0rca: Senseband, The Bluetooth Wristband

A fairly recent post on digg, reminded me of a small company I was helping a friend of mine create earlier this year.

The company: 0rca
The mission: To put a GUI on your wrist

Basically, she wanted to start a company with a little seed from her father and needed a good idea, so I put my thinking-cap on and resurfaced an idea that I had been thinking about around that time. She liked it and thus 0rca was born.

We had a factory lined up and were well on our way towards the completed engineering specs and prototype runs…but all things require love. I was hoping to keep my involvement to a minimum because I was quite busy with my current company and she did not have an extensive background in technology. This resulted in very little love for the project. There was definitely an abundance of excitement with all informed and involved and she had the desire to see it through, but in the end it was her lack of technical knowledge and my lack of time that ultimately lead to our decision to freeze the project about 2.5 months after its inception.

Nonetheless, I figured it would take about this long to see flow regarding an omni-gadget wrist GUI. So, I have had news alerts tracking “Bluetooth wristband” for sometime and that digg article was the first to register. As such, it is now my intent to reproduce a portion of the details* regarding what was to be 0rca’s flagship product, Senseband.

And though the Senseband described below anticipated initial use with mobile phones, it was thought to have it grow to eventually include interfacing with all close-proximity gadgets via the Personal Area Network (PAN) topology. Enjoy!

BRIEF OUTLINE

• Bluetooth profiles are growing and with profile growth comes feature growth — Senseband (SB) may take advantage of this growth in the following ways:
  • Fully customizable watch face/calendar/mini-PDA
    • Users can use text/images/audio/video for a completely customized/unique wristwatch w/Sense technology
  • See who is calling (may include profile picture)
    • Choose to accept or deny from your SB
  • Dial a call from your SB (no need to take mobile out from pocket or purse if also using a headset)
  • Social interaction:
    • SBs can communicate with each other obtaining each other’s IDs and cross-referencing with a social DB allowing for:
    • Friend finding
    • Date matching
    • Commerce
  • Advertising and marketing:
    • SB broadcast units can be deployed anywhere so that when users are in range, a special offer or discount can be sent to the SB user notifying of the deal in their immediate vicinity

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMCellular phones have changed the world since the first cellular phone call was made in 1973. As they went from expensive toys to virtual necessities, they also introduced new annoyances on the user end. If your cell phone’s ringer is on, but the phone is in your pocket, you may not hear it go off when someone calls. Likewise, if it is set to vibrate, you may not feel your phone vibrating if you are wearing baggy clothes or carrying it in a purse or backpack. If you are expecting an important call, something as simple as knowing that your phone is ringing should not get in the way of receiving it.

The SenseBand makes sure you get your call. The SenseBand is a small, thin, comfortable wristband that can be worn like a common watch. It features a felt interior for user comfort; a small vibration unit that hums when an incoming call is detected; and a Bluetooth chip to facilitate the SenseBand’s wireless interaction with your cellular phone.

The SenseBand can be used with all Bluetooth compatible phones. This opens the SenseBand to a large market, as Bluetooth has become a ubiquitous standard for wireless communication between devices.

PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITY

As a product meant to aid cell phone use and convenience, the Senseband can also aid many of the cell phone’s secondary tasks. The band features a small, thin screen with a fully customizable watch face, calendar, and basic organizer functions. This allows you to see who is calling when an incoming call is received; you may then accept or deny the call from your Senseband. A numeric pad function allows the user to dial and send a call from the Senseband; if the user is wearing a headset, (s)he will not even have to take the phone out of his/her pocket or purse to do so.

The Senseband also has potential social networking applications. Sensebands can communicate with one another, allowing users to effortlessly exchange information and obtain one another’s IDs. This allows functionality for friend-finding, dating services, and targeted advertising strategies. For vendors, Senseband broadcast units can be deployed anywhere. When users come within range, they can be sent a message informing them of the offer from the shop in their area.

Functional Requirements (base, non-LCD model):

• 1 on/off switch or button
• 1 function button (for Bluetooth coupling)
• 1 sense strength toggle or button
• 1 power light
• 1 status light
• A method for charging (ie: plug/prongs/induction charging)
• A method for changing battery
  

Composure Requirements (base, non-LCD model):

• Bluetooth components:
  • Bluetooth chip
  • Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
  • Antenna
• Sense components:
  • Electricity control chip
  • PCB
  • Metal leads (skin contact)
• Power components:
  • Battery
  • Charging lead
  • PCB

(2005, Gabriel Kent/Shinri Matsuoka)