There is no shortage of wearable devices that track users’ health and fitness data, but a new Austin startup has developed what it claims is the first wearable device to measure real-time stress and mood data.
The wearable ring device, known as Happy Ring, was developed by Happy Health. The startup launched from stealth Wednesday with a $60 million Series A round led by ARCH Venture Partners.
The Happy Ring measures users’ stress, mood and sleep in real-time using a proprietary EDA sensor and adaptive AI. This tech captures brain signals from the peripheral nervous system and translates them into real-time objective measures of one’s mood state.
Happy Health’s work in establishing objective, real-time measures of stress and emotional health was led by Dr. Jim Hudziak, who contributed to the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV manual.
In addition to the EDA sensor, the ring also has four skin electrodes, four wavelengths of light, three-axis movement tracking and two temperature sensors, according to the company. The ring itself is water-resistant, impact-resistant and has a battery life of up to three days, according to Happy Health.
The Happy Ring also pairs with an iOS app that uses biofeedback from the ring to generate personalized exercises and insights.
Happy Health was co-founded by Sean Rad, the founder of Tinder; Dr. Dustin Freckleton, a medical doctor and inventor of wearable devices; Sue Smalley, a professor emeritus of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA; and Paul Berns and Robert Nelsen from ARCH Venture Partners.
“We all use our camera phones to record the important moments in our lives,” Freckleton, Happy Health’s CEO, said in a statement. “Now, with the Happy Ring and the companion app, your phone can also show you what’s happening inside of you, and the impact of each one of life’s moments.”
The Happy Ring comes free with the purchase of a membership, which starts as low as $20 per month.
Happy Health has 40 employees, including 13 in Austin. The company plans to use its Series A funding for research and development, manufacturing and growing its team.
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