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CECT Wrist watch phone is borderline wearable

by Darren Murph, posted May 22nd 2008 at 3:55AM


Generally speaking, watch phones are rarely useful. Not so much because of lackluster hardware or incompatible drivers, but due to the fact that no one with any dignity will ever be caught wearing one. The CECT Wrist, however, actually isn't a ghastly looking device at all, and although it's far from being a Sea-Dweller, we can't help but give props for the semi-stylish design. Specs wise, the unit boasts GSM connectivity, a 1.3-inch color LCD, FM radio tuner, multimedia player, 1.3-megapixel camera, handsfree support (Bluetooth) and a battery good for 150 minutes of continuous yappin'. Not too terribly shabby for £150.13 ($293), wouldn't you agree?

[Via GizmoScene, thanks KC Kim]

Philips dreams up underwear-infused blood pressure monitoring system

by Darren Murph, posted May 19th 2008 at 5:57PM


Before long, hardware-laden undergarments will be a necessity in life. After all, we've already seen underwear that fends off cellphone radiation, and now Philips is looking to create a pair that actually monitors one's blood pressure continually. A recent patent application from the firm details a "wearable" system, but it does point out that "it is particularly suitable for implementation in a continuously wearable undergarment with integrated measuring sensors or electrodes, so as to be directly in contact with the subject's skin." We can only assume that if these actually make it beyond the drawing board that they'll have an integrated wireless module in order to beam out vitals at all hours of the day, but we're personally a little wary about having all this hardware so close to, um, our hardware.

[Via NewScientistTech]

Researchers cram bio-signal monitoring system inside baseball cap

by Darren Murph, posted May 17th 2008 at 11:38PM

Never before has headgear been so intrinsically linked with actual brain waves. Thanks to a team of researchers looking to create a method for "continuously monitoring high-temporal resolution brain dynamics without requiring conductive gels applied to the scalp," a new baseball cap has been created to do the trick. Said hat conceals five embedded dry electrodes which contact the wearer's forehead, while a single electrode behind the left ear acquires EEG signals. From there, the data is transferred wirelessly and can be processed in real-time to determine a driver's level of drowsiness, for instance. The gurus behind the invention have high hopes for its future, and they've already envisioned it being used in a plethora of medical scenarios and for controlling home electronics. To those about to rock this -- prepare for some serious hat-hair.

Oscar Pistorius free to qualify for Olympics on prosthetics

by Paul Miller, posted May 17th 2008 at 3:15PM


Good news for the cyborgs in the crowd: the ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations that barred double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorious from a shot at the Olympics has been overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Detractors from Oscar's entry into the Olympics have cited a suspect study that says Oscar could be using as little as 25% of the energy of other sprinters, thanks to the mechanical advantage of his "Cheetah" prosthetics, which basically act as springs. Others feared that this could set a dangerous precedent for the entry of bionics into athletic competition, but the ruling was rather tightly worded, and if related cases come up they will be tried individually. Of course, Oscar still has to qualify, and his personal best in the 400 is about a second off the qualifying time for Beijing. Even if he can't make it, he plans try for the world championships and the London Olympics in 2012.

Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life

by Darren Murph, posted May 17th 2008 at 2:03PM


Personally, we'd prefer slipping our feet into the WiFi-detecting Nike Dunks if given a choice, but it's hard to argue with the smooth factor bundled with the highly customized kicks shown above. Dubbed Illuminated Confusion, the shoes feature a pattern print with "neon green light-up lateral sides that either blink or glow." The lighting on each shoe gets powered by a single AAA cell, and you'll even get a free "custom box" with you order. And considering the $400 price tag and two to three week wait time, we wouldn't expect anything less. Vid after the jump.

Continue reading Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life

Watch Tracker tells time, tracks movements and fends off potential friends

by Darren Murph, posted May 17th 2008 at 7:03AM


To be fair, we haven't really noticed a GPS watch that wasn't at least somewhat unsightly, but the Sport Genius Watch Tracker does a phenomenal job at exemplifying ugly. Reportedly, the conglomerate not only tells time, but the built-in GSM / GPS modules enable it to make and receive calls, track your movements and beam out your current location via SMS in case you find yourself in a pickle. It also provides the means for logging runs and points of interest, and you can supposedly upload the data to mapping software to get a visual on what you accomplished. Word on the street has it that this particular wristwatch should be available on the streets of China right now, but there's no telling how many yuan you'll be asked to fork over in order to publicly humiliate yourself.

Square Band: the solar-powered wearable synthesizer

by Darren Murph, posted May 15th 2008 at 1:37PM


Admit it: having a synthesizer in your pocket just isn't enough. No, you need one on your person in order to truly feel whole. If we just rang your bell, you should take a long, insightful look at the Square Band. The latest revision of the wearable synthesizer includes a volume control and a couple of flexible solar panels, the latter of which were added partly for aesthetics. Apparently wearers can simply trigger buttons tucked under their wrist with their fingertips, upon which a superabundance of cacophonic sounds will emerge and completely freak out any nearby bystanders. You have to have one now, don't you?

[Via MAKE]

Ubanana announces wearable, waterproof uCan MP3 player

by Donald Melanson, posted May 14th 2008 at 11:21PM

There's certainly no shortage of waterproof gadgets out there for you to take along on your next swimming or diving adventure, but if you still haven't found an MP3 player that meets your needs, you may want to consider Ubanana's new uCan device, which is at least a tad better looking than some of the other wearable options currently available. You'll have to make do with a mere 1GB of memory, however, but you will get a decent 15 hours of battery life, and you can rest assured that it'll float to the surface for easy retrieval if it slips off while you're plundering the ocean's depths (up to ten feet deep, at least). Look for this one to set you back €99 (or $150), with it set to start shipping in July.

