A productivity wearable redefining your sense of time.
Designed and prototyped under a strict 3-day constraint for the Figbuild 2026 Hackathon, Flux is a productivity-focused hardware-software hybrid. By translating physiological data into a real-time cognitive state signal, the platform helps users optimize their workflow, manage their daily focus, and actively prevent burnout.
Invisible mental drift
We have tools to track our steps, our sleep, our screen time. But nothing tells us when we’ve slipped out of focus or how long we’ve been stuck there.
Young professionals don’t lose their days to laziness. They lose them to invisible mental drift and hours spent in the wrong state, with no signal that anything is wrong.
The Reality
1h
lost to distraction daily per US knowledge worker
23m
to regain deep focus after a single interruption
51%
of work time lost by adults with ADHD vs 25% neurotypical
What if you could feel when your mind changed state?
The three states
Flow State
Deep, engaged focus. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and anandamide are elevated. Time passes faster than the clock suggests.
FLUX protects it.
Drift State
Low engagement, distraction, or dissociation. The internal pacemaker is accumulating at full speed, and time feels slow.
FLUX names it.
Stress State
Anxiety, cognitive overload, or deadline pressure. Cortisol distorts the pacemaker in ways that mimic flow.
Misread as productivity.
Flux makes time legible, translating physiological data into a real-time cognitive state signal. Users can perceive something about their own mind that was previously only available as a vague feeling.
By pairing a minimalist wristband with an intelligent app, we bridge the gap between perceived time and objective reality.
01
Detect
Physiological sensors on the wristband read your HR, temperature, and moisture in real time.
02
Alert
Gentle tactile and LED nudges when your state misaligns.
03
Align
Review insights to actively rebuild your chronoception over time.
A minimalist sensor layer.
No screen, no distractions.
Captures physiological data
to classify your cognitive
state in real time.
Exit Flow
You have been in deep focus for an extended period. Fatigue signals emerge. You open the app and confirm you want to step out of flow. FLUX acknowledges it.
Enter Flow
You want to work but you are not yet in a focused state. Tap to begin. FLUX prompts your intention and enables Do Not Disturb across selected apps.
Weekly Insight
A summary of your flow states across the week, time in each state, and patterns. The actionable output is one tip — how to protect, extend, or recover your best hours.
Lessons Learned
- Speculative design is a powerful way to frame a real problem
- Hardware and software need to tell the same story from day one
- The neurodivergent audience sharpens your product thinking significantly
- Designing for something invisible forces you to be very intentional about feedback
