Most health and medical wearables use one or more sensors to monitor biometrics with hard numbers. We recently learned of a “softer” wristband wearable technology that relies on wearer inputs about their current mood. The Moodbeam One has just two buttons. Users press a yellow button when they’re happy and a blue button when they’re unhappy. The user can also wirelessly synch the Moodbeam data with an associated app to track their mood over time. The UK’s Humber NHS Trust announced it will use the Moodbeam One within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to stay in touch with patients to understand how they’re feeling.
The basic concept behind the Moodbeam’s development relies on benefits gained from helping users gain a better understanding of their feelings. Extending the concept a bit further, the developers believe when people — young or old — use a simple device to learn more about their feelings, they can identify patterns and trends that affect their moods. The Moodbeam wearable also tracks and reports steps and sleep patterns, so wearers can easily view the relationships between activity and rest with their moods.
Users can use the mobile app to establish Mood prompts: scheduled times when the wearable reminds the user to record her current mood. Users can also share the Moodbeam data with parents, relatives, friends, and even care teams so interested parties are also aware of the patterns in the wearer’s life.
The NHS Moodbeam One adoption follows work with prototype trials within its mental health service units. According to Yorkshire and Humber Care Record Programme Director Lee Rickles, staying in touch with patients’ moods is “just one example of where it could work.”
“Mental health has historically been incredibly difficult to visualize and even more so in the case of people with learning disabilities who perhaps can’t articulate their feelings very well, if at all,” Rickels said. “Moodbeam’s so simple to use that the young, old, or vulnerable are able to self log their moods away from the treatment rooms and that allows for a more honest, natural approach to showing whether they are coping or not,” he continued.
Moodbeam One is available for sale now on the company’s website for £49.95. The purchase includes the Moodbeam One with a USB-A charging plug, two wristband sizes, and a Getting Started guide. The wearable runs for up to five days per charge and the app is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices.
