Timex is making a wearable with a sensor to track brains, not hearts

Timex has announced a partnership with Pison, a technology company that makes a brain-tracking, neural-sensing platform for wearables, and it intends to integrate it into a new range of products coming early this year. It may also be setting the stage for a new smartwatch powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 processor.

The Pison app Pison

Understanding Pison’s sensor and algorithm is essential to understanding what the future Timex products will offer. Pison’s electroneurography (ENG) platform measures physiological electricity originating from your brain using a skin biosensor, which when combined with AI-powered software algorithms, can provide insights into mental health, sleep, sports performance, and brain health. Think of it like a heart rate sensor that monitors your brain instead.

Recommended Videos

Working with semiconductor experts STMicroelectronics to miniaturize its ENG biosensor for use in wearables, Pison hase integrated it into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 platform, which is found in a variety of smartwatches, including the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 series. Pison currently sells a wristband that incorporates its sensor and AI algorithms, which are designed to “holistically and measurably improve mind-body fitness.” It’s aimed at people wanting to sharpen mental skills.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Pison’s device is not especially attractive, and certainly not “lifestyle” orientated, which limits its appeal. This is likely where the new Timex partnership comes in. Timex president Marco Zambianchi said:

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Pison on integrating their groundbreaking neural sensor technology into our products. At Timex, our commitment is to deliver exceptional, innovative wearables that enhance the lives of consumers worldwide. This partnership allows us to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible in the smartwatch and wearable space, offering unparalleled functionality and value to our customers.”

What will the Timex wearable do?

The Timex Metropoliton R Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What will a Timex smartwatch or band with Pison’s sensor offer? Expect something quite different from a normal fitness-tracking smartwatch, as it will give an insight into your mental health and well-being, including sleep, anxiety, and fatigue levels, while also assessing alertness. It will help athletes improve cognitive ability as well. It will also monitor for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, plus gauge the effect of impacts to the head from contact sports and for those in the military.

An accompanying app will show data collected by the sensor, and Pison has integrated a gesture control system that builds on what we’ve already tried with Apple’s Double Tap system to help make the wearable easier to use. Interestingly, the sensor recognizes complex gestures using the electricity generated by the brain when we tell our fingers to move.

Timex has experimented with smartwatches and wellness products in the past, such as the Metropolitan R and the wellness-focused Teslar Watch. Pison joins companies like Alphabeats in experimenting with brain tracking wearables that may improve sports performance and focus, or reduce stress.

Timex intends to launch its first brain-tracking wearable with Pison technology inside in the spring, and the likely inclusion of the Snapdragon W5 platform suggests it may use Google’s Wear OS software.

Editors’ Recommendations

  • Your Oura Ring will soon make it easier to track your heart health

  • How lasers and lidar are changing the way wearables track health

  • Myzone’s new fitness wearable uses 2 heart rate sensors for ultimate accuracy

  • The Casio G-Shock is a true smartwatch with heart-rate sensor and notifications




Related posts

Latest posts

The amazing story of how a cooler and app have transformed organ transplants

What started as a conversation about a new app, became a story about how new technology from a company called Paragonix has transformed organ transplants.

AMD’s RX 9070 XT might be cheap, but that may not be enough

AMD is said to be pricing the RX 9070 XT very aggressively, but that may not be enough to bring back the hype.

Google brings Gboard voice typing toolbar beta to Pixel

Google is beta testing the new Assistant Voice Typing toolbar for the Gboard app within Pixel phones.

These dedicated Google Assistant car mics might be on the way out

Code found in the latest beta version of the Google app suggests third-party Google Assistant accessories might be shutting down.

Honor’s Yoyo Assistant gets a DeepSeek upgrade

Honor is upgrading its YoYo Assistant with DeepSeek-R1, granting it better contextual understanding and language processing.

Microsoft sort of brings back Menu key after Copilot backlash

Microsoft has heard your cries and is finally letting you do something you wanted for a while with the Copilot key. It's kind of bringing back a button it removed .

OpenAI’s custom chip design is near completion

A new report suggests OpenAI is in the process of developing its first in-house AI chip, for early production with TSMC in 2025.

A Musk-backed group just offered a $97 billion unsolicited bid for OpenAI

In the latest salvo of the six-year-long feud between Sam Altman and Elon Musk, a group backed by the latter just made a $97 billion bid for OpenAI.

This HP Envy 2-in-1 with Copilot is nearly half off at Best Buy

The HP Envy 16 2-in-1 laptop, a versatile device with a 16-inch WUXGA touchscreen and the AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS processor, is on sale from Best Buy at $400 off.

Want a Copilot+ laptop? Get the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 while it’s $350 off

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11, a powerful Copilot+ laptop that comes with a detachable keyboard, is on sale from Best Buy for $1,000 following a $350 discount.