This project will only be funded if at least $100,000 is pledged by .
About this project
Sence: The Evolution of Mindfulness and Productivity
Sence contains an unbelievable technological breakthrough that is capable of giving you more emotional insight than ever before so you can be your most productive, caring and happy.
But, how the heck can a wearable be used to track emotions?
Sence can track emotions by very closely listening to your heart beat. Every emotion causes your heart to beat in a slightly different way. Think about how differently your heart beats when you are in a rage versus when you are in a calm state of serene happiness.
These, tiny changes in the heart rate are untraceable with traditional wearables. Sence uses revolutionary technology that allows it to track these differences using ECG (aka EKG) signals. ECG analysis is 250 times more precise that existing fitness trackers and smart watches and Sence is the first to release a technology that can measure ECG from one wrist. With this unprecedented level of accuracy it is not surprising people are calling Sence a “breakthrough”.
Sence’s insights can give you more data about your wellbeing than ever before. Sence can track precisely when and where you experience:
By applying this data, Sence can help you:
Sence can recognize the minute variations in between your heart’s contractions. Using ECG (also known as EKG) tracking technology. Sence is the first wearable to be able to track ECG from one wrist which allows it to take readings all day and collect the data it needs to train you on how to maximize your happiness and reduce your sadness.
SenceHub’s powerful algorithms turn the raw data provided by SenceBand into actionable analytics. Using SenceHub you’ll be able to:
1. Track your stress, vitality and emotions so you can adjust your daily routine to maximize happiness and productivity.
2. Track your daily physical activity, steps, heart rate and vitality levels. Now you'll finally know what time of day is YOUR best to pump iron or go for a run by understanding how your vitality naturally ebbs and flows.
3. Get notifications when something interesting recently happened with your own emotional states or to those of someone in your network. This will help you understand the kind of support you can offer whether it be giving them their space, going to cheer them up or anywhere in between.
Sence can be used in different ways and it will bring many benefits depending on your goals:
Help decide a part of SenceBand's fate by voting for your favorite color in the public comments. You can vote for one of our suggestions above or come up with your own. But remember, only votes posted in the public comment section will be tallied so let's get the conversation going!
SenceHub: Your Beacon for Self-Mastery
With each ECG scan, SenceHub syncs up with your calendar and takes a snapshot of your location so you know exactly when and where the scan was taken. This gives you maximum insight into the origins of each emotion so you can identify patterns and course correct.
With SenceBand’s unprecedented precision and accuracy it has the functionality to extract some of your body’s most valuable information. Use it to best understand your body and mind in ways you never thought possible. You can also share it with your friends and family to stay in tune and connected to the well being of those you love.
SenceBand: With its R-peak tracking technology, SenceBand collects high-resolution data from your heart. SenceBand has:
Sence’s mobile app, SenceHub, contains sophisticated algorithms that analyze the data provided by SenceBand and presents them to you in exquisite detail. SenceHub features:
Although ALL the SenceHub features described in this campaign are free, we will provide each backer with a free 1-month premium plan subscription as well. This unlocks access to even more features that we are currently developing to give you even deeper insight into your life. Consider this just one way of us saying "thank you" for supporting us on our journey. The amount of premium features unlocked will depend on the amount we raise so don't forget to share this campaign to help unlock even more premium features!
Few people realize, but many traditional fitness tracking wearables use outdated technologies such as optical sensors that end up only being about 70% accuracy in measuring your heart’s activities.
The bottom line is that these sensors track pulse waves, which are phenomena caused by the heart beat but which also have many other, unrelated factors that effect their frequency. Besides, you can track your pulse with your own finger! Why pick a device that tracks a phenomenon you can track yourself? Sence tracks something fundamentally different and dramatically more precise: electrocardiography (ECG)
Now you can see why Sence is able to track data that is so much more accurate than what's out there. Curious about how Sence can track ECG from just one wrist or how it uses that data to tell you what emotions you've experienced? Keep on reading!
There are two main pillars to understanding how the science behind Sence works:
1. How SenceBand can accurately measure ECG signals from one wrist
2. How SenceHub can turn those raw ECG signals into emotional insights
Once you understand both these concepts you'll really grasp why Sence is so revolutionary! Let's take a look at both these pillars individually.