[Via Crave]

Nury Tec's THP2 Training System makes the Wii Fit seem a bit childish

by Paul Miller, posted May 14th 2008 at 3:40PM


Sure, there's something to be said for turning a workout into a game, and the Wii Fit has that in spades, but there's also perks to a system that tracks every aspect of your for-realsies workouts at all times. The THP² Personal Training System from Korea's Nury Tec combines a GPS pod, body fat scale and chest strap hear rate receiver to track your well being during and after a workout. All the gadgets transmit wirelessly to a watch controller, which in turn transmits to a PC receiver to download all your stats to an included program. It's like Nike+ on steroids (minus the steroids... don't do drugs kids!), and with a projected price of $180 when this hits the States this year, not a bad alternative on price either.

Gallery: Nury Tec's THP2 Training System makes the Wii Fit seem a bit childish

HandTalk glove speaks your hand gestures... we can see where this is headed

by Paul Miller, posted May 12th 2008 at 9:52AM


Oooh, now we get it. HandTalk converts hand gestures like sign language into spoken words. Well, don't we feel silly. The device was developed by a group of nerds at Carnegie Mellon, and can track finger and hand gestures with a vocabulary of 32 words in its existing v0.1 model. The signals are transmitted from the glove to a phone over Bluetooth, where the words are converted with text to speech software. Not bad for a bunch of off-the-shelf components, but they could've scored double the nerd points by repurposing a Power Glove for this -- gotta think big picture, people.

[Via talk2myShirt]

Myvu's Shades 301 iPod Edition gets hands-on treatment

by Darren Murph, posted May 10th 2008 at 8:53PM


Surely you remember that Solo Plus HMD that Myvu aimed at iPod owners late last year? Wait, what? You purged that from your memory as soon as you saw it? Ah well, looks like you'll be on yet another blotting mission after peeking this, as the aforesaid outfit has delivered yet another option for those looking to check out iPod clips on their own personal theater and destroy any chance at garnering friends. The Shades 301 iPod Edition, which is set to cost two Benjamins, actually looks quite different (and dare we say, a smidgen better) than the Solo Plus, and reportedly comes bundled with a pair of Ultimate Ears earbuds, detachable Dock Connector cable, remote, integrated battery and a two-piece cable manager for its neck cabling. If you're inexplicably overcome with an urge to see more, you can check out a brief hands-on by following the read link below.

Pilot View FPV 2400 places you within remote-controlled vehicles

by Darren Murph, posted May 10th 2008 at 5:23AM


It's a tough call -- are you willing to get your eyeballs within the driver's seat of your remote-controlled vehicle, even if it means looking freakishly like Geordi La Forge? If you've thrown aside your pride and confidently answered "yes," you should certainly have a gander at the Pilot View FPV 2400. Designed for use in radio-controlled aircraft and cars, the system places a wireless camera in the cockpit and then beams back live first-person footage to those horrifically unsightly goggles you see consuming the face of that poor gal above. In all seriousness, we'd bet the experience is fairly novel, if not a touch fantastic, but we could probably think of more enthralling ways to spend $549 if we were really pressed.

[Thanks, Claudio]

BUILT's Laptop Backpack keeps your files close, peripherals closer

by Darren Murph, posted May 9th 2008 at 10:27AM


Not one to just follow the crowd, BUILT has thrown an interesting twist on the oh-so-popular Neoprene laptop case. The Laptop Backpack enables users to tote their 12- to 17-inch machine right on their back along with textbooks, LAN party flyers and a copy of The Daily Bugle; you'll also find a couple of smaller compartments for storing peripherals and accessories. The material itself is water- and stain-resistant, and the pack is available in two sizes to fit all but the most atypical of frames. According to BUILT, the new wave of laptop carrying should begin today at $80 a pop.

[Via BeSportier]

Solar-powered hearing aids improve life in developing nations

by Darren Murph, posted May 6th 2008 at 6:08PM


The SolarAid really isn't much different than your average hearing aid in function -- it enables hearing-impaired individuals to get a better listen at the world around them. The difference, however, comes from its source of energy. Through a series of tragic and fortunate events, Howard Weinstein wound up in Africa with a goal in mind: to concoct a hearing aid that even the poorest of citizens could afford. Through a series of grants and help from hordes of deaf individuals that had no qualms holding a soldering iron, some 20,000 folks in 30 countries are currently using the solar-powered devices. Best of all, the mastermind isn't slowing down, as he's looking to expand the nonprofit into the Middle East, China and India in the not-too-distant future.

[Via CrunchGear]

Verb For Shoe "smart shoe" finally goes on sale for $700

by Nilay Patel, posted May 6th 2008 at 8:18AM


We've been hearing about MIT spinoff VectraSense's Verb for Shoe "smart shoe" since 2004, but the company is finally taking preorders, and if you've got an extra $700, you can now blow it on some of the most ridiculous kicks ever designed. Four years and several hundred melodramatic product renders later, the basic idea is the same: an embedded computer automatically adjusts the shoe to your feet, syncs with your PC, and communicates with the shoes of others to exchange contact information. We're not sure why you'd want to drop seven Bens on this functionality (we'd rather carry a cell phone and laptop and wear non-ridiculous shoes, you know?) but hey, if you're going to be a fashion disaster, you might as well do it with wireless capabilities.



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