Skip to main content

Forget counting steps: Reveal fitness tracker records stressors for autistic kids

Fitness trackers are great, but their applications could go far beyond simply tracking how many steps you take. For example, they could be used to seriously help people who need it — like children with autism.

That’s the idea behind a new health tracker from a company called Awake Labs, which has just launched an Indiegogo campaign for the Reveal — a fitness tracker that’s aimed squarely at helping kids on the autism spectrum.

Recommended Videos

So how does the Reveal help these kids? Reveal essentially measures the wearer’s body’s response to anxiety, helping understand the behavior patterns that take place before a “behavior meltdown.” It means that the tracker will be able to detect when the wearer is going to have a behavior breakdown before it even occurs, allowing a caretaker or the wearer themselves to ease the situation before it gets out of control. This prevents breakdowns, but it also could increase the independence of the wearer.

reveal-3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are two parts to the system: software and hardware. The hardware includes a heart rate sensor, a skin conductivity sensor (which measures sweat), and a temperature sensor. The software, however, turns that data into quick snapshots of current anxiety, graphs that show the changes over time, and a record of high-anxiety events, helping to identify patterns.

According to the autism society, one in 68 people in the United States are born with some level of autism. While Awake Labs admits autism is unique to each individual, many people with autism have sensory and environmental triggers that can cause a rise in anxiety levels, something that could eventually lead to a meltdown. These meltdowns can be both emotionally draining and even physically dangerous for the person with autism and for others around them.

reveal1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Reveal could take a lot of guesswork out of taking care of someone with autism — often parents and caretakers have to guess what triggers meltdowns, and it’s often difficult to do so.

Reveal is currently gathering funding via Indiegogo, and the device itself costs 350 Canadian dollars, or around $267 in the U.S. However you can currently get it for CA$290 ($222) as an early bird special.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
GlassesUSA Black Friday Sale: Get 30% off prescription glasses
GlassesUSA frames close up with multiple styles.

Need a new pair of glasses? Want to stock up for your holiday trips before you head to meet up with your relatives? Typically, you'd have to wait until the official Black Friday event, the day after Thanksgiving, or maybe even Cyber Monday, but that's not the case this year. Alongside a variety of the best online glasses deals, GlassesUSA is hosting a huge Black Friday sale early, allowing you to save big on prescription glasses and frames with no waiting necessary. Of course, we always recommend browsing the sale of your own accord to see what's discounted because we couldn't possibly cover everything, nor could we know precisely what you're looking for. That said, we've called out quite a few of the best deals below.

What to shop in the early GlassesUSA Black Friday sale
Rightfully dubbed the Black Friday Early Bird sale, now's an excellent time to save up to 30% on prescription glasses. Moreover, GlassesUSA is truly dedicated to helping you find the perfect pair. Not only are there a ton of brands and styles to choose from, but you'll benefit from free shipping and returns and a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. You can even take to find the correct pair for your face. Ray-Ban, Oakley, DKNY, Prada, Ottoto, Muse, they are all here and available to shop, most discounted even. Men's and Women's eyewear are on sale, too, so there's something for everyone.

Read more
The best DNA testing kit Black Friday deals you can shop now
Daughter gifting Ancestry Gift Membership to family

DNA tests are awesome holiday gifts for your family. Together you can all build your family tree and discover your genetic makeup. Unfortunately the tests are pretty expensive, but at least you only need to test once. There are some nice Black Friday deals going on today that will save you a significant amount of money on single tests or bundles. Check out our favorite below, then more more deals worth checking out under that.
The best DNA testing kit Black Friday deal
AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit -- $59, was $99

The single person AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit is our pick for the best Black Friday deal already available. The kit normally costs $99, but right now it's down to just $59. That's a nice discount of $30 on one of the best DNA tests available. We're not sure how long this deal will last, so you should grab it soon.

Read more
The 5 best DNA test kits for 2024
We spit in a ton of test tubes to find the best and most unique DNA tests
A 23andme DNA kit.

Despite the fact that tons of competitors have sprung up in recent years, 23AndMe still makes the best DNA test on the market. It's the quickest, it's very comprehensive, and the way the company presents your genetic data is simple and easy to digest. However, depending on what kind of information you're looking for, there are other, more specialized DNA tests that might be better suited for you. Whether it's ancestry, fitness, disease risk, or something else entirely, there's likely a DNA kit that'll uncover that data.

With the rising popularity of these tests, we decided to take a closer look and see which ones are worth the investment. To do this, we secured a mail-in kit from as many DNA testing services as we could find, then shipped them a spit tube full of our precious genetic code for analysis. After looking through all the data and personally trying all of these services, there were a few that stood out from the pack. Here are our favorites:
The best DNA test kit in 2024

Read more