SenceBand's ECG Tracking from One Wrist
SenceBand measures ECG using a patent-pending technology that allows it to cancel out the electromagnetic "noise" from your body. This mechanism filters out things like electrical signals from muscle contractions and leaves only the electromagnetic feed from your heart (ECG) . This filtering method is completely novel and makes SenceBand the only smart bracelet capable of measure ECG from one wrist.
How accurate is Sence? Below is the result of a test that was done that compared Sence to a standard, medical-grade ECG device. You'll see that the R-peaks (the critical phenomena to understanding true heart-rate and emotions) match up perfectly with the medical grade control.
But don't take our word for it! Check out our SenceBand prototype in action for yourself in the uncut demo videos below. We made them to show SenceBand's current prototype functionality so there are no doubts we are well on our way to a final product:
Video 1: Sence's ECG Signal
Video 2: Sence Tracking Emotions
Feel free to skip to 3:25 for the test results if you wish!
Getting Emotions from ECG Analysis
Okay, so now you understand how SenceBand tracks ECG signals from just one wrist, but how can this help to infer anything about emotions? Aren't emotions all about what is going on in your brain? What does the heart have to do with emotions? Actually, there is an intimate link between the brain and heart. In fact, the heart's nervous system even contains 40,000 neurons!
Your heart rate is determined by the two competing systems in the body: The sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is known as the "fight or flight" pathway and it tries to pull your heart in a direction of excitement. The parasympathetic nervous system is known as the "rest and digest" pathway and tries to mellow your heart out and slow down its beats. All our emotions leave a unique footprint in this constant battle between sympathetic and parasympathetic control. These footprints can be read using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis of ECG data. Since Sence accurately tracks R-peaks it can identify the unique signals associated with each emotion.
How Many Emotions can Sence Track?
With Sence's unique ability to analyze heart rate variability, it can track 64 different emotions and bodily states in you and your loved ones. Specifically, Sence can track 2 flavours (intensity levels) of each of the 32 emotions found below in Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions, a standard emotional reference tool in medicine and psychology:
Don't get overwhelmed with all these emotions! Sence lets you pick the emotions to track that matter most to you and your lifestyle. The insight you glean from Sence can be as specific or broad as you want it to be.
Further Scientific Reading:
Want to dig deeper into the Science behind Sence? Click on any of the topics below to be linked to a peer-reviewed scientific article that covers it in detail:
Capturing Emotions in Real Time using Heart Rate
The Connection Between the Brain and Heart for Emotions
How Tracking the Heart can Pinpoint Emotions
The Heart’s Connection to the Nervous System
Testing Emotional Responses to Social Situations with HRV
HRV’s Ability to Differentiate Similar Emotions
Sence allows people to share their analytics with others, at a level of privacy they see fit. You'll be able to let people know if you had a generally good or bad day or even show them exactly what emotions you felt and where. This allows people using Sence become connected in ways never before possible, without even needing to be in the same room (or even country)!
Sence for Couples
Sence allows you understand not only your own emotions but those of that special someone. Know when to give them space or when they need a little pick me up! Be the best partner you can be with these revolutionary emotional insights.
Sence for Families
Track the health and emotional wellbeing of the more sensitive members of your family such as children so you can keep them safe and sound. With Sence you can get the insight you need to be the best parent or caregiver you can be.
Sence for Friends
With Sence you can get way more insight into your peer group than with a social media post. Are The Boys feeling a bit down lately as a group? Maybe it’s time to go out for a night on the town! Sence connects you to your friends in ways that go way beyond words, pictures or even videos to make you feel more connected then ever before.
The Sence story features a long and winding journey with an unlikely origin. Originally, the Sence team assembled not to build a revolutionary hardware device but to collect high quality ECG screening data. With this data, they build a huge database that they hoped to sell to others. In order to acquire this data the Sence team set out with the monumental goal of screening 20,000 patients in rural Ukraine with a mobile hospital made up of 24 doctors, 24 nurses and modern ECG equipment. They planned to provide free check-ups and health guidance to these individuals who had little access to healthcare in exchange for their anonymous ECG data.
Sound like an impossible task? The Sence team actually exceeded expectations and comprehensively screened 22,433 patients in 52 days. This unprecedented study got Planexta (the makers of Sence) many adulations worldwide from cardiac societies and the like.
With the massive amount data Planexta now had, they set out to find the right wearable technology company to sell it to. Unfortunately, they didn’t find a good fit! All the current devices either didn’t use rigorous enough ECG measurements to make use of the data or they measured ECG in such an impractical way that users would never take enough readings for the data to be useable.
