Matrix Industries is showing off a smartwatch that runs on your body heat

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Matrix Industries is one of the pioneers in energy harvesting technology. Last year, they created the PowerWatch, a wearable that was powered completely from your body heat. At CES 2019, they’re back – with the PowerWatch 2.

The new iteration has a 1.2-inch color screen, improving on the black & white only screen from the original. The screen is always-on, which is a big change from most wearables that only turn the screen on for notifications or during user interaction.

More about the PowerWatch 2

There’s also solar charging, just in case your body isn’t providing enough juice. GPS and fitness tracking have also been added, making this new wearable far more desirable. Oh, and it’s compatible with Apple HomeKit and Google Fit, so it’s a perfect fitness wearable. It can even tell you how much energy the watch is taking from you, which is pretty darn cool.

Sure, there are no apps, barely any notifications support and you can’t place calls with the watch, but who cares? It never needs plugging in to charge. I mean, imagine if FitBit or even Apple had this tech? Would you ever take it off?

Who is this watch for?

Matrix Industries say that it’s targeted at “outdoors types” who either can’t get to a power socket to charge or don’t want the hassle of carrying power banks. That’s great, but I can see so many other applications of the tech. What about a media player that runs on your body heat? Wireless earbuds that pull their juice from your sweaty earholes?

The possibilities are pretty endless, so many of our wearable devices only need a small current draw to function, so licensing this tech out would be a gamechanger for so many devices. Heck, what if it could be put in smartphones to recharge them while they’re in your pocket?

If you’re intrigued, there’s an Indiegogo campaign running right now for the PowerWatch 2. $199 gets you the watch, which is a bargain since it’s slated to be $499 at retail when it arrives in June.

Just remember, crowdfunding isn’t guaranteed – know what you’re actually backing before you do.

Interested in the PowerWatch 2? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.