THURSDAY PRO // In early 2022, the French start-up Circular unveiled its first smart ring at CES in Las Vegas. After four years of R&D, the product is about to hit the market. Amaury Kosman, co-founder and CEO of Circular, talks about the stages of the project.
Since 2015 and the launch of the Apple Watch, the democratization of wearables accelerated sharply. But rather than betting on watches or bracelets with connected features, the two most widespread formats on the market today, the French start-up Circular has opted for a more original angle of attack by embarking on the design of a smart ring. After four years of R&D, its first model is about to be marketed.
However, the challenge was daunting for the tricolor company when it was born in 2017. “We thought we could do better at the time, a little naively perhaps”, recalls Amaury Kosman, co-founder and CEO of Circular. He had identified a market flaw that had pushed him to go further in his ideas: “Not all items on the market wear all the time. There is still a huge lack of data. There is often only physical activity data and no sleep, or vice versa.” Moreover, “it’s more precise on the finger than on the wrist”assures the leader, whose smart ring was revealed at the beginning of the year at CES in Las Vegas.
Sensors to collect data on physical activity and sleep
As activity sensors became miniaturized, Circular saw an opportunity to make his project a reality. This connected ring thus integrates optical sensors to measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), as well as skin temperature. The data collected is used to analyze the wearer’s activities, monitor his state of health, suggest physical activities or, on the contrary, recovery periods as most activity sensors do. The product also emphasizes sleep monitoring with an analysis of its different phases and both cardiac and respiratory monitoring, in particular to detect possible sleep apnea problems.
All this data is transmitted to an app (iOS, Android) which correlates it to generate personalized recommendations for the wearer of the ring, in particular to better regulate their sleep, improve their physical recovery or prevent the onset of pathologies such as Sleep Apnea. This ambitious approach will, however, require some time for it to fully express its potential. “We need to collect data and improve our model”, abounds Amaury Kosman. Despite its compactness and lightness (4 g), this ring could work for up to four days, according to its manufacturer, after a full recharge of 60 min. Waterproofing is guaranteed up to 5 m deep, according to Circular.
The ring has been available for pre-order since February at a price of €259, with first deliveries from May 2022. A commercial launch made possible thanks to Bpifrance, the contributors to the campaigns of crowdfunding on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, as well as private investors who took part in the company’s seed round.
If the general public is the initial target, Circular is already considering addressing professionals, in particular health establishments, insurance companies or even US football teams, who are particularly fond of data of all kinds. Partnerships with luxury brands are also envisaged. This wider deployment may be the subject of a new fundraiser, because you already have to learn to walk before you can run.