What a waste! So much data was now available but there was no wearable sophisticated enough to use it. Instead of giving up, the Sence team decided to take it upon themselves to create (from scratch) an ECG measuring wearable that was both accurate and extremely practical for consumers to use. They created a lab dedicated to this task called Platform20k (as a memento of the monumental screening tour) and hired 13 top experimental physicists and engineers, the begin work on SenceBand.
It took the team over a year to succeed, but SenceBand became a reality due to the discovery and implementation of a whole new method of measuring ECG. Now, Sence has the hardware and the software foundations to do something truly revolutionary. However, Sence is still a scrappy little company and genuinely needs YOUR help to actualize the immense potential Sence technology has to improve people's lives. The Sence team thanks you for every last dollar of support!
SenceBand’s design was created by the famous Red Dot Award winner, Donn Koh and his Singaporean team at Stuck Design. Before helping to create SenceBand he worked on multiple projects for Microsoft, Dell, Samsung, HTC and T-Mobile. Our engineers and physicists worked closely with Donn Koh’s team to ensure technological prowess and aesthetics could co-exist in SenceBand’s unmistakable appearance. Check out Sence's visual journey below:
This project was developed and is being managed by BeyondNature, a company specializing in launching innovative products through crowdfunding and transitioning them into mass-market powerhouses.
Risks and challenges
We have an international and seasoned team with top professionals from big pharma companies such as Pfizer, Merck, Novartis and Genzyme. However, in this instance we are still a startup and even our formidable experience does not make us immune to the nearly inevitable ebbs and flows that come with launching and fulfilling a successful crowdfunding campaign. Although we will use every ounce of our experience to ensure each aspect of our campaign and fulfillment is approached efficiently and professionally and that we are 100% transparent with our backers along the way, the following risks are absolutely worth considering when backing this campaign:
Supply Chain Risk
Although our manufacturers and product developers have extensive experience with other high-tech projects, they have not manufactured SenceBand itself yet. Any new product has the potential to have delays in the first go around as unexpected hurdles present themselves. That being said, we have attempted to build these unforeseen delays into our project timelines above by adding in a significant buffer from our current delivery timeline estimations. We'd much rather deliver unexpectedly early than be time-crunched to meet our project deadline.
Product Registration and Licensing Risks
Although SenceBand contains clinical-grade ECG technology, we are not using it to diagnose or treat any medical conditions. This makes product registration a relatively straightforward process in most places in the world. Especially for a bunch of ex-pharma guys like us who have had to go through the medical drug registration process. That being said, we are not experts with global regulatory requirements with this particular product and there is a slight possibility ensuring this device is properly registered in your country could cause a delay to fulfillment. We will do our utmost due, diligence to make sure no delays occur in this area but we are obliged to make all our backers know that they are indeed a possibility.
Other Risks
There are likely a ton of mini-risks that we haven't yet considered for the project but discovering them and overcoming them will be part of the fun we have together. Our main objective is to make this project successful as efficiently as possible and keep everyone in the loop with diligent communication and an open dialogue with our backers.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterFAQ
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Crowdfunding gives you the chance to unlock unique bonuses for helping great ideas come to life. Kickstarter is not a store where you can buy products but rather a place to help product ideas come to life. That is why supporters of crowdfunding campaigns are called “backers” and not “customers” and why these backers receive “rewards” and not “orders”
Supporting a crowdfunding campaign helps you be a part of something bigger than yourself and join a community of equally excited backers, eager to see a project come to life. This can bring with it a lot of joy which is supported by the fact that about 1/3rd of Kickstarter backers have backed more than 5 campaigns! That being said, just like any new venture in life, there are no guarantees that things will go exactly as planned.
Although we have every intention of succeeding in our project to bring Sence to life and get you your very own SenceBand in line with our estimated shipping date, it is always possible that unexpected hurdles can emerge. As such, it is transparency that drives crowdfunding and our main commitment is to keep all of backers in the loop about updates with the project, good or bad. If you back our campaign, we can promise that you will be updated on our progress regularly and will always be able to reach out if you have questions, concerns or ideas. And, if everything goes as planned and you receive your product, you will have gotten it at a substantial discount before anyone else, which doesn’t hurt :)
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During this campaign, updates will be fast and furious and we will have tonnes to share with you. As such, you can expect updates as frequently as every 3-7 days! This period of the project is exciting because you’ll literally be able to see the progress of things coming to life everyday!
