Anyone who has had a long-distance relationship knows that the most difficult thing in them is the inability to touch your half, to convey your feelings to her tactilely. And while the tech industry has made great strides in other areas that help us connect with our loved ones — video calling, for example, has never been as easy as it is today — the last frontier is the creation of devices that can transmit touch between cities and even continents. To solve this problem, the Dutch IT company House of Haptics has created a bracelet with a simple and concise name Hey.
What is it?
This wearable gadget will allow you to send touches over long distances. First of all, you should understand that this is not a sex toy. It is worn on the wrist and is designed to simulate 'gentle pressure' rather than vibration. Hey hit Kickstarter about a month ago and is currently unavailable for purchase.
The bracelet will be released in two colors: black and anthracite or a combination of white and 'rose gold'. Yes, the choice is small, but the developers promise red, blue and green if the project is supported by at least 2,000 people.
How it works?
When you pre-order, you get a set of two bracelets (for you and your partner) and two chargers. The device connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When you send a touch, it is passed to the app (Android and iOS are supported), which sends that touch to your partner in the app on their smartphone.
In order to send a touch, you must press the bracelet in two places. According to the company, such a system guarantees protection against accidental touches. The Hey only takes 30 minutes to charge, which should be enough for 3 weeks of battery life. In addition to all of the above, the bracelet is waterproof, so you can get it wet without worrying about the consequences.
The touch that you will feel here is not at all like the vibration in phones. Instead, it uses a special tactile technology that transmits touches in real time; its closest analogue is 3D Touch in iPhone.
“Communication with Hey is very personal, almost intimate,” says the company. “Thanks to this, you can communicate unnoticed from others (for example, to support a loved one even in an exam or interview).”
Where? When? How much is?
House of Haptics built the first prototype in early 2016 and launched a Kickstarter campaign in February to raise funds for mass production. The first shipments of the kits are scheduled for August this year. And, most likely, Hey will still go on sale: users liked the idea and over the past month the project raised about $ 100 thousand out of the required 132 thousand, while the fundraising ends in a couple of weeks. Now you can pre-order a bracelet for almost $ 79, but given that, according to the company, this is the price with a 40% discount, the final cost for ordinary customers will be almost $ 130.
