Emerging technology company Smartstones, Inc. has developed the Smartstones® TouchTM, an easy, natural way for friends and loved ones to connect non-verbally through an innovative "aware-able" technology.
Unlike most technology that are considered impersonal and distant, Smartstones Touch makes it easy for anyone to care for and connect with friends and family by enabling instant, simple and discrete communication. It also includes location tracking and reminders.
The Smartstones Touch's slim, unobtrusive and wearable design allows for simple communications to be felt. With the potential for thousands of messages, Smartstones Touch can support the creation of an entire user-generated, non-verbal language. Imagine with a single swipe someone sending their grandmother a message she can feel, so she'll know that they are thinking of her – and they love her. Or think of how a simple tap can let a mother reach out to her child with autism and let them know she is outside the school or hospital, and always on standby to provide calm, comfort, and support.
The Smartstones Touch works with any internet-connected Bluetooth compatible device, including mobile phones, tablets and laptops, and offers a seamless interface that anyone can learn. With no screen and no need to look or type, the Touch is also a safe alternative to texting while driving.
"I developed Smartstones® TouchTM after my mother was placed on life support for weeks in the ICU, and was unable to move or speak," says Andreas Forsland, CEO and Founder of Smartstones, Inc. "I was inspired to create a simple, natural way for loved ones to communicate and send moral support through touch—no matter the situation."
Smartstones Touch users can perform a simple tap, swipe or shake to send a message from their stone, and the recipient stone will illuminate and vibrate in an easily recognizable color and light pattern combination called a HapticonTM. The pebble-like communications device connects users to their loved ones at a fundamental level from anywhere in the world, allowing them to feel their feelings, know their location, or convey a basic need or request.
The Smartstones Touch is a valuable tool for people who are living with conditions that present verbal communication challenges, such as ALS, Autism and Cerebral Palsy, or have suffered brain or spinal injuries. But for others, the movements required to use the app can also be difficult to perform, due to conditions like Parkinson's or ALS, which inhibit a person's motor skills. That's where the EEG headset comes in.
