking multiple physiological signals at once, the device could help clinicians detect stress and potential discomfort in patients — including infants or the elderly — who may be unable to communicate, diagnose sleep disorders without cumbersome in-laboratory equipment, monitor mental health over time and even sense early warning signs of medical complications. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

“Sometimes, the body manifests signs of stress before a person is consciously aware of it,” said Northwestern’s John A. Rogers, who led the device development. “Even if people don’t realize how much pressure they are under, stress is quietly affecting their health. Prolonged stress can have adverse consequences, especially for pregnant mothers, children and critically ill patients. An ability to track stress based on quantitative measurements could empower people to take stress-relieving actions with direct benefits to their health. Importantly, we aimed to design a device, conceptually like a polygraph system, that operates on the basis of biophysical body responses, without requiring access to chemical biomarkers found in body fluids.”

Read more New Brain Implant Decodes A Person's 'Inner Monologue'

A world-renowned bioelectronics pioneer, Rogers is the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery at Northwestern, where he has appointments in the McCormick School of Engineering and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He also directs the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics and the Querrey Simpson Institute for Translational Engineering and Advanced Medical Systems. Rogers is co-corresponding author of the study along with Dr. Debra E. Weese-Mayer, the Beatrice Cummings Mayer Professor of Pediatric Autonomic Medicine and professor of pediatrics (neurology) at Feinberg and Jae-Young Yoo of Sungkyunkwan University in Korea.

A voice for the vulnerable

The project started as a request from pediatricians at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Over the years, Rogers’ team has developed a suite of wireless, wearable electronics for infants and children — to track vital signs, monitor illness, treat congenital conditions and diagnose disease. Now, pediatricians asked Rogers to create a soft, non-invasive device to detect and continuously track stress levels in babies throughout hospital stays, without measuring stress’ biochemical signatures in saliva and blood.

Currently, detecting babies’ stress often depends on what caregivers can see and hear — crying, facial expressions and movement — along with basic vital signs. But these signals can be subtle, inconsistent or even entirely absent.

“Stress is often scored using survey sheets and nursing assessments,” Rogers said. “The entries include things like tonality and volume of crying. Infants obviously cannot describe their own pain levels. So, unlike with adults, determining stress in babies can be incredibly challenging. We wanted to take subjectivity out of these assessments.”

“This new device tracks the body’s stress signals around the clock, helping quantify how long someone is stressed each day and how intense that stress is,” said Weese-Mayer, Rogers’ long-time collaborator. “The beauty of the device is that both individuals and healthcare providers can now identify stress and objectively monitor the effectiveness of interventions to decrease stress and restore a healthy balance, in a completely non-invasive manner.”

All-in-one stress sensing

To do that, Rogers and his team found inspiration in a surprising place: polygraphs. Although they are colloquially called “lie detectors,” polygraphs actually don’t detect lies. They measure the body’s response to stress, which can be triggered by many factors besides deception. Rogers saw an opportunity to build on that core idea. But, while traditional polygraph machines rely on a patchwork of bulky, wired sensors, Rogers aimed to capture those same physiological signals — and then some — in a more comprehensive, fully integrated, accurate and wearable form.

The system wirelessly transmits these synchronized data streams to a smartphone, smart watch or tablet, where machine learning algorithms analyze patterns associated with stress in real time. Weighing less than 8 grams (equivalent to eight paperclips) and designed to move naturally with the skin, the device can operate continuously for more than 24 hours.

Proven across realistic scenarios

After developing the system, Rogers’ team validated it across a wide range of scenarios, including controlled experiments and real-world environments. During simulated lie-detector tests, the wearable device accurately captured stress responses triggered by sensitive questions and closely matched measurements from commercial polygraph systems.

What’s next

Next, the team aims to move its technology beyond validation studies and into broader clinical use. Next steps will include testing the device in larger patient groups, refining its ability to personalize stress detection and integrating it into hospital and at-home monitoring systems to provide continuous, real-time insight into patient health.

Hydrogels are biocompatible, pliable materials composed primarily of water and a small amount of polymer. The Jell-O-like material can be applied to the skin or implanted in the body to treat wounds, attach implants, and encapsulate and release medication gradually. It is accessible as medical patches, sprays, and glues.

Despite all of their protective, elastic, and sticky qualities, hydrogels lack one essential characteristic: breathability. Wearing a bandage or patch for an extended period of time can trap perspiration and moisture, irritating tissues and decreasing the efficacy of any device that a hydrogel clings to.

