A very difficult, important decision and unfortunately a delay
UPDATE II — read the latest post: Embrace manufacturing: progress and new bands
UPDATE — read the update: Embrace update and schedule: how are we doing?
Dear Embrace Supporters,
Every day matters in the lives of our customers. We have been hearing how you “Can’t wait!” and “Can we have it sooner?” We know how much it truly matters to get Embrace as soon as possible — for peace of mind and more — and we have been working day and night on it for the past 12 months.
That’s why this latest update is very difficult and pains my heart to tell you about a delay.
In our tests, we discovered that the current Embrace bands weren’t fitting everyone in a way that would continuously provide the highest quality of physiological signals needed during seizures. Being reliable is extremely important!
One thing should be clear: you are putting your trust and patience in us to deliver a product that will help improve the quality of your lives. To live up to our promise, we need to ensure that every element of your watch gets the highest standard of quality.
We had two options: getting the Embrace out on time or getting the performance right. We are committed to provide the reliability we would want for our own children and loved ones. So we chose the latter and changed the way the watch band works.
Unfortunately, this change will delay the previously estimated shipment time of July 2015. We know you have been patiently waiting for your Embrace and we feel awful about this delay! We know that it is more than inconvenient and I am truly sorry about it.
Though we can’t get the Embrace out to you at the originally estimated time, we’ll release its mobile app part to use in the meantime (details coming in the next update). We want to ease your on-boarding on the system and clear any of your doubts beforehand, so that you’re ready to start when your watch is delivered.
What is the issue?
The originally designed band is not form-fitting enough to guarantee the quality of physiological signals measured by the sensors — in real life settings for extended periods of time, especially under extreme and prolonged movements. Instead of having only the adjustable, magnetic bands, the Embrace is now being developed with interchangeable watch bands, some of which are better suited for epilepsy. This new design will allow you to:
- use comfortably and reliably for long periods of time
- use for various activities withstanding lots of wear and tear (e.g., outdoor playing, exercise)
- have more personalization, which many of you requested in the questionnaire
- adjust the fit as you or your child grow, which is a more cost-effective option for our supporters. Instead of buying an entirely new watch to accommodate changes in size, the interchangeable band can just be resized or replaced.
Manufacturing a wearable product is a complex process, especially given our goals to make and deliver a beautiful medical quality device. We always battle to maintain a balance between sensor quality and aesthetic beauty, as it’s the first example of its kind. This complexities affected also our E4 wristband, our research device (whose technology Embrace is based on) earlier this year. Shipment was 8 weeks late, but everyone who ordered the E4 received it, including those who got it here on Indiegogo and we have received great feedback.
What are we doing to fix the issue?
We are working around the clock — sparing no energy or investment — with one of the best and most experienced manufacturing facilities in the world. This includes making trips to the factory in Korea constantly, to ensure the process is going as smoothly as possible.
We are testing the new prototypes with the antenna for the alert system, and we will get a new batch in 2 weeks. As soon as we have an update on the new shipment schedule, we will share it with you. For the early supporters (anyone who ordered during our campaign, before January 21, 2015) we estimate the delay could be around 8–11 weeks, but this will not affect the October or December shipments. Make no mistake: if there is anything we can do to speed it up, including sleeping at the factory till we get it right, we will do it!
In the meantime, we will continue to communicate all updates throughout, and we plan to share more insight into our challenging manufacturing and test process. If you have any further questions, please reach out to us: https://support.empatica.com/hc/en-us/requests/new or email us at support [at] empatica [dot] com. If you need to ask me something directly, email: matteo [at] empatica [dot] com.
We would not have made it this far if it weren’t for you.
Thank you so much for your understanding, patience, and support.
Matteo Lai
CEO & Co-Founder, Empatica
