Sidekick Studios introduce their Buddy (UK)

That's Buddy with a 'B' and a 'y', not to be confused with the buddi GPS tracking device. Right, now that's out of the way, we flagged up in January some developments under wraps that were codenamed Fred, now re-christened Buddy, being undertaken by the Sidekick Studios which style themselves as a social innovation company. Their mission: to solve social problems using the internet. "We're not a consultancy; we make things. We don't do the tried and tested; we like making angels in virgin snow. We're not interested in the technology; we're interested in what it can do."

So what is Buddy? It looks like a radio, but...

it has a dial which the owner turns to indicate his or her mood. A message is transmitted to social media: email, text, Facebook, IM, Twitter, etc. [So the "digitally excluded" users it is aimed at need to have an internet connection? It's not clear. Ed. Steve] A 12 month trial with people with mental health problems is underway with South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

More information (and a video of the designers talking about it) on the Sidekick Studio's website, and comments on the development of the Buddy on their development blog.  Fast Company article.