CalmiGo has launched the second generation of its mental health device that helps stop people from having panic attacks or other anxiety.
Clinically tested, the CalmiGo Plus device and its new mobile app leverage gaming technology to improve outcomes faster and effectively manage anxiety every day, said Adi Wallach, CEO of New York-based CalmiGo, in an interview with GamesBeat.
She said CalmiGo is the first and only mental health platform that provides immediate relief and long-term care to users suffering from anxiety, post traumatic stress discorder (PTSD), and panic attacks.
CalmiGo Plus is a breathing device that helps you get control of your breathing when you’re having a panic attack. It helps manage anxiety within minutes and track data insights, Wallach said.
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The new platform includes both the CalmiGo device and new app that leverages gaming technology to improve outcomes faster and effectively manage their anxiety each day.
The habit-forming game in the app was developed from principles in psychology to aid users in the healing process. The app also creates individual treatment plans and provides rewards to further encourage users on their journey of managing their anxiety. The app has gaming features within it that encourage people to keep on using the device, and the clinical efficacy of the game device was 60% higher than the version that did not use it. Those results are early, but CalmiGo is building out the application now.
The app is easy-to-use and intuitive so that anyone — of any age or background — can benefit from it. CalmiGo developed the app as an optional add-on for users with various preferences — some will prefer the gaming features while others can use the progress monitoring offering, a timer with relaxing music, or just use the app every two weeks just to sync the device.
This ensures that every user, regardless of their preference, can benefit from the app and expedite their healing. The CalmiGo app also enables an accessibility mode for screen readers to make access available to anyone.
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“Oftentimes anxiety and panic attacks can cast a heavy burden on individuals and as a consequence they avoid situations and places and live in fear of the next attack,” said Wallach. “CalmiGo is designed to empower users with a device so that they can go anywhere knowing that they have relief in their pocket at all times and now the new app creates the habit of regular use effortlessly.”
CalmiGo gets you to slow your breathing so you can calm down.
The CalmiGo device is a scientifically-proven device that reduces stress hormone levels and provides immediate drug-free relief, enabling users to step out of the vicious anxiety cycle and regain control of their life – no matter where they are located.
The device is a unique portable exhaler developed with patented technology that combines sensors and machine learning to regulate breathing patterns. It learns each user’s individual breathing patterns in real time and provides guidance and feedback to help extend the length of exhalation between breathing cycles.
Gradually extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic system, which counteracts the “fight or flight” response triggered by the sympathetic nervous system in high-stress situations.
To date, over 100,000 users have benefited from the first version of CalmiGo. The company recently created availability to more users through payment plans, FSA/HSA plans, and key partnerships.
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Additionally, CalmiGo collaborated with healthcare providers, insurance plans, and healthcare institutions and clinics that subsidize the device for their patients, including a unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The subscription plans range from $199 to $349, depending on the length of time for the subscriptions. To access the app, visit the iOS app store or Google play.
The team has 18 people split between multiple locations, and it has raised $18 million to date.
CalmiGo’s first version came out in 2018. Now it has an upgrade.
Wallach said that the founders saw that the level of stress for some people is so severe that they need not only to be diagnosed but immediately addressed so they can calm down. And this is not a matter of just talking to someone, but integrating behavior into their daily routines using scientifically tested methods.
“This is scientifically proven, very easy to use, and easy to integrate into the daily routine or whenever they need to use it, wherever they are,” Wallach said.
The device helps people realize when they are hyperventilating or otherwise panicking and they need to slow down their breathing. It uses well-established methods for calming the nervous system. Breathing is one of those. But it also unleashes smells that people associate with pleasant memories, like the smell of lavender that can help people fall asleep. By looking at the lights on the device, users can tell how to elongate their exhaling in a way that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This can work whether the user is six years old or 65 years old, Wallach said. The device is designed in a way to gently stimulate all the senses (except taste) in a treatment dubbed multisensory stimulation.
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Patients are often told to listen to a voice or look at a picture if they’re feeling overwhelmed. That detaches the user from the state that is overwhelming them.
The first device came out in 2018, and the company has been able to release multiple studies of clinical research showing the improvement in patients, who have lower stress, less anxiety and fewer episodes. Then the company worked on the plus version and developed the app. Since the device is classified as a “low-risk device,” it does not require FDA approval.
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Early predictions: what can we expect at the big retailers?
(Image credit: Sony)
Now that Sony will be opening up regular PS5 Pro pre-orders and 30th Anniversary PS5 Slim pre-orders to other retailers, we can expect a flurry of action at the go-to places – on both sides of the Atlantic.
We’ve even got some retailer listing pages live and ready at the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and the EE Store in the UK (slightly strangely) or both the regular Pro and the Anniversary PS5 Slim too so we know where to point you and some important details on what to expect. We can interrogate them individually, and offer advice on maximizing your chances of getting the console you want.
