Sending out an SOS with the Stress Outsourced massage jacket

The phenomenon of social networking allows fragmented friends and families to keep in touch and empowers users to share their lives with the world. Four female students from MIT think that such a medium could also help to alleviate something else that many members of the global community share and suffer from - stress. The SOS: stress outsourced system consists of wearable units containing wireless signaling technology. Should a wearer feel the burden of stress, sending out an SOS to fellow users around the globe generates a haptic massage from the relief signals sent in response... Continue Reading Sending out an SOS with the Stress Outsourced massage jacket

Tags: Concept, Massager, MIT, Prototype, Social Networking, Stress, Wearable, Wireless

Related Articles:

• Foldaway Massage Chair converts to footstool
• "The Rave” massage and music chair
• Human Touch Portable Massage Pad: take relaxation with you
• Panasonic’s Urban Collection massage chairs
• INADA’s Sogno chair delivers full-body shiatsu massage
• Programmed Massaging Chair

QUIETPRO+ Intelligent Hearing System headed offshore

It’s a problem as old as the protective earplug itself - if you block out the loud, harmful noises, you also block out the quieter sounds, such as peoples’ voices... that is, unless you’ve got a QUIETPRO+ Intelligent Hearing System stuck in your ears. The setup consists of a pair of fairly regular-looking in-ear plugs, wired iPod-style to a small electronic control unit. When the system detects a dangerously-loud noise, it automatically sends noise-canceling sound waves to the headset. When things are quiet, it amplifies sounds like human voices, so the user is actually able to hear better than they would without it. .. Continue Reading QUIETPRO+ Intelligent Hearing System headed offshore

Tags: Communications, Headset, Hearing, Noise-canceling, Protection, Sound, Wireless

Related Articles:

• Glasses with built-in hearing aid
• Sensear - letting you clearly hear speech in a noisy workplace.
• Outer Ear allows hearing-impaired people to 'feel the noise'
• Hearing Components $79.95 noise reducing Comply NR-10 earphones
• Able Planet releases budget version of noise canceling headphones
• Feel the music with Frederik Podzuweit's collar concept

The next wave in fashion: clothes made of sound-recording fabric

We all know of optical fibers, the filaments of glass that carry data in the form of light pulses and enable the high-speed global telecommunications networks we take for granted today. For the past decade, Yoel Fink has been working at MIT to develop fibers with ever more sophisticated properties which enable fabrics to interact with their environment. Fink and his collaborators have now announced a new milestone on the path to functional fibers – fibers that can detect and produce sound... Continue Reading The next wave in fashion: clothes made of sound-recording fabric

Tags: Acoustic, fiber, MIT, Piezoelectric, Wearable

Related Articles:

• MIT’s ‘flexible camera’ replaces lens with fiber web
• Scientists squeeze more out of light
• Heat-conducting plastic has big implications for electronics
• Generating hydrogen fuel from waste energy
• Mazda develops plant-derived biofabric suitable for vehicle interiors
• Panasonic unveils Fukitorimushi: a worm-like robot for cleaning floors

Chemical sensors printed on elastic could lead to ‘smart’ underwear

As the technology to support wearable electronics advances, researchers are investigating new ways of making our clothing more "intelligent" – from smart shirts for theater ushers to the development of clothing that can respond to the wearer’s emotive state. So would it surprise you to learn that your humble underpants could one day save your life? A new study has shown that printed sensors on the elastic band of your underpants could monitor biomarkers in your sweat and tears, make autonomous diagnoses and even administer life-saving drugs... Continue Reading Chemical sensors printed on elastic could lead to ‘smart’ underwear

Tags: ONR, Underwear, Wearable

Related Articles:

• Magnetic nanotags detect cancer much earlier than current methods
• Security Phone
• Micro generator produces power from movement
• Smart clothing that takes biochemical medical observations through the day
• The Xip3 transformer jacket
• A microchip that detects the type and severity of cancer in just half an hour

Smart textiles designed to evoke memories of absent people

You’ve had a hard day at the office, your spouse is currently over 2,000 miles away and now your boss says he wants you to work late. It’s all you can do to contain your anger until you get into the bathroom, whereupon you let loose with a string of red-faced, high-cardio profanity. At that point, your spouse talks to you via your shirt. “Take it easy, it’s all right,” they coo from your collar, as they play your favorite song, and photos of them scroll across your chest. Hey, it could happen. No, really, it could happen, thanks to the Wearable Absence project. Researchers involved in the program are working on developing intelligent textiles, that comfort the wearer by evoking memories of absent loved ones... Continue Reading Smart textiles designed to evoke memories of absent people

