Most wearable products focus on just one measure such as counting steps, measuring heart rate, or skin temperature. Vinaya’s Zenta wristband, detailed in an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, differs from the norm in three ways: appearance; complex on-board technology; and central purpose.
The Zenta’s visible difference stems from the company’s design-first approach. Vinaya describes itself as “a London-based technology design studio and research lab, inspired by Scandinavian minimalism.” The wristband features a scratch-proof zirconia ceramics stone in black or white set in a metal frame with a silicon or leather band. Sharp enough in appearance that many will assume it’s a fashion accessory, the Zenta packs a host of sensors to support its claimed three-dimensional model for reading emotional states. The housing contains multiple capacitive proximity sensors, a 3-axis accelerometer, a biometric optical sensor, a skin temperature sensor, galvanic skin response (GSR) sensors, a vibration motor, and a microphone.
The mission of all this tech on the Zenta is not to report physical measures of health, but rather to create a holistic view of your emotional wellbeing. Vinaya states that its team of neuroscientists, psychologists, computer scientists, and data experts focused on developing the wearable to track stress and emotional states with minimal input by the wearer. The Zenta wristband transmits the data from its multiple sensors to a smartphone app (iOS or Android). Over time, the app builds the view of your days, weeks, and months. Whether your goal is to improve your sleep, discover which activities in your day trigger stress, or just track your mood, you can use the view shaped by your collected data for a better understanding of how you react to various events or actions. You can also set trigger levels so you will be notified when selected levels of various parameters are exceeded.
To get the greatest benefit from the Zenta wristband, you’ll need to learn how to read the data reports on the app, set triggers, and make the commitment to associate the Zenta reports with your activities. If the system works as described, it could be a powerful tool for understand your emotional wellbeing and controlling stress.
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