After the campaign, we will provide updates every step of the way; from the end of the campaign through to the moment we ship you your SenceBand. Depending on the amount of new stuff happening you can expect formal updates bi-weekly or monthly.
We commit to providing you with the information you need as soon as it is available, good or bad. If there’s a new feature or perk added, we’ll let you know. If there’s a delay, we’ll let you know that too.
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Let’s vote for colors. Post your desired color in a “Comments” section to this campaign! At the end we will pick 3 most popular colors.
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There will be 2 size option. Standard and Large. If you have a small or medium sized wrist, you will be fine with a Standard sized band. If you have a wrist that is above 6.5” inches in diameter then you should go with a Large.
Regardless of what size is good for you, you’ll get to make your selection after the campaign. We will be sending everyone a survey to collect your desired color (the winners from the color contest) and your desired SenceBand size (for all the bands you bought).
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At this time, the Senceband and strap you see are the ones you will get. Because of our design, there is no easy way to offer a custom strap. That being said, we are creating versions of Sence that have bigger straps and can be used on different parts of the body than the wrist, if that is what you are getting at!
It is even possible that we will offer these versions as a stretch goal later in the campaign if we raise enough. Make sure to tell your friends about about the campaign to help us get there and pledge yourself. Remember you can withdraw your pledge at any time so there is no risk to helping us get close to our stretch goal!
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Every feature we mention about SenceHub in this campaign is included in your pledge unless explicitly stated otherwise. We will be developing, additional premium features as the development of Sence continues. We will be giving all of our backers a free month of these premium features as a thank you for their support.
We will not charge you anything for SenceHub above and beyond your pledge unless you opt to continue to use the premium features after your month trial.
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Sence is not a medical device but when it comes to your security and the protection of your data, we treat it like one. SenceHub will adhere to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) standards. Specifically, you will have to explicitly opt in for your data to be shared with anyone for research purposes or otherwise. Further, your information will always be anonymized even if you do opt to share it for research reasons.
If you want to share your Sence data with people you know, you will always have the ability to customize how much data and what kind of data is shared. Want your partner to know generally how you feel that day but not when and where you are feeling specific emotions? No problem! You can customize the level of access others have towards your information at any time.
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Senceband and an IP64 rating meaning it is equipped to take a splash. It is not intended to be used in the shower or swimming
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Yes. It was developed to work between -25°C to +45°C
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With Sence, you will be able to decide whether SenceHub displays information to you under the Imperial or Metric systems, where relevant. We understand our backers will come from all over the world and we will always attempt to add the customizability necessary for you to feel the most comfort possible in interpreting your data.
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Sence is a very safe device and there are no foreseeable issues in wearing often and throughout the day. The device’s electrodes that capture and interpret your body’s electromagnetic fields do so without significant stimulation to your body. In fact, you shouldn’t even feel them working! We are taking every precaution to make Sence just as safe as any mainstream fitness wearable.
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SenceBand does not currently act as a watch. Future iterations could implement this feature but they are beyond the scope of this campaign. Also worth considering is that Sence will eventually release versions that are not worn on the wrist. These versions will leave a place for your own watch on your wrist. Anyone who backs the current version of SenceBand can replace it for one of these other versions once they are available so don’t hesitate to pledge now for the sake of waiting for those to be released!
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We are making App notifications fully customizable for user convenience. Currently there is not plan to have band vibrations implemented.
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Application development will reach it’s final stage in January and we will do our best to satisfy all of our backers needs.
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Sence requires phone Bluetooth connection at the time an ECG sample is taken.
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An App assists you and notifies you if it’s worn improperly.
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In order to obtain an ECG sample we must register a potential difference. I.E. one electrode must be a bit closer to your heart than the other. That’s where the vertical position comes in. We have not experience the band sliding out of place during testing.
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The rubber and plastic parts are tested and cleared of harmful toxins and for allergy risk as well
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Our App assists in rating signal quality and we suggest you go with the stronger signal for optimal usage. Small wrists are not a problem, hence why we position our piece length wise so that all electrodes are touching the skin.
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Our Bluetooth connection is enabled only during a scheduled or an on-demand measurement. It's about 2 mins. That's a power saving approach.