Tags: biofeedback, Haptics, Sensors, textile, Wearable

Related Articles:

• Chemical sensors printed on elastic could lead to ‘smart’ underwear
• Smart clothing that takes biochemical medical observations through the day
• Wearable necklace camera concept records what you see
• Cell phone-detecting AwareFashion shirt lights up to keep theater audiences quiet
• Interactive rock t-shirts for kids
• Visual Voicemail lets you see important messages at a glance

Ice Samurai watch - you won't believe what it's made of

“A chilling blue Japanese inspired LED watch from an entropic tomorrow which gives its master below zero Kelvin supremacy by blurring the boundaries of how temporal intelligence (time) is shown...” Good Lord, I can’t top that. That’s how online retailer Chinavasion describes the Ice Samurai watch, a very cool-looking and suspiciously-inexpensive timepiece that offers yet another take on displaying the time. In this case, it’s done with blue - sorry, ice blue LEDs that are incorporated into the watch band itself. And you know what that watch band is made of? Get ready... “Samurai sword carbonized steel folded 1000x over!” .. Continue Reading Ice Samurai watch - you won't believe what it's made of

Tags: LED, Watch, Wristwatch

Related Articles:

• Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new
• Face-less watch concept uses laser hands
• Simple, low-cost PDA watch
• Retsu watch changes the face of telling the time
• Nooka adds to unconventional watch range
• Ever Increasing Watch plots the time on a graph

Ever Increasing Watch plots the time on a graph

Watches, movies, poems and paintings... a lot of people think that the harder any one of these things are to understand, then the better they are. We’ve certainly covered some intentionally-obscure watches here at Gizmag before, with everything from a row of LEDs to numbers on a sphere to dots that get filled in and stained glass-like patterns used to display the time. Now, Japanese weird-watch-maker EleeNo brings us one that displays the hours, minutes and seconds on a climbing line graph... Continue Reading Ever Increasing Watch plots the time on a graph

Tags: Watch, Wristwatch

Related Articles:

• What's in a face ... the Stocking Watch tells time with circles
• Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new
• Weather Station on your wrist
• BMW and MINI release Data Storage Watches
• Nooka adds to unconventional watch range
• The Equaliser watch

Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new

Purveyor of weird watches, Tokyoflash, has blended the old with the new in its latest creation, the Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch. Designed to attach to a key chain, belt loop or even on a chain in your top pocket like a traditional pocket watch, the Round Trip continues Tokyoflash’s history of releasing timepieces that make telling the time a puzzle to be decoded. .. Continue Reading Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new

Tags: LED, USB, Watch

Related Articles:

• Time for church - the 'Broke' stained-glass window watch
• Retsu watch changes the face of telling the time
• The PIMP Watch
• The Tokyoflash Shinshoku LED watch
• Ever Increasing Watch plots the time on a graph
• Kisai Escape C - the Bluetooth 'fashion accessory'

Honda's Bodyweight Support Assist selected for NY innovation exhibition

Some of you may recall our piece on Honda's Body Support Assist prototype last year. As a quick update to that story, those of you in the New York area will get a chance to see it in person as a part of the "Why Design Now?" exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution... Continue Reading Honda's Bodyweight Support Assist selected for NY innovation exhibition

Tags: Design, Engineering, Exhibition, Honda, Mobility

Related Articles:

• Honda’s prototype walking assist devices to go on show in the US
• The worker assist device - coming to a workplace near you?
• Be seen: the Ford GloCar Concept
• Honda announce Internet TV channel
• CR-Z sports hybrid to hit showrooms next year
• Honda aims to create humanoid robots for reliable home help

Time for church - the 'Broke' stained-glass window watch

The "Broke" is the latest weird and wonderful watch design from Tokyoflash. Featuring a fragmented stained-glass window-like display, the outermost LED lit fragments on the Broke represent the hour, while inner fragments represent five minute intervals and central fragments indicate one to four minutes. The current time is displayed by which of the LED fragments are blinking. Got all that?.. Continue Reading Time for church - the 'Broke' stained-glass window watch

