I have a cup of coffee every morning. Sometimes two. In fact, I’m drinking a cup right now. When you work a nine-to-five job—especially as a journalist—caffeine’s pretty much a necessity.
Habitual coffee drinkers face issues that range from the annoying bad breath and stained teeth to legitimate health concerns like heart palpitations due to an excess of caffeine. Some have resorted to transdermal patches that deliver caffeine, but those have their issues as well—patches can irritate the skin and being the discomfort of an adhesive worn on the body all day.
Aptly named after the unit of energy, the startup company Joule currently being funded on indiegogo seeks to make caffeine consumption much simpler with “the very first caffeinated bracelet.”
Joule is incredibly simple: There’s no Bluetooth, data analytics, or accompanying smartphone app, just a bracelet with a slot to snap on a transdermal caffeine patch. It merely provides a platform for the wearer to comfortably place a caffeine patch on an area of the body with high blood flow, which is necessary for transdermal delivery.
The bracelet is made from silicon material and allows a four-hour, 65mg dose of caffeine, about the same as a medium cup of coffee. According to Joule, the accompanying patch is FDA approved and delivers the caffeine immediately.
Right now, the 65mg dose is the only strength available, but Joule claims they “will eventually have many more formulations with stronger and weaker doses of caffeine.” It’s available in a few colors, and even comes in a watch version.
I don’t know if I’d be able to swear of coffee—I like the taste about as much as the energy boost. But for those who need some more pep in their step and don’t want to deal with the side effects, it could come in quite handy.