It’s worth noting at this early stage that we don’t know exactly when all pre-orders for both will begin tomorrow at all retailers. For example, could UK retailers go live at midnight tonight? Maybe! We’ll be doing our best to cater for such an event. However, we do know a bit more about US retailers and times so we’ll be sure to cover that in this live blog to furnish you with the details you need.
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So why are we getting prepared so early for this phase of pre-orders?
Well, as well as having the opportunity to place a regular PS5 Pro pre-order at your retailer of choice – exclusive to PlayStation Direct as they have been so far – there’s also another 30th Anniversary pre-order to look out for in the shape of the PS5 Slim Digital Edition bundle. While the PS5 Pro bundle took all the headlines last time, this PS5 Slim model, and its wider availability, will draw a lot of attention and demand.
We’re expecting that demand to manifest in some volatile stock levels and fierce competition: after all, it’s worth remembering that all of the current 30th Anniversary Collection hardware and accessories are totally sold out at PlayStation Direct (US and UK) and at any other retailers who had stock of the DualSense controller briefly.
As a result, if you’re eyeing up the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary pre-order to get in on that retro PlayStation hardware action, then tomorrow is going to be an important day for you.
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Hello! Welcome, pull up a chair, get comfortable, and settle in for our live coverage of the next phase of PS5 Pro pre-order and PS5 30th Anniversary Collection pre-order festivities.
We’re getting into position nice and early this time around and hope some extra preparation will help us, and you, navigate the action when it kicks in as the clock ticks over to October 10.
I’ll be covering retailer information for both regular PS5 Pro pre-orders, and the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary console, as well as what we can expect, hope for, and prepare for in advance of pre-orders kicking off once again. Let’s get into it.
Our solar system has a wide variety of planet types, from tiny rocky Mercury to huge puffy gas giant Jupiter to distant ice giant Uranus. But beyond our own system, there are even more types of exoplanet out there, including water worlds covered in ocean and where life could potentially thrive. Now, researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a new and exotic type of planet called a steam world, which has an atmosphere almost entirely composed of water vapor.
The planet, called GJ 9827 d, was examined by the Hubble Space Telescope earlier this year and had researchers so intrigued that they wanted to go back for a closer look using Webb. They found that the planet, which is around twice the size of Earth, had a very different atmosphere from the typical hydrogen and helium that is usually seen. Instead, it was full of hot steam.
“This is the first time we’re ever seeing something like this,” said researcher Eshan Raul of the University of Michigan in a statement. “To be clear, this planet isn’t hospitable to at least the types of life that we’re familiar with on Earth. The planet appears to be made mostly of hot water vapor, making it something we’re calling a ‘steam world.’”
To look at the planet’s atmosphere, the researchers used Webb’s Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument that can split light into different wavelengths to see what something is composed of in a technique called transmission spectroscopy. This is easier to do with lighter elements like hydrogen and helium, so being able to use this technique for a heavier element like water means scientists can now start to investigate more diverse planetary atmospheres.
“Now we’re finally pushing down into what these mysterious worlds with sizes between Earth and Neptune, for which we don’t have an example in our own solar system, are actually made of,” said fellow researcher Ryan MacDonald. “This is a crucial proving step towards detecting atmospheres on habitable exoplanets in the years to come.”
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As this is such a new area of research, the discovery required new software written by the team so Raul, who is an undergraduate student, was the first person to see direct evidence that steam worlds existed.
“It was a very surreal moment,” said Raul, now a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We were searching specifically for water worlds because it was hypothesized that they could exist. If these are real, it really makes you wonder what else could be out there.”
Amazon’s Prime Day is still going on, however Samsung just upstaged Amazon with its own sale. Earlier we wrote about the Galaxy S24 Ultra deal that is pretty incredible. Now we’re seeing an even more impressive deal for the Galaxy Z Fold 6, specifically the 512GB model.
Right now, you can choose to get either up to $1,200 off via trade-in, or $450 in instant credit without a trade-in. But wait, it gets even better. If you choose an online exclusive color – Crafted Black or White – you get an additional $400 off. That makes the 512GB model just $1,269 without trading in a phone. And yes that is cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 256GB model, by almost $200.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the latest foldable from Samsung, and while it hasn’t changed much from its predecessor, Samsung is still far ahead of the competition in a lot of respects. Samsung did make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 a bit wider, so that front display isn’t quite as narrow, which is really nice. It also improved the battery life, while sticking with the same size battery. This was done by adding in a larger vapor chamber to help with heat.
In our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, we said that “Samsung continues to prove why it’s the market leader in foldables.” And that comes down to the software. While other foldables are ahead of Samsung, where the Galaxy Z Fold 6 really shines is in the software that is optimized for the foldable layout, and also in the polish of that software. Not to mention the fact that Samsung is offering 7 years of software updates to the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The only other foldable that can quote that is the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
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At $1,269, this is a perfect time to jump into the world of foldables and check out the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Or even less if you opt to trade-in your current device.
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