Tags: LED, USB, Watch, Wristwatch

Related Articles:

• Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new
• Ever Increasing Watch plots the time on a graph
• The Tokyoflash Shinshoku LED watch
• The PIMP Watch
• Retsu watch changes the face of telling the time
• The Jurassic Tourbillon watch contains dinosaur bones

Sony’s new Qlasp earbuds give wearers a clip over the ear

Either my ears provide a tight fit or I’m just not as active as I should be, but I wasn’t aware that earbuds falling out was a major problem. For those that do experience such heartbreak Sony has come up with a solution in the form of its new Qlasp bud headphones. The headphones feature a nifty “qlasp” that clips to the wearer’s earlobes to ensure they stay put even during the most extreme physical activities. .. Continue Reading Sony’s new Qlasp earbuds give wearers a clip over the ear

Tags: earbud, Headphones, Sony

Related Articles:

• Yurbuds - custom earbuds that stay put
• Sennheiser and Adidas launch Sports earphone range for active audiophiles
• Halo sweatband headphones for active music-lovers
• Arriva's iPod Shuffle headphones
• Belkin's solution to the iPod shuffle dilemma
• Sony's MH907 earphones automatically pause music to answer the phone

Kisai Escape C - the Bluetooth 'fashion accessory'

Hands-free calling using Bluetooth earpieces has become - shall we say - controversial over the years, as we've all seen that annoying guy at Starbucks trying to close the deal as he orders his cappuccino. But the latest receiver from Tokyo Flash, the Kisai Escape C, might just have enough features to offset the Bluetooth douche-factor... Continue Reading Kisai Escape C - the Bluetooth 'fashion accessory'

Tags: Bluetooth, Earpiece, Hands-free, Mobile Phone, Wireless

Related Articles:

• Motorola’s ingenious Bluetooth Skype and stereo music headphones
• Emergency Escape Windows for up-armored vehicles
• A whole new boating category begins – electric boats
• MOTOROKR T505: hands-free speakerphone and FM transmitter
• Escape tip redesigns seatbelts for extra safety
• Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new

HaptiHug telecuddle interface - physical interaction in a virtual world

Think you spend too much time online these days? It's only going to get worse as mobile and virtual reality technology gets us connected more often, more inextricably and to the detriment of our 'real world' social lives. Which is why researchers like the guys at Tachi Labs are starting to work on how to break down the benefits of physical human interaction and see how they can be replicated in a virtual world. It's early days yet, so the HaptiHug interface and the rest of the iFeel_IM! Affective Haptics suite are painfully awkward and dorky, but this could be a glimpse into the kinds of technologies that can satisfy some of our needs for physical contact and help keep us sane as more and more of our lives go digital... Continue Reading HaptiHug telecuddle interface - physical interaction in a virtual world

Tags: Computer Human Interface, Haptics, Virtual Reality

Related Articles:

• 3rd Space FPS Vest lets you feel the gaming action
• Seven Mile Boots
• Virtual reality for all five senses
• Virtual auto worker will provide data on real-world physical strain
• Air Hair: Virtual Reality haircut simulator
• Weopia Virtual World: the future of Online Dating?

Halo sweatband headphones for active music-lovers

Like your music on-the-go but equally admire that John McEnroe look? Try the Halo Headphones that come in a headband. The manufacturers say they consist of specially designed high fidelity speakers that can be inserted into a comfortable headband – so comfortable in fact that they say you can wear them while sleeping... Continue Reading Halo sweatband headphones for active music-lovers

Tags: Headphones, Speakers

Related Articles:

• Solar-powered Bluetooth headphones sound like a top idea
• AKG wireless headphones unveiled at IFA
• The Crossfade LP headphones from V-MODA
• Sennheiser and Adidas launch Sports earphone range for active audiophiles
• Sony MDR-RF4000K headphones let you listen without distraction
• Halo 2 Headset delivers superior gameplay

Earpiece alarm keeps you from dozing off

For those who would rather not use coffee to stay awake, Takanoha & Co. has developed an ingeniously clever earpiece alarm. Its latest model, the Nap Vieeb Plus II, is designed to sense when you fall asleep and then trigger an alarm that wakes you up again. But how does the device know when you're falling asleep? .. Continue Reading Earpiece alarm keeps you from dozing off

