Pixie Arduino wearable watch is pure DIY geek chic

If you want a wearable that you can walk into a store and buy there are plenty out there to choose from. If you want a wearable that is unique and geeky cool, you have to build it yourself. This is exactly what has transpired with this oddly cool Pixie wearable. Pixie is an Arduino-based NeoPixel watch.

Since it is a watch it can keep time, but it doesn’t do it with basic hands or digital numbers. Pixie uses LEDs to show the hours in blue, minutes in red, and seconds in green. I think if I wore this watch it would take me a bit to figure out what time it was. Other than telling time, the Pixie also has a capacitive touch switch on its strap that activates flashlight mode.

The case the watch is housed in isn’t exactly high-tech; it appears to be taped together cardboard. Pixie uses an Arduino Pro mini inside along with an Adafruit NeoPixel Ring, real-time clock module, lithium-ion battery, and some other stuff. The electronics are covered with Plexiglas so curious sorts won’t stick their fingers inside your wearable.

I think if they could make this thing smaller and put it inside a better-looking enclosure, it might be cool. The size of the boards dictate the size of the enclosure so the size is what it is. You can whip up your own version by following the detailed instructions over on Pixie’s own Instructables page. You can also check out the video below to see the wearable in action. Flashlight mode is very bright. I have to wonder how long this thing will last on a charge.