It’s really interesting to see how many of the wearables market companies in this Sweet Sixteen competition are developing technology that fills a medical need. Playtabase’s gesture control band is tackling this market head on based on the co-founder’s experience with a family member’s stroke. Thalmic Labs is more about pushing the boundaries of gaming across everyday life from actually playing games to doing a power point presentation or changing channels on a TV.
Although Thalmic Labs has not explicitly articulated a medical need for its device, it has made its API available to developers, which could lead to lots of different uses for the technology that could very well focus on specific patient populations.
This is something of a David and Goliath matchup. Although both companies are gearing up for 2014 product launches, Thalmic Labs has a big group of high-profile backers like First Round Capital and Intel Labs as well as at least 21 private investors.
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The Myo senses the electrical activity from your muscles to control Bluetooth connected devices. Playtabase does something similar but focuses more on open home automation systems. Additionally, reemo lets users control traditional binary electronics such as lamps and fans.
Muhammad Abdurrahman CEO of Playtabase developed the company’s reemo gesture control device after his father suffered a series of strokes. Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, and Aaron Grant studied mechanical engineering together at the University of Waterloo.
Thalmic Labs has priced its device at $150 and Playtabase has said it expects to price its device in the $100-$200 range.
Winner: Playtabase
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Why? This was really close. Myo has the potential to affect many more people, especially since it’s made its API available to developers. But one of the great things about March Madness are the Cinderella stories that emerge. Playtabase’s reemo scored a 3 pointer with seconds remaining.
