Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
Anxiety and depression areon the climb in the U.S. , most in all probability spurred on by the global harm of the COVID-19 pandemic but not helped by the fast pace of everyday modern life . So , when I was come near to try out theApollo wearable — a wearable twist that arrogate to lower stress story , supercharge contemplative state , and improve focus and eternal rest quality — I alternate at the chance .
How does it do this ? effective vibration — literally ! The Apollo claims to tap into your nervous organisation through quivering , using long and dull vibrations to calm you down for sleep or curt , straightaway buzz when it ’s time to pore and get hooey done . I ’ve been act as a lot ofCyberpunk 2077 , so it goes without saying I was dandy to seek it out .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
I convey the Apollo for a twirl for a few weeks , and candidly , I ’m no more knowledgeable about whether this gadget works or not . But it did still teach me some worthful lesson about wearable tech .
It’s not the most comfortable
The Apollo itself is a clod of black charge card , with a pair of gloomy - unripened buttons on the side used to check the “ Vibes . ” The strap loops through a alloy bracket at the top , and there ’s a micro - USB charging port on the underside . Really , that ’s all there is to it . The Apollo is n’t much to look at , but that ’s okay as it ’s notmeantto be front at . But it ’s grown , and it ’s very thickset . It ’s far thick than any smartwatch I ’ve ever used , and even the heftyPolar Vantage Vseems svelte compared to this . I can see it being a financial obligation if bear like a sentry , but gratefully , it ’s not really intend to be attach to your wrist . While you could use the strap to attach the Apollo to your radiocarpal joint , it ’s really meant to go around an ankle .
While it ’s unquestionably a better fit there , I could n’t avail but unfavourably compare it to the electronic tag worn by people on bail or probation . In fact , during a nursery stay - and - play day , I realise other parents had caught sight of the Apollo under my pant leg and were clearly wondering whether I was a wrong ‘ un . It ’s probably not the good when your genial health equipment can be mistaken for an electronic ankle ticket , and I rather sheepishly removed it before anyone else take in survey .
I did n’t mind engage it off , though . Hard plastic pressed against the tegument is n’t comfortable , and while it ’s hunky-dory for a while , after a few day of most - perpetual wearing , the region beneath the Apollo had pass violent and fretful . When I swapped articulatio talocruralis , the skin on that side start reacting , too . While the gadget accommodate well on my articulatio talocruralis , the strap is also quite short . I ’m on the small-scale side , but the strap could patently barely take the rude animalistic power of my ankles . More than once , I set up the Apollo lying on the floor of my sign , and that understandably made me a small apprehensive about taking it outdoors .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
But enough about how it feel . Does itwork ?
A lot of expense for an uncertain outcome
Yes . But also no . The Apollo “ worked ” in the sense that , yes , it vibrated . The Apollo works in tandem bicycle with a companion app on your telephone ; select a Vibe from the Apollo app , and it sends that instruction to the Apollo , which fuel up that particular set of vibrations .
So far , so good . Vibrations : check . anxiousness reduction ? Er , I ’m really not certain . I can tell you that for the first few years , my anxiety level would suddenly impale when it began because , well , something just start oscillate against my ramification . I do n’t last in a country with any particularly dangerous creature , except for possibly badgers in a bad mood , butsomething unexpectedsuddenly vibrating against your peg is generally a Bad Thing . In more mod times , free burning vibrations are also the sign of the zodiac of a sound call , which is curiously even more anxiety - stimulate than a possible animate being attack . But once I ’d crested that special hill , I was struck by the approximation that I had no idea if they were working . Was I more focused , relaxed , or awake ? Not a clue .
vibraphone can be delivered on a timetable set up in the app . You get Recover Vibes in the sunup , Focus Vibes while you ’re process , Unwind Vibes when you ’re father quick for bed , and so on . But sometimes , the Apollo decided to take a day off , throwing the timetable out of the window . It was n’t true at all , and after a while , I noticed it was n’t following the schedule in the slightest , skip over intact academic term without reasonableness . Sometimes , it kicked in , but all that did was remind me that I had n’t feel it do anything for the eternal rest of the twenty-four hour period .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
The odd part is that the app have it off about the missed sessions . The app has a linear totality of your day-by-day use , and it was distinctly signpost only the Roger Huntington Sessions it had set off . In the screenshots above , you’re able to see it ’s only tracked 30 minutes despite being scheduled for almost two hours up to that point . So it was n’t following the planned timetable , andthe app knows?I have absolutely no idea how this managed to slip through QA , but it has .
Some of those miss session were down to another major downside of the gimmick : the battery life . It does n’t have unspeakable assault and battery life by any mean value and generally lasts a few 24-hour interval on a exclusive charge . But short of manually connecting the gadget to the app , there was no direction of knowing the Apollo ’s battery level . As a result , I spent an awful wad of time with a completely bushed Apollo strapped to my ankle joint .
Just another device demanding power
I ’ve now not worn the Apollo for a while , and I have n’t noticed a alteration in my anxiety , fatigue , or concentration grade . It ’s potential it did make a difference , but it ’s not one I can quantify , and as such , it ’s hard for me to advocate the Apollo wearable as a product . Certainly not at a price of $ 350 , which is a big chunk of cash to part with for a “ maybe it works ? ” While I appreciate the musical theme behind the Apollo , it was n’t an point I missed when I removed it from my life .
And really , that ’s the crux of the issue with the Apollo , or any new wearable machine for that topic . In a world where I ’m constantly juggling a smartphone , smartwatch , tablet , eastward - book lector , and laptop computer — all with their own ability motive and demands — bring another major power - hungry electronic is a large ask . For me to sum it to my day-by-day effects , the Apollo take to raise itself and really prove it was worth add to my recharging pile . And honestly , it did n’t .
Mark Jansen / Digital Trends
