World's first wearable that tracks mental, physical health unveiled

Zenta, a new wristband launched on Indiegogo, is billed as the first wearable capable of monitoring mental well-being. Unfortunately, the product from Vinaya cannot read the user's mind. Instead, it adopts several sensors that measure things such as heart rate, perspiration, respiration and temperature, as well as data from a user's smartphone to infer causal relationships and stress levels.

Vinaya CEO Kate Unsworth told TechCrunch she wants to "own this space." That is easy to do when they have few, if any, competitors. She also said people now have the sensors and power capability to start tracking stress and happiness. Emotions are fickle things, but if users find the feedback useful, who can complain?

The "wellness monitoring" is Zenta's unique value proposition, but it otherwise functions as most smart wristbands do these days. It can track fitness and sleep activity, accepts voice commands and can control other Internet of Things through gesture control. Even without all the mental health features, the wristband seems like a capable, good-looking wearable for about $150.

Regardless of how well the device works, it is indicative of how more companies are using proprietary software features to sell products. It is getting harder to stand out in the wearables market, so these kinds of features are important. Wristbands are now half of the wearables space, according to IDC. They have dominated the market so far by costing much less than smart watches, but it has left an opportunity open for more premium wristbands such as this one from Vinaya.