HB Ring: Smart Rings That Let Couples Feel Each Other’s Heartbeat

Heartbeat Rings: A Connected Jewelry Concept

The HB Ring is a pair of smart rings, made by the Czech start-up TheTouch, that let two people feel each other’s heartbeat at a distance. Each ring measures its wearer’s pulse; when one partner taps their ring, the other ring vibrates in time with that heartbeat, relayed through the couple’s smartphones over the internet. It was unveiled in August 2016 and aimed squarely at long-distance couples. Here is how it works, what it cost, what the marketing got wrong and how it fits into the wider world of “touch at a distance” technology.

The problem it set out to solve

Anyone who has been in a long-distance relationship knows the gap that messages and video calls leave. You can see and hear someone from the other side of the world, but you cannot hold their hand or feel them breathe beside you. Touch is a big part of how humans bond, and it is the one sense ordinary communication tools leave out.

A whole category of products tries to fill that gap with what designers call haptic, or touch-based, communication: bracelets that squeeze when a partner taps theirs, lamps that light up at the same moment in two homes, pillows that glow when the other person lies down. The HB Ring took a particularly intimate signal for its version: the heartbeat itself.

How the HB Ring works

The cutaway drawing released by the company shows what is packed inside a ring only a little thicker than an ordinary band. On the inner surface sits a heartbeat sensor in a small housing behind sapphire glass, an optical sensor of the type used in fitness trackers that reads changes in blood flow through the skin. Inside are a battery, a multi-layer circuit board, a charging connector and a small physical feedback motor, which produces the vibration you feel.

The rings themselves do not talk to each other directly. Each one connects by Bluetooth to its wearer’s smartphone app, and the two phones exchange the signal over mobile data or Wi-Fi. Some early coverage described the rings as connecting by Wi-Fi themselves, which is not quite right; the phone does the long-distance work. In practice:

Both partners install the companion app (iOS and Android were announced) and pair their rings.
When you want to “send” your heartbeat, you double-tap your ring.
A red light on the ring shows the link is active, and your partner’s ring pulses with your heartbeat as it is measured.

Because the signal travels through phones and networks, it is “real time” in the sense that video calls are: usually close to instant, but dependent on both phones being charged, nearby and online.

Design, price and battery life

Promotional photos showed the rings worn as couples’ bands, with a dark face and rose-gold edges. At launch, coverage listed three versions: a black ring, a rose-gold ring, and a premium model in 18-carat rose gold with sapphire crystal. Sizes from 16 to 21 mm were offered.

They were not cheap. The regular models were priced at about US$599 for a pair, and the 18-carat gold version at about US$2,990. Pre-orders opened in 2016, with the gold model planned to ship in November 2016 and the regular models in early 2017. Reported battery life was around 14 hours of use and 160 hours on standby, with a wireless charger in the box.

One marketing claim deserves a correction. Early articles called the sapphire surface “unscratchable”. Sapphire is extremely hard, second only to diamond among common gemstones, so it resists everyday scratches very well, but it can still be scratched by diamond and can chip if struck hard. “Highly scratch-resistant” is the accurate description.

Did it actually reach customers?

Concept gadgets often disappear after a burst of viral coverage, so it is fair to ask. In this case the rings did go on sale and stayed around. In 2023, for example, an industry news site reported on a Czech couple who exchanged HB Rings as their wedding rings, describing features such as haptic feedback, lighting and wireless charging and an app for following each other’s heartbeat in real time.

If you are considering a pair today, check the current model, price and app support directly with the maker, along with practical details: whether the app still runs on recent phone systems, how the battery holds up over time, and what happens to your data. Heart-rate data is personal information, so it is worth reading the privacy policy before you share it continuously with anyone, partner included.

A romantic gadget, not a medical device

It is tempting to imagine that a ring which reads your heartbeat could also warn you about heart problems. It is not designed for that. The HB Ring is a communication gadget; its sensor is meant to share a rhythm, not to diagnose anything, and consumer optical sensors can be thrown off by movement, cold fingers or a loose fit. If you have concerns about your heart rate or rhythm, talk to a doctor rather than relying on any wearable.

It is also worth being realistic about what the ring can do emotionally. Feeling a partner’s pulse can be comforting, a small signal that says “I’m here”. But it does not replace conversation, visits or the effort that keeps long-distance relationships going. Like a handwritten letter or a goodnight call, it works best as one more way of staying close.

Where heartbeat sharing fits in today

The HB Ring was not the only product to treat the heartbeat as a message. Smartwatches have for years let users send a quick touch or their heartbeat to a friend with a compatible watch, and many fitness rings and bands now measure pulse around the clock. What made the HB Ring stand out in 2016 was its single purpose and its form: a piece of jewellery meant to be worn by two people as a symbol of their relationship.

That idea, turning an invisible bodily rhythm into something a loved one can feel, remains the heart of its appeal. Whether you find it beautiful or a little too much, it shows how technology keeps trying to carry not just words and faces across distance, but presence.