Now MIT engineers have come up with a recipe for a hydrogel that is both hydrated and aerated, or permeable to air. The new material is just as soft, stretchy, and robust as conventional hydrogels, but a network of tiny tunnels running through the gel allows air to pass through, reports Jennifer Chu in MIT News.

Compared to traditional hydrogels, the aerated hydrogel can be worn for extended periods of time without irritating the skin. Even when exercising, it can lessen perspiration accumulation. The new breathable hydrogel was used to affix wireless cardiac monitors to the chests of experiment participants. The volunteers did not exhibit any signs of skin irritation after engaging in regular exercise for ten days, and the heart monitors continued to read well.

The results, which are reported in the journal Nature, may enable longer-lasting hydrogel products, such as breathable bandages and dressings, cosmetic face masks, and contact lenses, along with better-performing health monitors and implants.

“Water and oxygen are both essential for life,” says Xuanhe Zhao, the Uncas (1923) and Helen Whitaker Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and a professor of civil and environmental engineering, and medical engineering and science. “Now that we’ve added air to hydrogels, people can find broad applications.”

Breathing through Jello

Water makes up about 90 percent of a typical hydrogel. The rest of the material consists of polymers. When mixed with water in a chemical process known as “cross-linking,” the polymers settle into a sort of scaffold that holds the water in place, forming a gel that’s both squishy and stretchy. But because hydrogel’s composition is mainly water, it’s inherently challenging for any air to make its way through the material effectively.

Read more AI Wearable Patch Detects Heart Rhythm with 99.6% Accuracy

“In general, water is not breathable,” co-lead author Xiao-Yun Yan says. “Hydrogel is 80 to 90 percent water, similar to Jell-O. And you cannot breathe through Jell-O.”

Other groups have tried to design air-permeable hydrogels, mainly taking one of two approaches. The first has been to essentially puncture microscopic holes throughout the gel. Such designs are breathable, but only in air. When they are placed in liquid, the holes quickly clog up.

Zhao and his colleagues took advantage of viscoelastic phase separation in concocting a breathable hydrogel. For their new design, they mixed their conventional hydrogel recipe with a very small amount of silica aerogel particles, which are essentially “solid-form” air bubbles.

“They are like boba beads,” Yan offers. “The particles are made of silica, which is hydrophobic, meaning that water does not want to leak through them, so they are very stable in water.”

And as it turns out, the particles are similar to oil when mixed with water. The researchers found that when they mixed just a small amount of the particles with a solution of the water-heavy hydrogel, the water molecules glommed together, essentially finding each other faster than the less abundant silica particles.

Zhao says the new study provides a novel approach for others to fabricate breathable and multifunctional hydrogels, using the concept of visoelastic phase separation as a guide.

“We’ve discovered that this process can create these air-permeable hydrogels, and we demonstrate one application,” he says. “But we think there can be very broad applications. This is a technology platform.”

It is a single-chip device that can gather all types of hybrid indoor/outdoor photovoltaic cells. The power output range of these hybrid PV cells is broad, ranging from several watts in direct sunshine to microwatts under indoor lights. Multi-PMIC systems were previously required to control this range, which increased the cost and complexity of the overall system designs. The device maximizes harvested power across a wide range of input conditions thanks to its Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) module and low- and high-power boost converters. It can operate in open-circuit ratio or constant-voltage modes. Operating from input voltages as low as 275mV (1.5µW minimum) is made possible via a dedicated cold-start circuit.

Sports or trekking laptops, self-charging headphones, PV-charged earphone covers, and e-readers are just a few of the many uses for the AEM15820. Power banks, smart backpack power modules, smart glasses, and remote security cameras are additional markets, reports Electropages.

What is the e-peas AEM15820 PMIC used for?

An extremely effective power management integrated circuit (PMIC) called the e-peas AEM15820 was created to capture energy from hybrid indoor and outdoor photovoltaic (PV) cells. By effectively transforming captured solar energy into usable electricity for wearables, Internet of Things devices, smart sensors, and portable consumer electronics, it makes self-powered electronic gadgets possible.

What is energy harvesting and why is it important?

In order to power electrical devices, energy harvesting collects energy from external sources including light, heat, vibration, or radio frequency signals. It lessens or does away with the need for disposable batteries, prolongs battery life, requires less maintenance, and encourages the creation of more environmentally friendly, maintenance-free product designs.

