Here’s a little bit of wireless fun that QTOOTH spotted on Kickstarter. Nothing like some play that’s designed to channel our stress into more healthy channels. Check it out:
The PIP wireless biosensor, combined with a suite of apps, allows you to master the art of relaxation through gaming.
What if you could not only measure your stress but learn to control it?
The PIP is a revolutionary biosensor that helps you really learn to relax, improve your performance in any aspect of your life and combat stress. Available for both iOS and Android, the PIP detects whether you are stressing or relaxing in real time.
We’ve made the PIP super-easy to use. Just hold it between your fingertips and it will communicate your stress level wirelessly to a game or app running on your smartphone or tablet. An ever-expanding suite of gaming and entertainment apps will be available, allowing you to visualize your relaxation and master your stress in a fun and engaging way.
In today’s fast-paced world, the PIP is designed to suit your lifestyle – highly portable, easy to use and above all, fun. The PIP is a unique product that empowers you to beat stress, when and where you want to.
How does it work?
When you are in a stressful situation your body’s flight or fight response is activated. As a result, blood is rushed to the periphery of the body which causes your sweat glands to activate. This activation changes the conductivity of your skin and is referred to as the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR).
Held between your finger and thumb, the PIP captures those changes and transmits them, via Bluetooth, to your mobile device.
Algorithm for Deducing Stress
Merely measuring the GSR is not enough. We have developed our own complex GSR analysis systems to give accurate feedback for all users of the PIP regardless of skin type and environmental conditions.
Biofeedback
The PIP has emerged from research and development in the exciting “Quantified Self” space, and empowers the user to develop relaxation skills using a technique called biofeedback. One of the most valuable aids in any learning process is performance feedback. Biofeedback is a process where the user learns to gain conscious control over an aspect of their psycho-physiological state, by providing continuous information on whether or not they are “doing the right thing”. With repeated practice, the user gradually evolves a personal strategy that produces the desired result. This offers all sorts of opportunities for people to “manage the moment” – from general well-being, to any area of life where being calm improves performance.
The PIP and Games
Any activity that requires repetition is in danger of becoming boring. That’s why the PIP puts the fun into relaxation. The feedback mechanism is provided through a game running on a smartphone or tablet. Users’ stress levels, as measured by the PIP, are used to determine their performance in the game: the more relaxed they are, the better they do. The counter-intuitive way the PIP works is a powerful learning mechanism. One of the great strengths of video games is that they allow the player to have fun, while performing the same task over and over again. By using games as the context for biofeedback, the user learns how to relax quickly, while having fun at the same time.
Compatibility
The PIP will work with the iPhone 4S and above, the iPad 3 and above and most Android smart devices.
Limited Edition PIPs
For Kickstarter we’re offering a special choice of colors. We’ve included the image below for illustrative purposes to give people an idea of what these PIPs will look like.
Our Games
Relax & Race
Relax & Race is the racing game where victory is achieved only by “out-relaxing” your opponent. Competitive games normally predispose the player to a state of increased tension, but in Relax & Race, you must discover how to override this tendency, and learn not only to relax, but to relax in a stressful environment.
The game takes the form of a race between two characters. Your stress level is used to determine your speed in the race: the more you relax, the faster you go. The winner is the player who manages to relax the most during the course of the game.
Relax & Race provides a fun and constructive way of learning how to manage stress – a valuable skill in today’s increasingly hectic world.
The Loom
Use your powers of relaxation to turn winter into summer. As you relax, the landscape responds to reflect your inner calmness – snow and ice thaw, leaves begin to shoot and flowers bloom. The music adapts too – starting out as a single instrument, hidden layers are revealed as your stress melts away.
Relax long enough and the scene is bathed in glorious summer sunshine accompanied by a rich orchestral score. In the Loom, soothing imagery and music combine to dissolve tension, leaving you calm, relaxed and ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.
Lie Detective
How will your friends and family react to a grilling from the Lie Detective? Less-than-truthful answers to probing questions manifest as increased stress levels. Lie detective displays this response through a classic film noir look. This application provides incredible entertainment and an extra layer of fun for your social events. Let the interrogation begin!
The Plan
A successful Kickstarter campaign will help us finalise our manufacturing arrangements, get our apps ready for release and deliver the PIP to your doorstep. With the support of the Kickstarter Community, we can make stress history!
So far, we have designed and manufactured a limited number of prototype PIPs which we have used to develop, test and demonstrate our games. We have recently completed a hardware revision to update our bluetooth technology and accommodate a smaller micro USB connector for charging. We finally have all the pieces in-place to move to full scale manufacturing. We have engaged a world leading manufacturing partner capable of meeting our Kickstarter demand and far beyond.
via The PIP: A Biosensor that Helps You Relax Through Play. by Galvanic — Kickstarter.
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