For the couples in long-distance relationships who may sigh and think longingly about the prospect of spending Valentine’s Day apart while others enjoy celebrating together, the advent of technologies to bridge this gap means no long-distance couple needs to feel the distance so acutely anymore.
In this special Valentine’s Day article, we spotlight five technologies that are helping couples to feel more connected, with real-life examples from companies who appreciate the importance of intimacy for loved ones who are apart and have created technologies that support this intimacy and provide alternative methods to staying in touch.
1. Heartbeat pillows
For some long-distance couples, they may miss the intimacy of sleeping together. Heartbeat pillows bring back this intimacy by allowing couples to hear the heartbeat of their loved one while in bed.
How does this tech work I hear you ask? Little Riot, which has made ‘pillow talk’ its business, was established with the mission of cutting out noise and distraction from other tech, and provides each user with a wristband and a small speaker that can be placed under their pillow. The wristband picks up each user’s heartbeat and transmits it to the other’s pillow.
Startups Magazine spoke to Little Riot’s Founder Joanna Montgomery in 2023, who showed that the technology is not exclusive to couples: “We still get a lot of organic inbound inquiries from hospitals, and palliative care is a big one. It’s really rewarding as a Founder, having worked in something for 13 years, to see it being used in situations that make so much difference to someone’s life.”
2. Touch rings
Touch rings are wearables that can be worn as classy jewellery, but with smart tech to back up their function for keeping people close. They draw on haptic feedback, light signals or vibrations to simulate the sensation of a touch or heartbeat. Using haptic feedback, for example, when one user of a touch ring squeezes or taps on their ring, the other user’s ring vibrates, simulating physical touch.
HB ring offers alternatives to necklace, wedding or engagement rings, with the mission of bringing people closer to their loved ones. They feature lighting stripes, haptic feedback, wireless charging and heartbeat sensors. The lighting stripes are a nifty feature designed to represent a heartbeat in a vein.
3. Long-distance lamps
Long-distance lamps go by other names; friendship lamps or touch lamps, for instance, which reflects how they support couples in keeping in contact beyond the traditional means of texting, but also family members and friends, through a touch-activated signal. In a typical scenario, one person will touch their lamp and their partnered lamp will light up.
There are plenty of examples of these lamps on the market. LuvLink offers friendship lamps but has a wide selection that expands the sizes and designs – such as the infinity lamp, or the modern cube lamp. Its app offers users features such as changing and sending colours, managing multiple connections and adjusting lighting settings depending on the time of day.
4. Sending messages
First, there were letters. Then came emails. Now, most people remain connected through texting. But for those who want a different and romantic means of remaining in touch, Lovebox provides exactly that.
The beginnings of Lovebox can be traced back to 2016, when CEO and Co-Founder Jean Gregoire left for the US and wanted to send messages that sufficiently conveyed love to his fiancee. Lovebox, a wooden box, once connected to Wi-Fi, can receive and transmit messages sent between users. The heart fixture attached to the outside vibrates when a message is received, to indicate to its user. These messages can also include photos, drawings or stickers.
5. Touch bracelets
Touch bracelets function similarly to rings. They’re wearable devices that allow loved ones to feel each others’ presence through lights, vibrations or haptic feedback that can allow one user to send a signal to the other’s bracelet, simulating a squeeze or a touch.
Bond Touch’s bracelets, one example on the market, need both users to pair and set up the respective bracelets on a companion app via Bluetooth. One user tapping the bracelet will cause the other bracelet to light up and buzz.
Since launching its first iteration, the company has now released its fourth version, with updates centering on size, comfort, improved sensitivity, an improved charging system, redesigned look and brighter LED visor lights.
These five examples provide a glimpse into an excited and varied market that supports couples keeping in touch regardless of where they are in the world.
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