Apple Watch? Pah! O Watch looks like a lot more fun.
It’s a smartwatch for kids that you can print yourself using a 3D printer.
Seeing as it’s aimed at kids, it should be pretty easy to pick up. The website is kid-friendly, with simple tutorials, examples, and a community on which you can share your creations. That way, if you can’t come up with anything decent yourself, you can always nick someone else’s design and print that.
It uses the Arduino programming software, which is widely used in the programming community.
It comes in two variants. The Base Kit has a colour OLED screen with processor board, LiPo battery, 3D-printed watch case and para-cord band kit. It comes in four colour options: orange, yellow, pink and blue.
The Sensor Kit is the Base Kit plus a stackable sensor board with an integrated three-axis compass, temperature/humidity sensor and a barometric pressure sensor.
Check out the video below:
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Because O Watch is based on the Arduino-based TinyDuino platform, you can access all sorts of third-party open source projects, like games and apps. There’s really no limit to what it can do.
It’s a great idea, and a neat way to get kids into coding. It’s on the verge of hitting its $15,000 funding goal, and still has 36 days to go. Pledge $85 (£55), and the Base Kit can be yours. It will ship in February next year.
We should also note that the watch is actually built by a kid called Omkar. Here’s his bio:
“I’m 8 years old and got interested in electronics and programming 3 years back when I attended my 2nd Maker Faire. I was inspired by Quin Etnyre then the 12-year-old CEO of Qtechknow. Since then, I wanted to make my own product and company.”
We were still mashing bits of Lego together and learning our times tables at the age of 8, so we’d say Omkar’s doing alright.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
