There seems to be growth in the wearable / bodycam market, and an interesting product I saw about to come to market (and taking pre-orders) is a Sims Technologies clip camera device, which didn't seem to have a name, but does have a neat slogan!
“Never Look Back,” their founder Sean Siembab told me as he explained how this neat device works. It's not quite the same as some of the best action cameras we've already covered, designed with more of a safety goal in mind.
This bodycam style device is actually worn on the back and not your front unlike, for example, the Insta360 Go 3 or a typical law enforcement Body Cam. The unique selling point is that it can detect threats coming up from behind you from up to 40ft (12m) away, even if they're doing their best to stay out of sight. (At that sort of range you might not hear someone following when you're jogging/running, but you might be a little troubled that they're keeping pace with you.)
It simply clips on the back of clothing, sports bra, hat, harness, or back-pack and you're good to go. The device is about the same size as a smartwatch face, and the battery lasts about 2-4hrs (admittedly a pretty wide range).
From a safety perspective, runners receive instant alerts via smartphone – so, by extension earpods, or smartwatch – whenever someone is approaching from behind. Both Android and iPhone are supported. The runner doesn't even need to lose their step to turn their heads. This also has the advantage of not giving someone following you the advantage of knowing you feel vulnerable.
If you decide that the threat is real, the high frame rate light-sensitive camera continuously takes numerous photos – up to 15 a second – and tracks your location via GPS, while notifying anyone on your emergency contact list. This is reminiscent of the front-worn PhoneCam also shown at CES 2024, but that device is only looking the same way the runner's eyes are.
The price is expected to be around $199 when announced and the device will be available shortly. Pre-orders are being taken right now and should be shipped later this year to US customers, shipping is available worldwide.
Of course if you're worried about creepy camera usage, you could also check our guide to the best hidden camera detectors.
