Thanks to the incredible team at Innomdle Lab, that child’s imagination has finally turned into reality. Say hello to Sgnl!
Photo Credit: Innomdle Lab
“Sgnl is the smart strap that enables you to answer phone calls through your fingertip. Simply place your fingertip to your ear while [speaking] through the embedded microphone. Replace your existing watch strap with Sgnl and you’re done, whether you wear a classic watch or an Apple Watch, Samsung Gear, or Pebble Time.”
– Innomdle Lab
Photo Credit: Innomdle Lab
Inside the BCU there is an actuator unit which helps generate body-conductible vibrations with low power consumption. In order to actually hear the person on the other end of the phone clearly, Innomdle Lab created an algorithm which selectively amplifies voice signals with proper wavelength modulation.
Though Innomdle Lab needs your help. In order to get Sgnl out into the market by February of next year, they’ve reached out to the community with a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. They’ve already reached their funding goal, but if you want to make it better, make a contribution today!
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
When I first learned about Sgnl, I immediately began thinking about the 2012 remake of the sci-fi film Total Recall. Specifically, the implanted phone inside of the agent’s hand. When a call was placed, their hand would begin lighting up. They’d press on a specific position of their hand, raise it up to their ear, and begin speaking. It was such a simple design, with very little CGI needed, but it had my mind racing with possible applications in the future. And now, we have Sgnl.
Granted it’s not an actual implant, but I’d argue that it’s a stepping stone towards that ultimate direction. It challenges our perceptions of what a phone really is. It challenges our perception of how our biological bodies should and can be used. There are many who already consider us “baby cyborgs” because of our reliance on smartphones. Though with Sgnl, Innomdle Lab is simply strengthening that idea by creating a somewhat symbiotic relationship between our gadgets and our own biological substrate.