Polymer producer displays 'thermostat' wearable at MD&M West

Polymer producer Covestro will be showcasing Embr Wave, a wearable, at this year’s MD&M West in Anaheim, California.

The product, manufactured by Embr Labs, is a bracelet-type wearable that is aimed to act as a personal thermostat, and it has been developed to stimulate a person’s thermoreceptors to use the body’s natural systems to make the wearer feel cooler or warmer by five degrees within a few minutes.

Embr Labs developed the product through prototyping and customer testing. When it came time for the production design, the company wanted to use a frosted light pipe with LEDs as the primary user interface.

Sam Shames, co-founder of Embr Labs said: “We turned to Covestro to help select the right material and optimize the design for optical performance.”

Based on the requirements, Embr Labs chose Makrolon 2407 polycarbonate. For the Embr Wave, diffusers and optical brighteners were compounded into the resin to achieve the desired visual effect.

Joel Matsco, senior marketing manager, polycarbonates – electronics and appliance, Covestro, said: “Instead of using text or symbols, colour and light are simple, minimalist — yet effective — means to convey information to the user. Covestro has deep expertise in helping brands and electronics manufacturers design with light.”