Wired designated 2015 as “the year wearables will stop being so ugly,” which might be a sign that the industry is taking the distaff side of the marketplace more seriously. For a lot of women, the issue isn’t ugly but too big, too clunky on smaller wrists and frame, which is, well, ugly and awkward. And some health and fitness devices don’t take women’s unique health issues … [Read more...]
About Pugi Kohl
Sensoria, Orthotics Giant Partner to Prevent Falls
Medical professionals will tell you that patient noncompliance is one of the main reasons treatments and medication don’t work as well as expected. Obviously, doctors have to depend patient reports to determine whether the patient is using a drug or other therapy correctly, and just as obviously, not every patient is going to tell the whole truth. This may be truer of orthotics … [Read more...]
A Bikini That Takes Out the Trash
A swim suit—a bikini—that filters toxins out of sea water as you swim can sound either ecologically wonderful or personally, well, yucky. It has to be said, though, that the prototype is quite attractive. The cleaning part of the suit, Sponge, is made of heated sucrose combined with a 3-D printed elastomer frame. Engineers at The University of California Riverside created … [Read more...]
Wearables to Reduce Infant Mortality
WAAA! (wearable, anytime, anywhere, APGAR), a finalist in UNICEF’s Wearables for Good challenge, is designed to help newborns all over the world, especially the 40 million who are born without medical people attending them. APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) is the first test a newborn gets. WAAA! is a silicon band with a sensor module that measures a … [Read more...]
Throwing Your Money into the Ring
London-based startup Kerv is Kickstarting its smart ring into the contactless payment arena, as Europe prepares to go completely contactless by 2020. Although the U.S. is well behind in new payment technology, the Kerv ring is expected to be available—and work—in both markets. It just might take longer for the U.S. to come up to speed. The Kerv ring design is slick and … [Read more...]
Friendship Bracelets Go Tech
Seattle startup Gemio will enter the smart jewelry market in 2016, targeting fashion- and tech-conscious teens with Bluetooth-enabled friendship bracelets they can pretty much design themselves online. The bracelet’s “gem optics” sparkle or flicker (your choice) and can be controlled remotely by a smart phone—you know, if you leave it in the locker room or somewhere. You can … [Read more...]
Microsoft Buzzes with Project X Ray and HoloLens
Although it seems clear that Microsoft’s HoloLens is geared more to the real, grown-up world, Project X Ray is a sure sign that they remember the rest of us. It’s an AR (Augmented Reality) game that uses the HoloLens to bring 3-D images into play, with images a player can grab, wear, and use to blow up things. You can designate any object in your house as your weapon. (Let’s … [Read more...]
Holo Headgear From Google?
Google glasses set a lot of imaginations on fire, while leaving the real world relatively unscorched. Now Google has applied for a patent for marrying holographic displays to Google Glass. The company applied for the patent for “Lightguide With Multiple In-Coupling Holograms For Head Wearable Display” in early 2014. According to TechCrunch, this will let Google use AR … [Read more...]
What’s on Your Finger?
One ring to bind them all, one ring to ... check your email? Apple has applied for a patent for “Devices and Methods for a Ring Computing Device.” That’s right; an iRing, a touchscreen device that you can wear on your finger, complete with a battery and the ability to communicate with other iDevices. It might also have a camera and a biometric sensor for Apple Pay. There … [Read more...]
Mass Producing Medical Patches
You track your exercise program with electronic bracelets and watches. Why not track your health with an electronic patch? Nicotine and pain medication dermal patches have been a boon to a lot of us. Now it looks as if medical patches can go electronic, and electronic medical patches just take a giant step forward thanks to some researchers at The University of Texas in … [Read more...]