The power of artificial intelligence has allowed wearables to evolve from measuring simple stats like step count or pulse to broader concepts like 'readiness' or 'alertness'. But why stop at health? What about your mood?
That's the concept behind the Happy Ring, a new device from Happy Health and Tinder founder Sean Rad. Yes, really! The co-founder and current president of the world's largest dating site has a new take on the wearable world, based on custom biometric sensors and proprietary algorithms that can measure sleep, stress, and ultimately mood. . The company claims that this simple strip of ceramic and resin can capture brain signals from the peripheral nervous system and translate them into objective, real-time measures of mood.
No, this ring will not connect you with your next life partner. But it will let you know if you are happy right now.
“There are many wearable devices out there to help you on your fitness journey,” says Paul Berns, co-founder and president of Happy Health. "They largely ignore the mind and its effects on their overall well-being. The ability to measure and understand our emotional state will help us identify habits that lead to better health."
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Sensors in the ring constantly measure your mood (Image credit: Happy Health)Image 1 of 5
Charge the ring by placing it on an included base station (Image credit: Happy Health)
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Proprietary sensors in the Happy Ring (Image credit: Happy Health)
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Sensors on the inner surface measure signals from your brain (Image credit: Happy Health)
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A companion app - iOS only, for now (Image credit: Happy Health)
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The team behind the ring has scientific chops to be sure. Berns is joined at the helm of Happy Health by Sue Smalley, professor emeritus of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, where she founded the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC), and Dr. Dustin Freckleton, a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 patents for his name. Sean Rad, on the other hand, invented the concept of swiping right.
The most well-known smart ring on the market is of course the Oura, a much-loved wearable device that targets sleep, measuring sleep stages, pulse, respiration, and more. to give you a solid picture of what you are doing during the night. The Happy Ring uses a similar set of sensors on its inner rim, which presses against the skin to pick up brain signals of peripheral nervous system activity.
Like the Oura, the Happy Ring sits atop a custom obelisk for wireless charging, shaped like a cowboy hat. It is available in gloss black or gloss white. And like much of the tech space, the focus here is on the service rather than the device. The Happy Ring itself is free with your subscription, and what you pay per month depends on the length of your subscription. A 24-month plan costs €480, or €20 per month, while a one-year plan costs €300 (€25/month). Or pay as you go at €30 per month.
All tiers include sleep analysis and reporting, heart rate monitoring, guided breathing exercises, and CBT-friendly daily reminders through the Happy app, which syncs with Apple Health. An Android-compatible version will be released "in the near future," the company tells me.
While the concept of mood measurement is fascinating, the cost of the device is worth commenting on. The Oura ring sells for between $300 and $400, depending on the finish, and the subscription costs $5 a month. The Happy Ring reduces the initial costs to zero, but a year of service will cost at least €240, for example. And the higher levels of services add up quickly.
The company tells TechRadar that the Happy Ring's battery will last two to three days, continuously sampling data from its various sensors, and will recharge in about an hour. In contrast, Oura's ring can last between five and six days, although its sensors are not permanently in operation. It's easy enough to incorporate either device into a regular routine to ensure it stays fully charged - simply place the ring on the custom charging cradle before you hop in the shower or during bed making and you won't have to worry twice. .
The Happy Ring is now available for purchase via a waiting list, though it won't start shipping until later this year. and we can't wait to bring you our detailed review.