78 Time December 2–9, 2019
PRODUCTIVITY
PROTECTING YOUR DATA
Helm personal server
Our personal information, stored by corpora-
tions like Google and Yahoo, seems more vul-
nerable than ever to hacks and leaks. One way
to help keep it private is by storing it yourself
using an email attached to a custom domain
name; Helm CEO Giri Sreenivas calls email the
“core of your online identity” through which
you access nearly “every account that you have
online.” For $499, the Helm Personal Server is a
service and device that gives you private email
and stores it securely, along with files, contacts
and calendars. Its first two manufacturing runs
have already sold out. ÑTara Law
SOCIAL GOOD
CONSCIOUS
HYGIENE
Saathi pads
In parts of India, huge
numbers of women
don’t have access to
sanitary napkins. When
the founders of Saathi
pads decided to try to
tackle the problem, they
wanted to do it in an
eco-friendly way. So they
created pads made from
banana fibers that they
say are 100% biodegrad-
able. This also helps the
local community: Saathi
buys its materials from
farmers who might other-
wise throw the banana
fibers away, and employs
underprivileged women
to produce the pads.
The company recently
launched a new product
made from bamboo
fibers. The innovative
products provide
“a hygienic, effective
alternative to improve
the lives of women with-
out creating any negative
environmental impact,”
says Kristin Kagetsu,
one of the company’s co-
founders. She estimates
that more than 6,000
women now use Saathi
pads. —Amy Gunia
Each finger
functions
freely, which
allows for easy
replacement
or repair
Sensors in
the wrist read
the user’s arm-
muscle signals for
more motion
control