The Swedish company Hovding has built a bicycle helmet you can't see. It's a collar that deploys like an air bag when needed. Before: Before: After: A better look: Here's a video of a bunch of crash tests: And another more inspirational video: [vimeo https://vimeo.com/43038579] I know helmets mess up your hair, but I'm … [Read more...]
OhMyGod!! It’s Wearables Barbie!!!
If there was any question about wearable technology being A Thing, here's the final word: Digital Dress Barbie. From the Mattel website: This innovative doll features a cool touchscreen, so girls can swipe through preset animations or create their own customized designs right on the front of her dress. Select a look and watch the designs react to music or the sound of … [Read more...]
Tracking Bovine Innards
City folk might not think much about this one, but it's actually a pretty good idea. Just don't try it at home. Or on yourself. Engadget found a Scottish company, Well Cow, that makes an electronic module that tracks conditions inside a cow's stomach. Actually, just one part of a cow's stomach: the rumen. (You do remember that bovine stomachs have four chambers, don't you?) … [Read more...]
Myo Wrist Band Controls With Gestures
The Canadian startup Thalmic Labs is building a motion controller called the Myo. The company says it senses motion and muscle movement to to send control signals over a Bluetooth 4.0 connection. The sizzle reel is pretty cool and gives an idea of where their heads are at in terms of applications. And yes, there will be an API. It looks more like a Wonder Woman bracelet than … [Read more...]
A Wearable Phone Leash from Vybe
It's a simple idea. You don't always want your phone next to your body. You don't necessarily want it to sound off when it rings, but you don't want to miss calls or texts. Vybe is a small module plus wristband that looks quite a lot like a FitBit Flex. It vibrates when you get a call or a text. If you wander more than 50 feet from your phone, it vibrates a lot until you're … [Read more...]
Google ships Android 4.4 KitKat; Small Footprint Could Aid Wearables
Google has shipped version 4.4 of its Android operating system; it refers to it as KitKat. (Google names Android versions after sweets, in alphabetical order.) There's lots of discussion about what, exactly, this means for wearables. One stated goal of KitKat is to reduce the size of the OS so it will run on older Android devices. Fragmentation has become a big problem for … [Read more...]
USPTO Issues Wearable Tech Patent to Phillipe Kahn-led Fullpower
The Jawbone Up is based on technology called MotionX from a company called Fullpower. The US Patent Office has issued patent 8,568,310 to Fullpower. There are 22 claims to the patent; this is the first and most foundational: A method of monitoring human activity using multiple sensors comprising: monitoring accelerations using an inertial sensor; identifying a user activity … [Read more...]
Cute Circuit Animated Dresses About to Hit The Market
You probably missed Katy Perry's performance at this year's iTunes Festival. If you did, then you missed the animated dress she wore to close her set with the hit "Roar." Cue up the video at 37:00 and watch what she's wearing. Now that's cool. The dress is made by a company called Cute Circuit, and their computerized animated dresses go on sale next month. Fast … [Read more...]
MEMI and Cubit Kickstarters
Maybe you don't need a screen after all... MEMI is a Kickstarter-financed women's bracelet that pairs with your iPhone and vibrates whenever you get an important phone call, text, or calendar alert. That's all. The idea is that women frequently carry their phones in their purses, and can't hear them when they get a call. A watch with a display is overkill and ugly, but … [Read more...]
WSJ: Google’s Getting Close to the Watch Business
The Wall Street Journal is citing sources that say that Google is in "late-stage talks" with suppliers to build a watch, and could begin production "within months." The watch would run Android (no surprise there) and be based around Google Now, the intelligent assistant that appears on some Android tablets. Reliance on Google Now would require access to things like a user's … [Read more...]