Ottawa-based full-service product design-engineering firm Design 1st has collaborated with Calibre Biometrics to codesign Calibre, a precise breath-tracking wearable device and app that collects data from multiple gas sensors to measure the composition and flow of inhaled and exhaled air. The app uses the data collected by the device to measure dozens of biometrics with remarkable accuracy, including real-time calorie burn rates, oxygen intake and nutrient usage.
‘Design 1st’s creative, product design and mechanical engineering services really stand out,’ said Udi Meirav, Calibre Biometrics’ founder and CEO. ‘They are a smart, experienced team and their rapid prototyping and test capabilities played a major role in shaping our innovative device.
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‘Design 1st is also a one-stop shop, including supply chain access,’ he continued. ‘This latter part is fairly complex, but they’re well connected to a system of manufacturers for prototyping and mass production, and their ability to bring all of this to the table really helped deliver the product we envisioned to market.’
A key challenge for the Design 1st team was to determine human acceptance of the wearable fitness tracker. They had to successfully develop a device that was comfortable to wear, aesthetically appealing and engineered for precision and long-term use, as well as efficient mass production. The result is the world’s first wearable that continually measures breath volume and composition, a significant departure from most wearable fitness trackers, which typically primarily measure motion or heart rate.
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‘With Calibre, Design 1st had the opportunity to incorporate extensive early market and user research and continuous testing to successfully de-risk from possible design or engineering challenges down the road, given the uniqueness of the project,’ said Kevin Bailey, president and CEO of Design 1st. ‘We’re excited to have partnered with Calibre Biometrics to deliver a wearable that’s truly the first of its kind.’
Technologically advanced and a paragon of human-focused design, Calibre packs a suite of gas and pressure sensors into a tiny, portable, wireless module that clips to a comfortable face piece, allowing users to go anywhere and do anything while tracking dozens of real-time metabolic and respiratory biometrics, measured up to 50 times per second. Activity agnostic, its tracking app collects real-time data on airflow composition and enables users to monitor daily activity effects on the body.