Wearables will rule all. Everyone is building one. Now there’s a wearable designed as a blank, the perfect tech for programmers who don’t want to waste time putting together their own hardware from scratch.
MetaWear Coin, created by MbientLab has everything in it that a wearable needs; an accelerometer, thermistor, a certified Bluetooth low-energy sensor, and an ARM system-on-a-chip, all on a printed circuit board. 256KB flash memory and 16KB RAM, run on a CR2032 cell battery (easy to find). With that tech, it can both stream data and store it on the device, and can last up to six months.
The 12-bit BOSCH low-noise accelerometer is already certified, so it cuts down on the approvals needed to get to market. The case is shatter- and water-resistant, and has one gigantic button and an LED. The industrious designer can pop it open and add their own SPI/GPIOs/12C LEDs or sensors to the board.
On GitHub, the software construction collaboration site, MbientLab hosts a page where users can access their existing Android and iOS APIs, as well as the Apple notification app. The Coin comes with firmware already loaded, but for expediency, the proprietary MetaSense software lets you analyze data, log info, and control the Coin.
On the Google Play and App Store, MbientLab has apps ready for to you test the board. They also have a projects page where all the goodies made with the Coin get displayed. There, designers can blog about their own projects or search for inspiration.
The Coin has a ton of possibilities. Add a UV sensor and you get MetaUV, a necklace that can warn you when to put on sunscreen. Or use multiple MetaWears for one app. The MbientLab team demoed the Coin’s flexibility with MetaPunch, a boxing glove that measures your impact force.
MbientLab is asking for $50,000 on Kickstarter to bring the MetaWear Coin to the public. The super early birds are all gone, but $70 isn’t a bad deal to grab a DIY wearable platform. It is all very meta; asking for money to make a wearable that will make other wearables. MbientLab is not a bunch of newbs (or noobs) and has already funded a MetaWear last year, the MetaWear R, through Kickstarter, and delivered to backers ahead of schedule. The Coin is expected to reach backers by December 2015.
Related Posts
We review a lot of health wearables. This one tracks something most ignore.
We've discussed the Hume Band’s design ethos before; specifically, how its screen-free, fabric-wrapped profile respects your attention span. But for those who treat their health as a long-term asset, the form factor is secondary to the data.
Rokid’s AI glasses offer a more affordable route to wearables than Meta Ray-Ban
The AI Glasses Style is completely screenless and weighs just 38.5 grams, making it light enough to wear all day without discomfort. Instead of visual overlays, it relies on voice, audio, and a built-in 12MP Sony camera capable of shooting 4K video in clips up to 10 minutes.
Forget the watch, Apple’s AI Pin might be its next wearable move
According to the details shared so far, the wearable is still in the very early stages of development. In fact, Apple could launch it or even cancel it, depending on how engineering and market conditions evolve. That said, people familiar with the project say the company is targeting a 2027 release window, a move that would position Apple directly against other AI wearable efforts from competitors like OpenAI and others experimenting with similar form factors.