Emerging technology company Smartstones, Inc. has developed the Smartstones® TouchTM, an easy, natural way for friends and loved ones to connect non-verbally through an innovative "aware-able" technology.

Unlike most technology that are considered impersonal and distant, Smartstones Touch makes it easy for anyone to care for and connect with friends and family by enabling instant, simple and discrete communication. It also includes location tracking and reminders.

The Smartstones Touch's slim, unobtrusive and wearable design allows for simple communications to be felt. With the potential for thousands of messages, Smartstones Touch can support the creation of an entire user-generated, non-verbal language. Imagine with a single swipe someone sending their grandmother a message she can feel, so she'll know that they are thinking of her – and they love her. Or think of how a simple tap can let a mother reach out to her child with autism and let them know she is outside the school or hospital, and always on standby to provide calm, comfort, and support.

The Smartstones Touch works with any internet-connected Bluetooth compatible device, including mobile phones, tablets and laptops, and offers a seamless interface that anyone can learn. With no screen and no need to look or type, the Touch is also a safe alternative to texting while driving.

"I developed Smartstones® TouchTM after my mother was placed on life support for weeks in the ICU, and was unable to move or speak," says Andreas Forsland, CEO and Founder of Smartstones, Inc. "I was inspired to create a simple, natural way for loved ones to communicate and send moral support through touch—no matter the situation."

Smartstones Touch users can perform a simple tap, swipe or shake to send a message from their stone, and the recipient stone will illuminate and vibrate in an easily recognizable color and light pattern combination called a HapticonTM. The pebble-like communications device connects users to their loved ones at a fundamental level from anywhere in the world, allowing them to feel their feelings, know their location, or convey a basic need or request.

Approximately 38.3 million people living in the United States are living with a severe disability. Among those living with disabilities, 16% have hearing trouble, 20.6% have vision trouble and 15% have difficulty functioning physically, often making traditional forms of communication, such as talking and using a phone or computer, difficult. The Smartstones Touch helps break through communication barriers to provide a completely new and expansive connective experience.

The Smartstones Touch Indiegogo Campaign is officially launched for pre-purchase on Tuesday, February 10th. Visit Smartstone's Indiegogo page to learn more about the campaign, and watch the Smartstones video here. Donate today and support the development of a revolutionary form of aware-able communication that will bring everyone closer to the people that matters most.

Smartstones® Touch™ is the brainchild of Andreas Forsland, a seasoned design management executive at Philips and Citrix, and mentor in the startup community. He and the Smartstones team are driven by a creative vision to humanize technology established Smartstones, Inc. in late 2013 to address major needs in the world – starting with social well-being, connectedness and reimagining communication for the 21st century. Their first product, the Smartstones Touch, is the world's first "internet of things" communication device that uses advanced gesture recognition and social networking/communication capabilities to communicate non-verbally with a small group of people. Smartstones focuses on universal design, with a philosophy of inclusiveness and collaboration, provides mobility and peace of mind to both independent and dependent people of all ages, and is especially adaptive for easy use between elderly or disabled individuals and their family, friends and caregivers.

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