Hasta La Gadget!

Aging is part of being human. Eventually, that spring in your step will be replaced by a slow (but hopefully steady) pace as you near your sixties. People who are in this stage of life and are frustrated at the limitations of old age will be happy to hear about the Ankle Walking Assist Device (abbreviated as AWAD).

These exoskeleton robo-boots come with a waist-mounted battery pack. Once they’re on, they immediately get to work. Its sensors will detect whenever its wearer is about to take a step. It will then give a robotic boost of power to provided added strength when the person takes that step.

AWAD won’t give you super-human speed, but it will help older folks and those with limited strength get around at a faster pace than normal. AWAD was developed by Yaskawa Electric, who hopes to launch the system sometime in 2015.

[via Akihabara News via Dvice]

The Owlet isn’t a baby monitor is the usual sense of the word. I mean, it lets you monitor your baby, but not in the way that most baby monitors do, which is let you hear what’s going on at the moment.

Instead, the Owlet is actually a bootie that measures your baby’s vital stats. It’s pretty compact and fits into a washable bootie (yes, it’s waterproof too), so it shouldn’t be too hard to keep this particular monitor on your child.

The Owlet works in conjunction with an app that lets you see how your baby is doing, providing quick stats on your baby’s position, temperature, oxygen levels and heart rate. It can also detect if they are sleeping.

Its creators were hoping to raise $100,000 to fund production, and have already exceeded their goal. The project was rejected by Kickstarter (I’m not sure why), so they have taken to creating their own crowdfunding site to raise the money. You can make a pledge of $159(USD) to get one of your very own Owlet baby monitor. That seems like a small price to pay to have this sort of peace of mind.

[via C|NET]

Many of us have a hundred and one things that we’d want to change about ourselves. The majority of us don’t really do anything about it, either because we’re afraid to go under the knife, can’t afford to do so, or just don’t think it’s worth the risk or money.

Here’s a bit of good news for those who want some improvement but don’t believe in plastic surgery for one reason or the other: there are alternatives that are much cheaper that don’t require surgery. The catch? There’s no guarantee that you’ll get the advertised results.

One of these alternatives is the Beauty Lift High Nose, which is just one of many silly looking facial improvement products being offered by Japan Trend Shop. This particular one is meant to be worn on a person’s face, particularly over the nose, where it will vibrate on targeted areas once it’s turned on. Apparently, these vibrations will help make the nose “firmer and higher.”

The site recommends that people use it every day for three minutes for optimum results. The Beauty Lift High Nose retails for $68(USD). Such a deal.

[via Red Ferret]

Cycling has always been a good way to exercise, but the Varibike aims to make it even better, by working out a larger number of muscle groups simultaneously.

The Varibike was designed as a work-out solution as well as a therapy solution. It coordinates and creates new synapses in the brain by using leg and arm propulsion. It has an intuitive inclination steering system, which will help build muscle. Thanks to selective pedaling, individual muscle groups are allowed to recover and regenerate during a ride.

In addition to the workout improvement, the makers of the Varibike say the increased input from both arms and legs can propel their bike up to 30% faster than conventional pedal-powered bikes.

The Varibike FR2 costs €3,999 (~ $5,350 USD). The FR3 adds separate freewheels to each arm crank, which allows you to use them side-by-side, in a rowing motion. It costs €4,499 (~ $6,019 USD).

[via Gizmag]

Does your face look saggy and sallow? Do your facial muscles feel strained, even when you make the simplest of facial expressions? It probably lacks exercise and one way you could get it is with the Facewaver Exercise Mask.

It looks like a ski mask, only it doesn’t cover your entire head. Its product page claims that it “gently stretches the skin and muscles in several directions, improving and increasing blood circulation to the surface of your face.” All you have to do is put it on and make different faces for five minutes a day.

This is another strange facial-exercise-related contraption available for import from Japan Trend Shop, who previously brought us the Hana Tsun Nose Straightener, the Eye Slack Haruka, the Rhythm Slim Chin Exerciser, and the Face Slimmer Mouthpiece.

No guarantees if the facial mask will work, but I guarantee you will scare a child or two when you’re making faces with this pink mask on your face. It sells for $60 (USD). That may sound expensive, but the expressions on the faces of others who see you wearing this will be priceless.

[via Laughing Squid]