The Kanega Watch is a new design on Kickstarter from UnaliWear. The company, based in Austin, Texas, has designed the watch primarily for seniors and it enables the user to better live independently by providing support for falls, giving out medication reminders and guarding against wandering. The watch used speech interface which makes it easier to use and also makes it a more discreet and wearable option, reducing the possible stigma of wearing a support aid. The watch speaks out reminders and can even be connected to newer hearing aids to speak directly into the aid.

By remotely gathering information on the user the Kanega is able to learn their lifestyle and thus better detect if they have gotten themselves lost or in danger from something like a fall, as well as keep tabs on the person taking medication. One criticism I could think of is the remote tracking aspect; while many will undoubtedly find this useful for themselves or a loved one, others could see it as being overly invasive as it remotely gathers information on you.

However, with time still left the Kanega has already reached its original $100,000 goal and are now extending it to $125,000. Unfortunately, for those of us in the UK, the first batch of models will only be shipping within the United States, but given the popularity and huge amount of support the Kickstarter has seen it’s not a stretch to assume that it will become available elsewhere at some point so keep an eye out.

We’ve featured a number of articles on Kickstarter projects and it really is a site worth checking out for out-the-box ideas like blind accessible board games or simple design solutions like wheels with in-built suspension.

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