▼ Summary
– Hiyd founder Salah Batroukh aims to provide health tracking without sacrificing fashion by creating an invisible sensor ecosystem.
– The company’s first device is a slim disc attached to the back of watches using microsuction technology to avoid residue or magnetic interference.
– The sensor measures biometrics like heart rate and sleep quality, syncing data to iOS and Android apps for user insights.
– Hiyd utilizes AI trained on labeled activity datasets to accurately analyze movement patterns and other biometric data.
– Batroukh previously worked as a manufacturing design engineer at Apple before leaving to launch his independent venture.
Health tracking is evolving beyond the clunky wristbands of the past, offering a solution for those who refuse to compromise on style. Hiyd, a new startup founded by Salah Batroukh, has developed a device that attaches to your existing watch, allowing users to monitor their health without sacrificing fashion. The core philosophy behind the company is that wellness monitoring should be seamless and invisible, rather than a conspicuous addition to one’s daily attire.
“We don’t think that health tracking needs to be this overly conscious decision where you have to change something about the way you look,” Batroukh told TechCrunch. “That’s the ethos of the entire company. Our plan is to build out this product ecosystem of invisible health tracking.”
Invisible Attachment Technology
The hardware itself is designed to be nearly undetectable under standard timepieces. Hiyd utilizes a microsuction technology that allows the sensor to adhere securely to the back of a watch without the need for magnets or adhesives. This approach ensures that the device does not leave residue on precious watches and avoids interfering with the mechanical functions of timepieces that rely on magnetic components.
“Microsuction is essentially a textured silicone, with hundreds of tiny pockets per square inch molded into a pliable sheet. So when you press on it, it pushes air out of all those pockets, and you end up with a vacuum , just like traditional suction cups but scaled down incredibly,” Batroukh explained. “It works incredibly at stopping shear forces, but a little bit of prying allows it to pop right off, which is ideal for us. It’s also incredibly thin at just 0.3 mm with our manufacturing processes.”
This thin profile is critical for the device’s functionality. The sensor measures only 2.7 mm thick and weighs a mere 7 grams. Despite its small size, it captures comprehensive biometric data, including heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep stages, movement patterns, calories burned, and VO2 max estimations. This data syncs directly to iOS or Android applications, providing users with detailed insights into their physical condition.
AI-Driven Personalization
To ensure accuracy, Hiyd’s engineering team is employing artificial intelligence to refine the sensor’s readings. The process involves filming themselves engaging in various activities and labeling the resulting datasets to train the AI algorithms. This method allows the company to rapidly integrate heuristic analysis into their systems.
“We go for a walk and say, ‘This is somebody walking, this is somebody jogging, this is somebody running,’” he said. “The one thing that AI is really good at is data analysis, so we can basically fit a lot of heuristic analysis into our sets really quickly.”
Beyond basic metrics, the accompanying app aims to provide personalized nutrition insights. Rather than focusing on simple calorie counting, the platform seeks to reveal how dietary choices affect individual performance and rest.
“What we will do is say like, ‘Hey, on days where you work out at 10 p.m. instead of 10 a.m., your sleep quality is actually worse,’ and that’ll be specific to you,” he said. “Or it’ll say, ‘Hey, we think you had a less deep sleep last night because you had a slice of cake before you went to bed, and the sugar affected it.’”
From Apple Engineer to Startup Founder
Salah Batroukh brings extensive experience from his seven-year tenure as a manufacturing design engineer at Apple. His departure from the tech giant was driven by a desire to create products focused primarily on customer utility rather than brand identity.
“One of the reasons I left Apple was a lot of the products became a little bit more about being an Apple product, rather than being something for the customer,” he said. “[Hiyd] gives me the opportunity to do the exact opposite.”
Batroukh leads the venture alongside co-founders Omar Shakir, the company’s CTO and experienced mechanical engineer, and Mahamad Charawi, the head of software. Charawi previously co-led Laudspeaker, a Y Combinator-backed startup that was successfully sold.
Hiyd is showcasing its innovation at TechCrunch Disrupt, where it is competing in the top 20 of the Startup Battlefield competition. Following this exposure, the company plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in November. Early interest has been strong, with over 16,000 people already making deposits to secure the first units of the Hiyd sensor.
(Source: TechCrunch)
