Each year more than 795,000 people in the U.S. alone experience a stroke, according to the Centers fir Disease Control. Although they kill 130,000 a year on average, strokes can also leave patients with diminished motor skills and the road to recovery can be slow. In this wearable Elite Eight matchup, a wristband developed by Playtabase uses gesture control to carry out everyday tasks with much less effort — just a flick of the wrist. It’s paired against a sophisticated baby monitor developed by Mimo that’s worn as a onesie.
The Reemo by Playtabase captured the popular vote with 63 percent of folks favoring it over Mimo’s device which received 38 percent.
To recap, Mimo’s onesie has embedded sensors that monitor the baby’s breathing, temperature, vital signs and body position. They transmit the data to a smartphone or tablet. A companion app for Androids and iOS devices lets parents view stats based on the data collected, such as the number of times their baby turned over during the night.
The Reemo uses a wristband embedded with sensors for gesture control through an open home automation systems. It also lets users control traditional binary electronics such as lamps and fans. The trigger for its development was Playtabase CEO Muhammad Abdurrahman’s father who suffered a series of strokes.
The Mimo baby monitor is designed to flag up potential problems. Reemo addresses a very real problem with a solution. Of course it takes more than the ability to turn lights on and off and operate other devices to be able to recuperate from a stroke. But it helps in a very real way to compensate for some of the diminished control people experience as they recover. It has the potential to improve confidence and make users feel a little more in control of their lives. It also assists in the healthcare reform goal of helping people get home sooner from hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.
Winner: Reemo by Playtabase