Read more Sound-Powered Sensors Could Eliminate Battery Usage

What advantages might hybrid indoor/outdoor photovoltaic cells offer?

From dim interior lighting to direct sunlight, hybrid photovoltaic cells can produce electricity in a variety of lighting scenarios. This makes linked devices perfect for portable gadgets, Internet of Things devices, and always-on smart products since it enables them to continue charging and functioning in various conditions.

How does the AEM15820 optimize PV cell energy harvesting?

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and low- and high-power boost converters are combined in the AEM15820. These characteristics enable devices gather the most energy possible while maintaining efficient operation by continuously optimizing power extraction from solar cells under varying light conditions.

Which applications work well with the e-peas AEM15820?

Wearable technology, wireless headphones, earbud charging cases, smart glasses, e-readers, sports and trekking laptops, remote security cameras, IoT sensors, power banks, and smart backpacks with built-in solar charging are just a few of the self-powered and energy-efficient items that the AEM15820 is perfect for.

How is the design of an energy harvesting system made simpler by the AEM15820?

The AEM15820 removes the need for several PMICs by combining low- and high-power boost converters, MPPT capabilities, and cold-start capability into a single chip. This lowers the number of components, simplifies the design, lowers the total cost of the system, and speeds up the development of solar-powered electronics.

Most people who own a smartwatch or ring can tell you their heart rate variability score. Few can tell you what to do about it. Vilo's Signal OS is built for that gap.

Vilo, an AI wearable company backed by HSG (formerly Sequoia Capital China), introduced Signal OS, an AI-native operating system for its upcoming ring-first wearable platform. Designed to move wearables beyond static dashboards and retrospective scores, Signal OS continuously interprets body signals in context, surfacing timely, readable guidance without requiring users to open an app and dig through charts, according to Business Wire.

As wearable hardware has improved, the industry has largely converged around a familiar model: collect sensor data, display charts, assign scores and use AI to explain results after the fact. Signal OS flips the model by filling that missing interaction layer, moving the category from measurement to meaning.

“Wearables have gotten good at measuring. What’s still missing is meaning,” said Gee Gu, founder and CEO of Vilo. "Signal OS is built to move the category beyond dashboards and scores toward a more contextual, quietly proactive operating system for the body — one that helps people understand what has changed, prioritize what matters and turn body signals into support."

Related Galaxy Ring 2: How Samsung Could Beat the Oura Ring 5

Vilo is led by Gee Gu and Andy Xu, who previously built HEXA Robot and MindOS, an early robotics operating system that included SDKs, control systems and interaction logic. That experience building software that translates machine inputs into meaningful, real-time outputs maps directly to the problem Signal OS is designed to solve. They are joined by Ben Zhang, co-founder of a multi-billion-dollar consumer technology company, as a partner and advisor on consumer hardware.

"From building one of the world's most widely used consumer hardware brands, I learned early that the products people keep are the ones they develop habits around — not the ones with the most features," said Zhang. "What Gee and Andy are building with Signal OS is exactly that kind of product. I'm excited to be part of it."

Unlike traditional wearable platforms built around dashboards and retrospective data, Signal OS interprets signals in context, prioritizing what matters and surfacing timely next steps. It continuously identifies patterns in the background and translates body signals into meaningful, readable guidance — delivered proactively, without requiring users to constantly check an app. Signal OS is designed for wellness guidance and self-understanding, not diagnosis or treatment.

Key features

• Signals: Context-aware cards that surface important changes and guidance without requiring users to dig through charts.
• Kits: Adaptive tools that form around a user's recurring needs, habits and rhythms.
• Pulse: A dashboard layer for users who want to review historical metrics and trends.
• Chat with Vibes: A conversational layer that lets users explore their data in different tones or perspectives.
• Women’s Health Context: A context layer designed to help interpret how hormonal patterns and life stages may relate to sleep, recovery, temperature, energy, activity and mood.

Signal OS will be available through Vilo’s upcoming ring-first wearable platform and companion mobile app. More details on availability and access will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Vilo

Founded by Gee Gu and Andy Xu, pioneers behind HEXA Robot and MindOS, Vilo is building AI-native wearables that help people better understand their health, hormonal patterns and daily rhythms.

Signal OS is designed for wellness guidance and self-understanding, not diagnosis or treatment.