It’s often true that the innovation behind creating new technologies is spurred due to the existence of some problem. For Deepak Arora, chief executive officer of Hartland-based startup Wearable Technologies Inc., the idea behind his wearable monitoring device – which is a finalist in the 2022 Wisconsin Innovation Awards – came after he experienced every parent’s worst nightmare.
A complete accident led to his daughter, Mahi, wandering out of their family home and falling into a nearby retention pond in 2020.
“By the time we could find her, it was five minutes too late,” Arora said. “I couldn’t wrap my head around how something like this could happen and our research showed that there’s nothing out there on the market that can protect against this. We have a number of fitness devices to monitor our fitness levels, but nothing that protects us against hazards and unintentional injuries.”
Arora has created a wearable device, that can be worn on the wrist like a watch or attached securely to different articles of clothing, that monitors several key pieces of information that can help predict potential hazards or emergency situations.
While Arora declined to comment on any specifics related to how much outside funding has been received thus far, SEC filings show that Wearable Technologies has raised at least $755,000. The company has also been named as a Qualified New Business Venture by WEDC, meaning its investors can be eligible for a tax credit.
[Adapted from: Hartland-based Wearable Technologies’ device aims to predict emergency events August 12, 2022 Biz Times]