When you review enough new gadgets, it becomes increasingly difficult to be surprised by what’s out there, and it’s even harder to feel wowed. I was pretty impressed, however when I heard about a gadget that can help regulate your body temperature, warming you up in a chilly office or cooling you off when your flight gets too hot. Embr Wave is what’s called a ‘personal thermostat’, but can it really deliver on adjusting your own personal environment. I had a chance to try Embr Wave out for a few weeks at home, at the office and on the go.
What is Embr Wave?
Embr Wave is a ‘personal thermostat’ that can make you feel warmer or cooler, depending on what you want. You wear the Wave on your wrist, and press a button to deliver on demand warmth or cool as you need it.
Looks & Styling of Embr wave
The Embr Wave is big and bulky and very squared. You wear it on the inside of your wrist and it’s certainly much bigger than the Apple Watch I normally wear, but with that said it’s not unwieldy. It’s quite light for its size and the device comes with a lovely silver Milanese loop-style band that makes it look chic.
It’s big enough that you’ll likely get comments asking what exactly you’re wearing, but you’ll probably be excited to share!
How does Embr Wave work?
Embr says Wave works “with your body and mind to naturally change your perceived temperature in a matter of minutes.” It precisely cools or warms the temperature-sensitive skin on your wrist, triggering a natural response in your body and mind to help you feel 5°F cooler or warmer overall.
There is a higher density of temperature-sensitive nerve endings on the inside of your wrist than on your fingertips. That’s what makes it such a perfect spot. It works to the same effect of putting an ice cube or a heat pack on your wrist—same relaxing relief instantly, at any time.
Embr Wave senses your skin temperature and uses precisely-engineered algorithms to maximize the effectiveness of its thermal sensations, which feel similar to the refreshing chill of an ice cube or the comforting warmth of a hot drink.
Setting up Embr Wave
Your device will be set up in minutes. Download the Embr Wave app and sign up for an account. Turn the Wave on and pair it to your phone by following the easy instructions in the app. You’ll be asked to input some personal data like your age, sex, height and weight so that Embr can better tailor the effects to your needs.
How to use Embr Wave?
How to use Embr Wave?Using the Wave is dead easy. There’s just one button on the top of the device; push it to turn it on, and the button lights up half blue and half red. If you want to feel cooler, push blue, for warmth push the red side.
Instantly you’ll feel a warming or cooling sensation on your wrist. You can use Quick Mode which lasts for 5 minutes, Extended Mode which lasts 30 minutes, or Fall Asleep Mode which lasts 35 minutes, but also uses longer gentler waves and lower light levels on the button to help you drift off.
Can I control Embr Wave with my Smartphone?
You can use your smartphone to control how much heat or cool you’re after. Once the Wave is synced with your phone, you can simply load up the app and tap to heat or cool, and how high or low you want to go.
The app displays your battery life remaining, and lets you sync the device to keep track of your patterns.
Does Embr Wave really work?
I have to say I was absolutely blown away by Embr Wave. It really works! I find it helps me feel instantly warmer or cooler with just a touch of the button. The warming and cooling sensations are legit; as my wrist warms under the device, I swear I feel warmer overall. Ditto for the cooling; it’s like having a cold compress pressed on your wrist, and the effect spreads, helping me feel cooler overall. I realize that may be a psychological effect since the Wave isn’t blowing hot or cool air all over my body, but who cares! It’s been enough to help me effectively deal with the ever fluctuating temperatures at my office, and it can help me relax at home without needing a blanket, or to open a window–or constantly adjusting the home thermostat.
Battery Life
The battery life on the Wave seems quite long lasting. I charged it fully on Sunday, used it for two full days Monday and Tuesday, then carried it with me for the rest of the week, using it when I needed a boost. A quick check of the battery Friday showed the battery was still at “medium”.
Overall review of Embr Wave
I love, love, love this device and think anyone who has to cope with a radically fluctuating office temperature needs one of these on their wrist.
The Wave legitimately makes me feel warmer or cooler with palpable sensations on my wrist that flow through to the rest of my body. It’s helped me cope with frigid winter temperatures and it’s going to be a lifesaver during air conditioning season.
if I have any cons to share, it’s that the device is very large and can be a bit awkward to wear. It’s easily as wide as my wrist and some people will find it obtrusive. With that said, you can put it on for a few minutes while doing treatment, them remove it, rather than wearing it non stop all day. It’s also quite expensive, and that alone might put it out of reach for many folks (but it does have a 30 day money back guarantee to placate non-believers).
Even so, I can’t recommend Embr Wave enough. Embr Wave sells for about $299 US and is available from Embr’s website.
