Spire, a wearable device that tracks health and fitness, was created about 3 years ago, back when wearables were not the norm they are today. According to Spire creators Neema Moraveji and Jonathan Palley, coming into the market now isn’t a bad thing for Spire. Understanding the wearable’s market before releasing a product is anything but a handicap. Spire launches for preorders today, and hopes to help the average American become inspired to move more, and stress less on a daily basis. The technology behind Spire and a related mobile app hopes to better assist when a nice stroll might be good for you, or a deep breath could help ease stress.

Unlike the large, clumsy straps that would wrap around the chest for measuring data, Spire is the size of a small stone, with a clip on the side. Designed to wear close to the body, Spire measures your breathing patterns using seven streams of raw sensor data, including a three-axis accelerometer. Not only can it decipher when you’re breathing shallow or short, it also knows whether you’re standing or sitting. Spire can then make suggestions, such as “You’ve been sitting too long, perhaps you should stretch your legs”, or “You haven’t taken a deep breath in 30 minutes”, then suggest a breathing exercise.

Because your breath reflects your state of mind, the benefits of remembering to breathe can be mind altering. That is the why Moraveji, who has a PhD in Augmented Self-Regulation from Stanford, made this the main goal of Spire; “to change the way the world breathes”. Sometimes we can’t get ourselves back on track and focused when life stresses us out. Having a helper on hand, which also tracks movement and health, could greatly benefit the average American. In fact, I think this additional feature sets this wearable apart from many of the others out there, which predominantly aim at fitness goals. The mobile app, which works with iOS devices, will display corresponding games or exercises on the screen to better encourage you. Spire’s battery is said to last for a full week, and takes a few hours to fully charge. Currently, Spire is on sale for $109, which will go back to its regular price of $149 in September. Spire has raised about $1.5 million, and hopes to get an FDA approval so it can become a true medical device one day.