Nov 10, 2015 | By Benedict
Love them or loathe them, wearables are already one of the decade’s most significant technological crazes. Given the simultaneous buzz around 3D printing right now, what could be more fashionable than a 3D printed smartwatch? With nine days left to run of the Blocks modular smartwatch Kickstarter campaign, keen backers have already pledged a whopping $1,407,791: almost 500% of the campaign’s original target figure. 4,447 customers have already contributed to the cause, but BLOCKS Wearables keeps offering further incentives for the public to haul the project over the $1.5m mark. The company has recently unveiled an open design feature for its hugely popular tech timepiece: removable 3D printable covers for customising and re-customising the individual Modules of the watch.
With the product originally being marketed as a sleek yet serious monochrome gadget, the company seems to have taken customer comments on board by shaking up the technological ticker’s appearance. BLOCKS have announced an open design project for the creation of 3D printable shells, which are designed to clip onto individual Modules of the smartwatch. With this additional feature, users will be able to tailor the style of their watch as finely as they are able to tailor its functionality. It will be possible to produce the covers in a range of materials, including 3D printed precious metals, precious stones, and even wood.
For those new to the product, the fancy BLOCKS wristwatch is billing itself as the world’s first fully modular smartwatch. The product earns this title through its unique strap, which isn’t really a strap at all, but a chain of individual Modules, each providing a unique function. Users can assemble their own smartwatch with whichever Modules are most suited to their needs, discarding those which serve no purpose. Each module thus functions as a kind of ‘app’ for the watch, comprising both hardware and software for its particular purpose. Modules include a heart rate monitor, for those intending to use their smartwatch as a gym companion; a GPS module, for the explorers out there; a fingerprint module, for those keeping private data on their BLOCKS, and a whole host of other connectable units.
As well as the 3D printable Module covers, BLOCKS has announced another tantalising stretch goal to entice further backers. The company has declared that the watch screen will be updated to AMOLED if the campaign surpasses the $1.5m mark. This promise comes after BLOCKS already confirmed that each smartwatch would be made with highly resistant Gorilla Glass, after the $1.2m mark was reached a few days ago. The company has been busy in other areas too, announcing business links with a number of companies. BLOCKS has announced that cellular connectivity in the U.K. will be provided by EE, the country’s largest network operator. Its heart rate Module will be developed in collaboration with optical sensor experts Pixart Imaging, its fingerprint Module with BioConnect Entertech Systems, and a range of customisable covers will be produced by British luxury jeweller Tateossian.
Sound appealing? A BLOCKS modular smartwatch with 4 Modules can be preordered with a $285 pledge on the Kickstarter campaign, with the products due to be shipped in May 2016.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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