Notch Launches Its Smartphone-Based Wearable Sensor Technology
In April, we profiled Notch Interfaces, and CEO Stepan Boltalin, about the New York City startup’s plan for the year. And just last week, the company officially launched their primary product, Notch, a wearable sensor network that allows the user to evaluate movement from the screen of a smartphone.
Notch is a series of wireless sensors that attach to different areas of the body with straps. As the wearer of these sensors does certain movements, the sensors track a user’s biomechanics in real-time with the use of accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses. The sensors then feed that information to a connected smartphone and build a 3D graphic of the wearer’s movements.
For example, a physical therapist can watch in real-time as one of their clients goes through an exercise. They can evaluate any range of motion, and get all angles of movement from the dummy-like model of their client. That therapist could then rewind that exercise and fast-forward to look at any aspect of the movement.
But Notch is not just relegated to the world of therapy, and can seemingly measure any activity requiring movement, building a 3D model of the wearer. This is one of the greatest strengths of the technology, and the sensors are even waterproof for swimmers.
The only remaining question for Notch would be whether it has the analytic tools that biometric programs like DorsaVi or Kitman Labs have. Notch appears to work best when the user is able to contrast movements with an ideal movement. They can then measure how accurate their current movements are, and quickly fix their form.
But, where companies like DorsaVi and Kitman give quick answers on the basis of a user’s movement, Notch does not. So, it seems to require some knowledge of the body beforehand.
