wati | ABLEN

MA Degree Project

September 2024 - July 2025

The Royal College of Art

Wearable Ambient Temperature Indicator

wati is a smart, stylish wearable designed to help you navigate the rising urban heat. With a minimalist touchscreen interface, wati keeps you cool, hydrated, and always informed of the weather and temperature on the go.

Walking, cycling, or commuting, wati tracks live outdoor temperatures, counts your steps, and guides you through the coolest route, all through the paired wati mobile app. Clip it to your clothes, or wear it with a lightweight armband for outdoor activities.

wati helps you move smarter, while contributing to a global crowdsourcing community that enhances cool-route algorithms and informs future city planning. The wati mobile app uniquely combines ground-level temperature data from users with satellite-based thermal imaging, creating a new layer of climate insight.

For too long the world has been in a WAIT state when it comes to climate change and Earth temperatures rising.

WATI is designed to address the urgent need for localised heat awareness in the face of intensifying urban heat islands, more frequent and prolonged heat waves, and climate change. Existing weather apps lack ground-level temperature precision, and fitness wearables and mobile devices do not track ambient environmental temperature.

Wearable Ambient Temperature Indicator (WATI):

measures hyper-localised outdoor temperature
communicates data effectively and graphically to wearers of the device
provides real-time alerts and advanced analytics which prompt real-time responses
uses EO satellite thermal data for large-scale mapping, combined with ground-based data to create hyper-local thermal measuring precision and mapping
aids the selection of cooler routes, ventilated and shaded places using the paired mobile app
contributes to an interactive crowdsourced heat mapping application that will aid urban city planners

wati caters to anyone seeking relief from rising urban heat, including:

outdoor athletes & runners
elderly people
young children
pregnant women
transportation & construction workers
people working in food, pharmaceutical, electronic and energy industries

wati accurately measures live outdoor ambient temperature using a highly calibrated MEMS sensor, updating every 2 seconds. It displays six distinct temperature levels, each represented by its own heat-specific color code. wati features two flexible attachment options: a breathable, secure and adjustable sports armband worn on the upper arm or wrist, and a clip for attaching to clothes, a belt, or a bag.

wati pairs with a mobile app featuring a map that combines EO satellite and ground thermal data, offering route options based on coolest, balanced, or shortest paths. It includes live crowdsourced tracking of other wati users, weather updates, a community feed for sharing running or walking achievements, and a minimalist summary of daily, weekly, and monthly temperature and step analytics.

Enter your destination in the wati app, choose your preferred route type, and let the device guide you with simple directional arrows. You can also tap to view a live screen showing your step count and mileage.

wati features an on/off button and a rechargeable USB-C battery that lasts up to 10 hours. Its high-resolution touchscreen lets you easily navigate the wati interface on the go. In addition to displaying ambient temperature, wati also provides live weather alerts and warnings in real time.

While walking or running, wati flashes live alerts for high UV levels, heat zones, cool spots, and nearby hydration points. It also recommends when to seek shade, helping you stay safe and cool on the go.

The System