Taiwanese startups introduce innovative wearables, new mouse

Taiwanese startup OmniStar says the underwater world remains a diver’s private experience that even when shared, through a paper-based dive log, will never be participated in fully by others the same way.

TAIPEI — What if you could share exactly what you see and experience under water during a dive to your friends on social media?

Taiwanese startup OmniStar says the underwater world remains a diver’s private experience that even when shared through a paper-based dive log will never be participated in fully by others the same way.

 This is what Triton, OmniStar’s soon-to-launch diving computer, seeks to change.

Other sports like basketball, running, swimming or biking can easily be recorded on a smartphone or camera, with the data on performance easily recorded, retrieved, analyzed, and shared. Divers, on the other hand, could only recount the experience or document parts of their dive through photos and videos, which could also take some time to organize.

Triton promises to provide divers a digital log that would keep track of the diving experiences, photos, videos, texts and other data and information in one repository that is easy to manage and share.

“Just like a traditional diving computer, it tells you the water depth, temperature, or maximum decompression time. But Triton not only records dive data, it also reports the information. These dive reports can be viewed or retrieved by the diver via smartphones or tablets,” a spokesman from the company said during a press briefing here.

Photos and videos can also be integrated automatically in the log, but perhaps the best part is the social component, as it allows divers to communicate or collaborate with other divers in an envisioned community of people drawn to the water.

Founded by professional divers and diving instructors who have been in the IT industry for the past 10 years, OmniStar is banking on the professional experience of its founders to make a difference in the industry and to generate good market reception for the product when it launches later this year.

“Instead of waiting for a new product (for divers), here we are making one,” the spokesman said.

The company has not released a prototype, but it says the gadget may retail for approximately $500 to $600.

Jumpy: The smartwatch for kids

Do young kids really need a smartwatch? 

Taipei-based hardware startup JoyRay Tech recently launched one in the market recently and it is now being sold online and in stores for approximately $114 in the country. The young company, founded only last year, is focusing on the five- to eight-year-old segment.

JoyRay Tech CEO Jerry Chang said most parents do not allow young children to carry mobile phones, but because the gadget is connected, parents can interact with their kids by reminding them to wake up, brush their teeth, eat, drink water, study, exercise, and more. A cute Jumpy pet helps deliver these reminders in a fun way.

This way, it becomes a tool for teaching them the concept of time and time management. It is also a smart toy that allows children to play with other kids or communicate through voice, emoticons and drawings.  

 “Our idea is a smartwatch that can take control of other smart toys or new IoT devices,” said Chang.  

Odin: The first laser-projection mouse

Odin, the world’s first laser-projector mouse, was introduced this year by Taiwanese startup Serafim. Named after the God of War in Norse mythology, the mouse weighs only 40 grams, fits easily in a small pocket, and can be used on any flat surface.

Serafim CEO GZ Chen said laser beams are projected on the surface, mimicking the lightning created by the legendary Odin when throwing his spear. These beams create a triangle runic symbol projection area that users can click, scroll, drag and zoom to control the laptop or desktop.

Not that the mouse, invented in 1965 and made over many times over since, needs another reinvention. But the founders of Serafim think it could always get better.  The item currently sells online for $69.