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The mood ring wants to make a high-tech comeback

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Image used with permission by copyright holder

Remember mood rings? They were a piece of jewelry that could supposedly reveal your current emotion to anyone, depending on the color the stone turned. It’s no secret that, in reality, the stones used in these rings simply react to their temperature.

But now, the mood ring is getting a 21st century update, thanks to a new project that is currently raising funds via a Kickstarter campaign. Following the trend of activity-monitoring wristbands, the W/Me bracelet is used to keep track of a person’s autonomic nervous system (ANS), which functions as a sort of passive control mechanism for your body.

The band has a medical grade sensor that can decode the user’s heart rate variability, determine your age as far as your ANS is concerned, and can even figure out what your current mental state is. W/Me has an LED screen that can deliver test results, but also has an accompanying app for both iOS and Android.  

Once the bracelet scans your stats, it’s time to work on improving your score, with the help of Attu, the fitness whale, an orange cartoon creature that you can pull up on your phone. Attu is essentially an interactive guide that will train you to adjust your breathing patterns in a way that will help you improve your overall ANS score and wellbeing.

The wristband has some fun bonus features on top of health monitoring. Say your phone is in your bag or silenced. It can vibrate slightly or light up, alerting you of incoming phone calls or text messages. It can shoot you a similar alert whenever your phone is out of range, so you never leave it behind. And if you do misplace your phone, a simple tap of a button causes the phone to chime, helping you track it down.

Phyode, the company behind W/Me, needs $100,000 to guarantee production; so far it has already raised more than $80,000, with 34 days left.

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