Hiyd has developed a small, slim disc that attaches to the back of an existing watch using microsuction, a material technology that holds the sensor in place without magnets or adhesive. The sensor measures 2.7 mm thick and weighs 7 grams, according to founder Salah Batroukh.
Batroukh told TechCrunch the device collects biometrics similar to those of leading wearables, including heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep staging, movement, calories burned, and VO2 max estimations, then syncs to an iOS or Android app. The team is filming various activities and labelling the data sets to train its AI.
Hiyd is also working to incorporate nutrition tracking into its app, aiming to help users understand how eating habits may affect sleep quality or workout performance rather than counting calories.
Batroukh spent about seven years as a manufacturing design engineer at Apple before leaving to found Hiyd. He is joined by co-founders Omar Shakir, the startup's CTO, and Mahamad Charawi, its head of software.
The company is competing as one of the top 20 companies at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield on Wednesday. In November, Hiyd plans to launch a Kickstarter, and over 16,000 people have so far made deposits to secure its first units.