ZINC SOFTWARE:DARRAN HUGHES IS ONE of a new breed of Irish entrepreneurs turning their skills in electronics and gaming into bright ideas. Hughes has worked on both Sony PlayStation and Xbox development and spent time with MIT Media Lab before setting up Zinc Software last year.
The company’s first product is the Zen, a relaxation system consisting of an earpiece sensor and a series of apps that work on smartphones, tablets or laptops. The system is aimed at anyone experiencing stress and uses a bio-feedback platform to teach meditative breathing techniques that activate the body’s natural relaxation response.
The aim of the Zen is to help users reach a state whereby the body’s autonomic nervous system is balanced and the stress response greatly reduced. This may sound a bit heavygoing but Hughes says the team has used its extensive gaming experience to ensure the system is fun to use. The Zen will be launched in a few months’ time and will be in the shops and available on Amazon well ahead of Christmas.
Having spent years immersed in gaming, Hughes had a good idea of where there was scope to patent new ideas. But before taking the plunge he narrowed down exactly what elements of the IP could be protected and built the Zen and its apps around this.
The Zen costs €49 for the earpiece and the first three apps. It works at home or on the move and can be used to induce sleep or as a means of calming down any time you feel stressed. It works across Windows, Mac and Android.
The project has been supported by the National Digital Research Centre’s (NDRC) Launchpad Programme and has also received funding from the Dublin City Enterprise Board. Potential investors are welcome, Hughes says.
Zinc Software is entering a very competitive market space where there is no shortage of companies with big marketing budgets to back their products. However, Hughes is confident that Zinc’s 18-month technology lead in the growing health-game space will offer it some protection as will his intention to partner with well-established players in the sector to reach customers as fast and as effectively as possible.
