After closing a $ 9.7 million round this summer, Finnish startup Valkee – which makes a light-emitting pair of earbuds designed to counteract seasonal affective disorder — has put some of that cash towards a product refresh. The second generation of its product, Valkee 2, has been given a sleeker look and a variety of user-friendly tweaks.
The device, which Valkee's co-founder Juuso Nissillä describes as a "medical iPod", draws on scientific research that suggests bright light stimulates brain activity. The LED earbuds are designed to leverage that effect by allowing users to give themselves a daily dose of light directly into their ear canals — where the photosensitive areas of the human brain can be exposed to it.
The main change with Valkee 2 is remodelled LED earbuds, aiming for a more ergonomic, in-ear fit. There's also a new smaller, all-aluminium casing (that looks very 2nd generation iPod nano-ish) from which the micro USB headphone cord can now be detached so that multiple users (i.e. who each have their own LEDSet) can share a single Valkee 2.
The product's interface has also been updated to add on-device control — rather than having to change settings via Valkee's website or a PC. Other tweaks include a longer headphone cord and internal memory in the earbuds so that settings can be retained when the headset is unplugged from the control unit.
Valkee launched its first commercial prototype in Finland in winter 2010, using off-the-shelf products. A global version, made from proprietary plastic parts, followed in winter 2011. That version retailed for €185. The startup said today it has shipped 45,000 of its bright light headsets to more than 20 countries around the world over the past three years. Satisfaction rates are apparently very high: 87% of users would recommend the product to others, it claims.
The Valkee 2 is available for pre-order – costing €199, in a choice of either black or silver – from the company's website. It's due to ship next month.
Bright light is known to have mood-elevating effects broadly from light and seasonal mood swings to severe depression. That's where Valkee started, with Antti Aunio asking his childhood friend Juuso Nissilä if he had any tips to improve his mood during the winter months. "You don't need bright light in your house. You need to light up your brain – that's where your mood lives" From this, Juuso introduced Antti to his observations about the human brain being photosensitive. Aunio went…
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