Pillow Talk

Doing my research (because that never stops with me) I stumbled upon this amazing kickstarter called Pillow Talk. Pillow Talk is a wristband that picks up your heartbeat and sends it via an app to your loved one. HOW GENIUS IS THIS?!






It all started about 5 years ago when the creator Joanna Montgomery was studying at Dundee University in Scotland and she had an assignment: to explore the use of technology. Being in a long distance relationship herself and being pretty frustrated with the whole situation, Joanna decided to take matter into her hands and create something so unique that would help her (and all of us) to deal with it.

I had the opportunity to have a Q&A with Joanna, the creator. For one I love a woman in tech, because there are not many, and also she is an entrepreneur, so you go girl! I got to know the background of the gadget a bit more as well as getting to know her.

M+S: Where are you located and where is your significant other located?

Joanna: I currently live in London and my partner is based in Newcastle- 293 miles away

M+S: Why are you long distance? work, family, etc?
Joanna: At the moment we’re long distance because I’m in London for work, and he’s at the other end of the country in the North of England.

M+S: How long have you been long distance?

Joanna: I suppose we’ve always been long distance, in some ways. We’ve been together for over 6 years and when we met I was at university in a different country. When I graduated, I moved to live with him, but he works in the merchant navy and often spends long stretches of time at sea. 

M+S: What inspired you to create Pillow Talk?

Joanna: It began as a university project; exploring alternative uses of technology, stemming from my frustrations in a long distance relationship. I got tired of having to “schedule” my boyfriend into my day or constantly sit in front of a laptop/phone, and wanted to just “feel” like he was there. The project went viral and led to a community of over 50,000 individuals waiting for the product. 

M+S: Why the heart beat? is there a special meaning for you and your SO?
Joanna: A couple of reasons: it mainly stemmed from when you lay your head on another person’s chest. That feeling of hearing their heartbeat is very intimate. But also, it’s one of the most biologically soothing sounds to a human being, so it aids relaxation and deep sleep.

M+S: How long ago did you started this project?

Joanna: I started this project 5 years ago whilst studying interaction design at the University of Dundee (Scotland)

M+S: What have been the toughest challenges or obstacles to create this great gadget?
Joanna: The toughest challenge has been developing something that is so different to conventional products or methods of communication. Whilst, wonderfully, a lot of people are excited to try it, there are also skeptics who believe that WhatsApp is good enough. It’s taken a long time to get to this point and it will take even longer to prove to believe that communication really can shift to a new level.

M+S: Is there a max range that the device can handle?

Joanna: No - as long as both people have an internet connection, or a data connection via their smartphone, it will work across any distance. 

M+S: Most of my readers are currently in a long distance relationship, what is a piece of advice you would have for them on dealing with it?

Joanna: Always try and keep a healthy balance between your own life and your relationship. You need to find time for the other person and for travelling to them, or communicating with them, or hearing about their day… but you should never be sitting at home wondering what they’re doing. Communication and trust are key. 

M+S: Lastly, when are we going to be able to get this in the US?

Joanna: Pillow Talk is currently live on Kickstarter for pre orders from all over the world- including US, we will be shipping worldwide in May next year.

You can support the kickstarter here. The gadget includes not only the wristband but also a small speaker that you can place under your pillow. As of right now it comes in red and blue only.

Can't wait to get my hands on one of them and try it out!

Siendo tan curiosa, siempre estoy haciendo research y me encontré con este kickstarter que se llama  Pillow Talk. Pillow Talk es un dispositivo que te pones en la muñeca como una pulsera y detecta los latidos de tu corazón y se los manda a la otra persona por medio de un app. ¡INCREÍBLE! 

Todo empezó hace 5 años cuando Joanna Montgomery estaba estudiando en la Universidad de Dundee en Escocia y le dieron un proyecto: explorar el uso de la tecnología. Como ella también estaba en una relación a larga distancia, y la frustración de no poder estar con su novio siguió creciendo, ella decidió hacer algo al respecto.

Tuve la oportunidad de hacerle un par de preguntas a la creadora, Joanna. Me encanta que una mujer este involucrada en el mundo de la tecnología porque simplemente hay muy pocas que lo hacen y aparte de todo ella es toda una empresaria. ¡El cuestionario esta en la parte de arriba!



Pueden ser parte de su proyecto y donar a la causa para el kickstarter aca. El paquete incluye la pulsera y un palate pequeño que se puede poner bajo la almohada. Por ahora viene solo en rojo y azul.

¡Quiero tener uno ya para poder probarlo!