A necklace that stores electronic health data to track child immunization and a wearable soap that helps limit the spread of infectious viruses by encouraging hand washing, have won the Wearables for Good challenge run by UNICEF, ARM and frog.
The winning designs, both led by joint Indian-US teams, will each receive a prize of $15,000 and incubation and mentoring from the partners.
Khushi Baby is a data-storing necklace that provides a two-year personal immunization record for children. It uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to send and receive information through a smartphone. Data is synced to the cloud and displayed on a dashboard accessible to health officials.
SoaPen is a personal hygiene tool in the form of a soap-crayon that encourages the habit of handwashing among school children from the ages of 3-6 years. Teachers and parents can draw or write on a child’s skin to make the act of hand-washing engaging while reducing the spread of disease.
The Wearables for Good competition was launched in May 2015 and quickly became regarded as one of the world’s most inclusive technology and design challenges, attracting 2,000 registrants from 65 countries that resulted in 250 design submissions. It focused on moving the perception of wearables from nice-to-have devices to life-saving products that could work in any environment.
