A new smart running shoe capable of evaluating biomechanical data like form, foot position, and even exhaustion in real-time could supercharge what we expect from wearable fitness monitors when it goes on sale in early 2015. Dubbed EU Project RUNSAFER, the sensor-studded shoe is expected to launch under the Kelme brand in Europe, and is […]
Tis a happy day for Glass owners, who can now grab the official Play Music app for their Google wearable. The announcement was made by Google’s Stephen Lau on Google+, where he dropped a quick and humor-infused note informing Explorers of the update. The Music app can be grabbed from the MyGlass page, but those […]
Now you can caress and even tickle your significant other, even when you’re far away, with Bond. It’s basically a wearable system that lets you reach out and “touch” people from far away.
The Bond device works with an iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to deliver the virtual caresses. It’s pretty versatile too, as the sensor can be worn as either a bracelet or a pendant.
Once activated, users can “touch” and tickle others remotely anywhere in the world where there’s cell service coverage.
If you touch it for 1 second, your friend will get a one second tickle. Tickles can be up to five seconds long and any colour of the rainbow – the colour just depends on how long you touch it for. Swipe BOND and you will send a rainbow tickle.
Bond is currently up for funding on Indiegogo through December 3rd, where a minimum pledge of $170(USD) will get you a pair – with one for you to keep and one for you to give away to your significant other.
Georgia Tech researchers believed that tongue-controlled devices could help the disabled, and now they have solid proof. A new study shows that the school’s wearable Tongue Drive System lets the paralyzed control wheelchairs three times faster than they would using an ordinary breath-based approach. The speediness is due to TDS’ intuitive design, Georgia Tech says — wearers use a magnetic piercing in their tongue as a joystick, which is both faster and more logical than puffing into a straw. It’s subtler, too, as wearers don’t block their faces with as much equipment. Trials have so far been limited to hospitals and labs, but the findings pave the way for real-world tests. Eventually, Georgia Tech hopes for widespread use that improves tetraplegics’ mobility — and gives them more control over their lives.
Filed under: Transportation, Wearables, Alt
Via: The Verge
Source: Georgia Tech
Tongue piercings may be associated with rebellion, but one researcher is aiming for revolution instead, creating a Tongue Drive System that allows paralyzed wheelchair users to more easily navigate than traditional hands-free control options. The handiwork of a team at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the system […]
Nike’s new FuelBand is now out, and following a few weeks of running in parks, walking around exhibition halls and the occasional all-out exercise session, well, I’m pretty tired. Fortunately, I only needed to charge Nike’s new wearable once in my first eight days of use. Indeed, that’s the main benefit to Nike’s Second Edition (SE) FuelBand: thanks to an energy-efficient Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) radio, it promises much-improved battery life over its predecessor. When it comes to the physical hardware, however, its appearance has barely changed since 2012, save for three new color options (and a highfalutin’ Rose Gold one). Its fitness-tracking capabilities haven’t changed either, although Nike has promised improvements in accuracy and a better ability to sense when you’re attempting to game the FuelBand.
Beneath the matte black surface, however, there’s been more progress: Nike+, the FuelBand’s companion app, is friendlier than ever, with the ability to group your buddies into separate categories. There are also new hourly reminders to stay active throughout the day and a Sessions feature to monitor activity in a set timeframe. More than ever, though, Nike’s finding itself in a crowded wearables market. Though it was one of the early victors, has it done enough to maintain its lead? Grab your water bottle and we’ll walk you through it.%Gallery-slideshow122860%
Filed under: Wearables
Now that Google has offered a preview of Glass’ SDK and opened the Mirror API to all developers, it has a strong incentive to get its eyewear in the hands of app writers. Accordingly, the crew in Mountain View is now inviting developers to buy Glass’ Explorer Edition; you’ll find one such invitation pictured above. We’ve asked Google about the scale of the expanded Explorer program, and we’ll let you know if it can provide more details. Whether or not it can, the widened reach is good news for Glassware producers eager to test their code on real devices.
[Thanks, Josh]
ZTE is planning its own smartwatch, the Chinese company’s smartphone marketing chief has confirmed, aiming the companion wearable at the “mainstream market” but initially only working with ZTE handsets. The wrist-worn gadget will offer similar functionality to Samsung’s opinion-splitting Galaxy Gear but at a more affordable price point, Lu Qianhao told Digits, though launch plans […]
In what is quite possibly the oddest wearable device that has ever been proposed, Sony is attempting to patent a device it calls the SmartWig, which — as the name suggests — is a wig with technologies embedded. The idea is that the wig will communicate with a “secondary device” like a smartphone to give […]
For veteran gamers who enjoyed Doom and Quake, it’s the end of an era — id Software co-founder John Carmack has left the game studio to concentrate all his efforts on his Chief Technical Officer role at Oculus VR. It was just too “challenging” to divide attention between the two companies, he explains. id’s Tim Willits says in a statement that the departure won’t affect any existing projects, but it does leave the firm without the insights of one of the game industry’s brightest programmers. However, his exit is good news for VR fans; Carmack can now pour all his energy into developing cutting edge wearable displays. Check out our recent video interview with him after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Wearables
Source: John Carmack (Twitter)
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