Tags: Alarm, Earpiece, Japan, Sleep

Related Articles:

• Waking up when it suits you: SleepTracker alarm watch
• Wake-up in your own time: aXbo sleep phase alarm clock
• Sleeptracker wake-up device monitors your sleep to make waking up easier
• Snoozing is not an option with the Puzzle Alarm Clock
• EyeAlert Driver Fatigue Monitor hits the market
• Kalashnikov Burglar Alarm

What's in a face ... the Stocking Watch tells time with circles

When I look at this watch, I’m glad I don’t drink. Designer EleeNo has somehow managed to utilize two small circles, surrounded by increasingly larger circles, to replace the hands on a conventional time piece, hence combining elegance and simplicity in design with … confusion. .. Continue Reading What's in a face ... the Stocking Watch tells time with circles

Tags: Wristwatch

Related Articles:

• Face-less watch concept uses laser hands
• The watch of many faces
• URWERK compressed-air powered wristwatch
• New product reduces discoloration of dark under-eye circles
• The Equaliser watch
• Casio reclaims the title of world's smallest GPS watch

ITG-Vidix Goggles put the entertainment 'in your face'

For those that like their entertainment as personal as possible, iTVGoggles has released an update of its ITG-Vidix video glasses. Along with offering a virtual screen of 50” and up to three hours on a single charge, they also feature 2GB of internal memory, a MicroSD slot and a built in media player. .. Continue Reading ITG-Vidix Goggles put the entertainment 'in your face'

Tags: Entertainment, Glasses, Multimedia, Video, Virtual

Related Articles:

• SanDisk slot in the release of the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player
• New Vuzix video eyewear actually look like glasses
• ezVision video glasses: portable 50-inch virtual widescreen viewing
• Vuzix iWear ships AV310 glasses - the first 16:9 personal media viewer
• Hide and seek 21st century style
• Creative gets in touch with ZEN X-Fi2 PMP

Seiko unveils active matrix E-Ink watch

Seiko has unveiled a new E-Ink watch which features a high-res active matrix display. Building upon the ultra-thin, high contrast, wide viewing angle and low power consumption properties of the world’s first "Electronic Ink" watch showcased at Baselworld 2005, Seiko says its new technology "allows figures, text and graphics to appear on the dial in a much soother and infinitely programmable way.".. Continue Reading Seiko unveils active matrix E-Ink watch

Tags: Baselworld, E Ink, Seiko, Watch

Related Articles:

• World's first electronic paper watch demonstrated
• More Electronic paper products - this time a clock
• Seiko Epson takes a big leap in OLED screen technology
• Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch keeps time in space
• New wrist phones at CeBIT 2003
• Phosphor watch features customizable E Ink display

Augmented reality hits the catwalk

It's not unusual to see some bizarre and extraordinary creations at the London Fashion Show and this year Cassette Playa continued this fine tradition with a live augmented reality catwalk performance. CGI animations on screens behind the models on the catwalk were triggered by different symbols on the clothing being shown, transporting the audience into a rich, colorful digital world where the boundaries separating reality and the virtual are blurred... Continue Reading Augmented reality hits the catwalk

Tags: 3D, Augmented Reality, fashion

Related Articles:

• Vuzix announces Augmented Reality Accessory Kit for VR glasses
• Augmented Reality enables computer-enhanced work
• Avatar toys ‘come to life’ on home computers
• Wearable 3D Augmented Reality displays go high resolution
• Pac-Man classic arcade game enters augmented reality
• Virtual reality for all five senses

Casio's new solar powered Pathfinder watch

Casio has gone for a double dose of green with the latest addition to its Pathfinder collection. The new PRG110C-3 comes in an out-there shade of green and sports eco-friendly credentials, including solar technology that generates enough power for a day's operation in just 5 minutes... Continue Reading Casio's new solar powered Pathfinder watch

Tags: Casio, Solar Powered, Solar-powered, Watch

Related Articles:

• Solar-powered G-Shock Rose Gold Series watches launched
• Casio Green Slim projectors - light, bright and mercury free
• Casio reclaims the title of world's smallest GPS watch
• Casio Fuel Cells for Portable Devices
• Casio targets gamers with mercury-free GREEN SLIM projectors
• Casio Phone Camera captures 2 megapixels

