London-based technology start-up, doppel, is bringing a new generation of wearable technology to the United States that helps users stay alert or calm down, naturally, in real-time. Different from traditional wearables that merely measure or monitor your body, the new doppel wristband can literally change your mood using your body's natural response to rhythm.
How Does it Work?
doppel sits on the inside of your wrist and is synced with a companion app. The device emits a vibration that feels like a heartbeat.
You tap or stroke the device to regulate the rhythm – a faster one makes you feel more alert while a slower one calms you down. And the app stores your personal preferences.
Your brain responds naturally to the rhythm to alter your mood – similar to upbeat or downbeat music.
However, unlike with music or other outside stimulants or depressants (such as caffeine or sleep aids), you can set your pace, when and where you want, non-invasively. With doppel, you use your own body to help rev up for that really long meeting, stay calm during an important presentation or wind down at the end of the day.
“We've all wanted or needed to change how we feel at some point,” said Fotini Markopoulou, founder and CEO, doppel. “Perhaps you drink coffee to feel more alert and focused before arriving at work. Maybe you like the idea of meditation to feel calm, but have no idea when you'd find the time. We created doppel as a way to give you control, by tapping into something you have naturally – a mind/body connection – in a customized yet manageable way.”
According to research from Harvard Business School assistant professor of business administration Joel Goh, workplace stress costs the United States between $125 and $190 billion every year, representing 5 to 8 percent of national spending on healthcare. And while the wearable market has done a good job of monitoring and providing data about our body's state of being, it has done little to change it – until now. doppel is a next-generation wearable, based on award-winning technology and developed using science and research in psychophysiology. The device has been independently tested and shown to double a user's focus/alertness as well as significantly reduce stress in controlled scientific studies run by the Royal Holloway University London.
Currently available in the U.K., doppel is making its U.S. debut at 2017 CES and will be launched later this Spring. For more information about doppel and pre-ordering, visit www.doppel.london.
