MIT students are always churning out the latest in innovative
technology. While most of their projects are complex in nature, Wristify is not so much. This is a device that is placed on a person’s wrist and is
supposed to help regulate their body temperature. In theory it will allow us to be more comfortable during cold mornings and possibly even be
able to cut back on electric bills if it works as tested. So I did some research to see exactly what this device
does and how it does it.
First off, the prototype, just like our cellphones, must be charged periodically to do what it does. This means we need to plug it in for a charge every day.
The human wrist acts as the alert center for this device. It senses when a person is feeling cold or warm. Anyone who has ever worked in an office building knows there no perfect temperature for everyone. Some people will be hot at 75 degrees and some will complain it is too cold. This is what Wristify does about that: When sensors on the wrist determine that the person is FEELING hot or cold, it sends a pulse of cold or warm air to change that person's perception of room temperature. According to researchers at MIT, this person’s body will be tricked into thinking that the temperature is more to their liking...even though the room temperature has not changed one degree.
Does it work? I am not sure, but it seems that everyone who has tried it experienced positive results. Engineers are still trying to determine the best temperatures to use for the air impulses so that a user will not feel shocked or be taken by surprise when the whisper of air hits their wrist.
Thermal body temperature is an interesting concept and MIT
may be on to something that will help people feel more comfortable without paying a high utility bill. The hidden
value is rather apparent with Wristify. The human body is complex and is able
to take care of itself in ways that we have yet to understand. Through a simple
device, we can change the way our entire body feels. It is amazing how our
body can take care without outside intervention. But, will the body learn to adapt to these heat impulses and
eventually ignore them? That is one detail the MIT folks are trying to determine.
For now, I am skeptical. I would bet that the body sensitivity to heat and cold is not limited to the wrist alone. For this concept to work we may have to wear cloths that do what the Wristify watch does. However, it still might be better to keep us feeling warm or cold as individuals than to heat or cool an entire building in a feeble attempt to meet the demands of everyone at the same time. Who knows, someday soon we may be able to instruct our smartphones to tell our body to cool down when we start to get hot flashes.
For now, I am skeptical. I would bet that the body sensitivity to heat and cold is not limited to the wrist alone. For this concept to work we may have to wear cloths that do what the Wristify watch does. However, it still might be better to keep us feeling warm or cold as individuals than to heat or cool an entire building in a feeble attempt to meet the demands of everyone at the same time. Who knows, someday soon we may be able to instruct our smartphones to tell our body to cool down when we start to get hot flashes.