Brace yourself for power shortages with the Universal Gadget Wrist Charger

The Universal Gadget Wrist Charger looks like it would be even more useful than the magical bullet-deflecting bracelets worn by Wonder Woman – for charging gadgets anyway. This device provides a convenient way to carry around some extra energy reserves to power the growing number of portable gadgets residing on your person these days... Continue Reading Brace yourself for power shortages with the Universal Gadget Wrist Charger

Tags: Bracelet, Charger, Portable

Related Articles:

• Phone charger incorporates automatic data back-up
• WildCharge expand wireless charging options with PowerDisc
• iLuv DC micro and dual USB in-car chargers
• The compact Innergie mCube90 universal charger
• Ionhub's six port multi charger
• Nokia's Bicycle Charger Kit a stroke of genius

World's first EEG spelling device reads your mind

The award-winning French movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly brought to life the memoirs of Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby - the victim of a major stroke at the young age of 42, resulting in him suffering “locked in syndrome”, where the brain is active but the body is not. Bauby can only communicate by blinking one eye and, with the help of a patient speech theraprist, writes his memoirs. For other stroke victims or sufferers of brain injuries who have lost the ability to speak and write, communicating with the outside world can be frustrating. Guger Technologies, makers of intendiX, has created a home-based system where wearers of a special EEG cap can communicate via a computer with the special software installed... Continue Reading World's first EEG spelling device reads your mind

Tags: Brain, Brain-machine interface, Disability, Speech, World's First

Related Articles:

• Brain vacuum technique reverses the effects of stroke
• The Mental Typewriter
• Clot removal tool extends treatment window for stroke victims
• Mindfit: innovative brain exercise game for adults
• Brain-to-brain communication over the Internet
• The real-life Minority Report computer interface

Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch keeps time in space

Today watches are built to withstand varying degrees of water pressure and shocks and scrapes of all sorts. But a new watch from Seiko has been built to withstand the harsh environments found when the wearer is enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon spacewalk. Touted as the first watch ever designed for use in outer space might restrict the target market for the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch somewhat, which is probably why Seiko will release a limited edition of only 100... Continue Reading Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch keeps time in space

Tags: Space, Watches

Related Articles:

• Seiko's Kinetic Direct Drive wristwatch
• Seiko unveils active matrix E-Ink watch
• World's first electronic paper watch demonstrated
• BMW and MINI release Data Storage Watches
• Time to think globally - the wn-2 Earth watch
• Reactor launches new action sports watch models

Face-less watch concept uses laser hands

The latest in our long list of weird watch designs is the Aurora Watch concept by designer Jihun Yeom. The watch features a faceless design that indicates the time using lasers. A red laser specifies the minutes, while a blue beam indicates the hour. With the wearer’s hairy arm visible through the watch it means that it’s always a freckle past a hair until the bevel edge around the watch ring is tapped to activate the lasers. .. Continue Reading Face-less watch concept uses laser hands

Tags: Concept, Design, Laser, Watch

Related Articles:

• Caterpillar, SRAM and Brembo brands interpreted as watches
• Kisai Round Trip Pocket Watch blends the old with the new
• Simple, low-cost PDA watch
• The watch of many faces
• Hyundai MB-910 Watch phone to launch in UK
• Retsu watch changes the face of telling the time

Vuzix Wrap 920 3-D glasses promise big screen experience

Can’t afford a big screen TV or projector but still want to experience that cinema feeling when watching a movie? The Vuzix Wrap 920 video eyewear is a sunglass-style display that delivers a virtual 67-inch screen as seen from 10ft away, displays 2D and 3D video and is claimed to be the most advanced wearable display available... Continue Reading Vuzix Wrap 920 3-D glasses promise big screen experience

Tags: 3D, 3D Glasses, Eyewear, Virtual Reality, Vuzix

Related Articles:

• New Vuzix video eyewear actually look like glasses
• Vuzix display Wrap 920AR augmented reality glasses
• ITG-Vidix Goggles put the entertainment 'in your face'
• Vuzix immersive video eyewear - the wearable 62-inch screen
• Vuzix announces Augmented Reality Accessory Kit for VR glasses
• Vuzix iWear ships AV310 glasses - the first 16:9 personal media viewer