Even under some form of supervision, young ones can and do drown in swimming pools and lakes. The iSwimband wearable sensor is designed to minimize these dangers by triggering an alarm on a paired iOS device when submerged for a dangerous length of time.
Aquatic Safety Concepts unveiled the iSwimband at CES earlier this year and has now started shipping to cautious parents and carers around the globe. The idea for the device was born out of the tragic death of a 9-year-old boy in Connecticut, which left three local fathers bewildered as to how such events can occur, especially in the presence of lifeguards and supervisors.
In the 8 years since, the team tapped into the knowledge of various experts, technologists, designers and engineers to develop iSwimband, a device that's hoped will prove a useful means of drowning detection and prevention. While it is certainly no substitute for proper supervision and education around water safety, it may just prove helpful in those scenarios where every second can be critical.
Similar to the SealBand (which we've covered previously), iSwimband is worn as either a headband or wristband and uses a built-in sensor to detect when it has been submerged for a user-definable length of time. If this threshold is reached, it sends an alert to a companion iOS app over Bluetooth up to 100 ft (30 m) away (depending on environmental conditions). Up to eight bands can be monitored from the one smart device via the app, each can be assigned names, preferences and different time limits.
The band runs on a fixed, non-replaceable battery, which the company claims should last hundreds of hours of use. The app is designed for iOS 7, though the company does say support for older versions and Android is on the way.
iSwimbands are available for order now via the source link below. Packages are priced at US$99 and include one headband, one wristband, and a sensor that can be placed in a pocket or attached to a pet.
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