Exploring the Scope of Wearables Beyond Fitness Trackers Forget Alexa, embrace gesture control with Hug Innovations' patented technology

By Aastha Singal

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Technology today is moving faster than the consumer needs. While audience is yet to accept the 4k content, the digital innovators are already gearing up to develop 8k technology. Machine learning and artificial intelligence have become buzzwords, so has the craze around voice assistants. Alexa, particularly, has redefined the use of voice for control.

Is voice the only means for controlling IoT-connected devices? Well, not in the world of Marvels. Now that tech-crazed individuals are working to blur the lines between fiction and reality, controlling applications via hand movements is no more a fantasy. Leading the space is Hyderabad-based wearables and IoT startup, Hug Innovations.

Founded in 2014 by Raj Neravati, the startup has been able to develop the world's first gesture-controlled smartwatch. Unlike the technology used in X-Box or PlayStation where a camera tracks hand movements, Hug Innovations' technology tracks hand movements based on relative motion combined with artificial intelligence, machine learning and contextual intelligence.

The Patented Gesture

"Wearable tech is a very crowded space with a lot of companies flocking the same thing. People are either developing smart watches or fitness trackers, there was no innovation beyond," Neravati stated, adding that their thirst for technology led them building gesture control. The startup was recently awarded a patent on Safety Monitoring of Individual using gestures on a wearable device.

Hug Innovations can exclusively develop wearable devices that can raise safety alarm using gesture control technology. The company has built 16 unique gestures that can control over 20 applications. Understanding that people would love to have their own gestures, the startup is creating a developer platform for allowing developers to extend the applications and features of this technology.

A Developers' Platform

"We are creating another technology where people can create their own gestures; map their own actions and assign them to any device that they would like to use," Neravati stated. The startup claims to use the most common sensors available in any wearable. It has further created its own algorithms for making the experience beautiful for users.

India is the world's third largest wearable market after China and the USA. According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, the Indian market for wearable devices grew by 30.9 per cent in the second quarter of CY2019, reaching an all-time high of 3 million shipments in a single quarter.

Aastha Singal

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Features Writer

A business journalist looking to find happiness in the world of startups, investments, MSMEs and more. Officially started her career as a news reporter for News World India, Aastha had short stints with NDTV and NewsX. A true optimist seeking to make a difference, she is a comic junkie who'd rather watch a typical Bollywood masala than a Hollywood blockbuster. 

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'I Want the Best People on Our Teams': Meta Is Laying Off More Than 3,000, CEO Mark Zuckerberg Calls for 'Extensive Performance-Based Cuts' — Read the Memo

In an internal memo shared on Tuesday, Zuckerberg said it's "going to be an intense year" at the company.

Growing a Business

How Meta Generated $32 Billion in Ad Revenue Last Quarter — and How You Can Create Million-Dollar Weekends Using the Same Strategies

Meta's staggering $32 billion quarterly ad revenue isn't just about size; it's about strategy, systems and execution as well.

Growing a Business

5 Risk-Taking Lessons From Founders Who Bet Big and Won

Discover the bold moves and strategic risks that catapulted these entrepreneurs to success. Learn how their fearless decisions can inspire your own path to growth.

News and Trends

NeoSapien Secures INR 80 Lakhs on Shark Tank India 4 for AI Wearable

Founded in 2024 by Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav, NeoSapien aims to integrate AI into daily life through its wearable technology