With all the attention given to smartwatches and other wearables, you might think that these gadgets are fairly popular among consumers. A new report debunks that notion: Only 3 percent of the U.S. population age 16 and older owns a smartwatch or smartband.
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A OnePlus fitness tracker sounds like a device that would be worth investigating — but the company decided to pull the plug on such a wearable just a month before it was due to be launched.
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If wearing an Apple Watch is meant to make you look cool, you should be able to charge your favorite wearable with the same level of suaveness. Luckily, now that Amber has launched its Kickstarter campaign, that may not be so difficult.
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Are you always cold or start freezing real fast? Don’t worry! We have prepared a collection of smart heating garments that will make your winter days warm and cozy.
Adaptive Textiles Technology with Active Cooling and Heating – or in short ATTACH – is a new project led by Joseph Wang, professor of Nano engineering at UC San Diego. The project was just granted the funds that will allow them to develop smart fabric that potentially could help cut heating cost by 15%. Learn more here.
EXO² produces heat therapy and heated clothing for different target groups. For example there are gloves for motorcyclists but also a variety of outdoor clothes. Have a look at their website to see their entire collection of heated garments.
Volt Resistance offers a variety of heated clothes. Particularly interesting are their working gloves that can make a big difference for all the people that have to work outside during cold winter months.
No more hot water bottles!
Venture Heat offers a heat therapy solution. Sounds like a great idea for a quick recovery, rehabilitation or just for keeping your muscles warmed up. You can heat up any part of your body. Neck and lower back pain can be relieved much easier now.
Gyde Supply Company developed a system that allows you the wirelessly control the heat within your clothes.
Thermogauge is an adapter and an app that allow you to connect more than one garment and control the temperature all over your body. That means no more cold feet and arms.
The Digitsole is a heated insole that can be controlled via your smartphone. It doesn’t stop just at warming your feet. It also tracks your steps, log the distance walked and measures the calories burned. You turn it on by simply taping on the screen. You can also adjust temperature in each shoe.
The Digitsole is a heated insole that can be controlled via your smartphone. It doesn’t stop just at warming your feet. It also tracks your steps, log the distance walked and measures the calories burned. You turn it on by simply taping on the screen. You can also adjust temperature in each shoe.
Wristify is a bracelet that can cool you off or keeps you warm. It’s a common sense that putting your wrists in the cold water makes your body cool down way faster. This diverse product can be worn in the summer as well as in the winter. It’s glows blue when it cools and orange when it keeps you warm. It uses waves of coolness or heat to activate the thermoreceptors on the surface of your skin, leaving you feeling rejuvenated.
So, although winter is already at our doorstep it doesn’t mean you have to be cold for the next few months!
Apple started its retail business in 2001 and now runs more than 450 sites in 18 countries. However, it's taken until now for the tech firm to open its first stores in the Arab world, with launches on Thursday in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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The Apple Watch is the hottest wearable by a country mile, according to a new report that claims 75 percent of wearable sales were Apple branded. Samsung took second place in the battle, and analysts claim it will receive a large boost from the Gear S2 launch.
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A startup smart apparel company, Lumenus, uses embedded LEDs in apparel that can be customized to act as notifications or safety indicators. Designed for cyclists and pedestrians, the lights can help better protect users.
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If you are a crafty person that enjoys wearables and dressing up for Halloween, then here is the page for you. What’s better than celebrating Halloween with a unique interactive costume and terrifying house decorations? WT | Wearable Technologies features a few impressive wearable Halloween costumes that can turn all the tricks into techy treats.
In 2012, Morph Costumes released an app where you can use interactive images to hide behind your clothing. The idea is you want to have the eye balls on your shirt move. So you can cut the eyes out of your shirt, tape your iPhone in the new hole, and open the Morph Costumes app to play interactive moving eyeballs. They have a lot of cool products and costumes! Take a look if you want to impress folks this Halloween.
Tailly is a fluffy tail that wags when you are excited! Perfect for anime fans and people who wish they were a cat. Tailly is currently accepting crowd funding on Indiegogo. If you want to own this affective wearable computing product – that is also cute and flirty – support the Tailly team!
Similarly, Necomimi is a brain sensing and reacting headband created by Neurosky. It can sense your brainwaves to move the interactive Furby ears. Let’s say you are feeling flirty then the ears will turn and wiggle. The price is only $50, with an additional price for chosing your own ears (cat or devil)! It is so cool wearables that are now based off of your emotions!
If you are anything like my mother, then you enjoy making original and exotic Halloween costumes. WT has researched a few costumes that you can make with Instructables! Ever wanted to be an electroluminescence jellyfish? Now you can create a beautiful light-up skirt with the power of Arduino, LED lights and fiber optics! Seems to be less than $80, which is a lot cheaper and cooler than costumes sold at Party City. Here is the Jelly Fish Skirt link.
If you have possession of a 3D printer than this instructable is perfect for you! You can print beautiful blooming flowers as a headband. This headband can be used for many diverse costume. Perhaps you wish to be a forest fairy, a piece of marine life, or alien from the future. 3D printing is limitless! You can also use this Instructable for inspiration for your own costume idea.
Talk about taking a wearable camera to the next level. This functional wearable camera costume was created in 2011. Despite being extremely large, and probably super hard to sit in – you can take photos of your Halloween festivities! This costume has an LCD display, pop-up flash and a shutter release button for less than $50!
Perhaps you are the type of neighbor that enjoys tricking your Halloween go-ers than providing them with a treat. The Samsung Smart Things kit worth $249.00 can improve your haunted house and personal security. You may buy it for decorations for Halloween, but end up using the Samsung kit for many years in the future.
WT | Wearable Technologies wishes you a safe and spooky Halloween! Have fun creating you custom, whether you use technology or not. But you know light up customs are so cool that they are more likely to win your towns custom competition.
At an NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York City, NIKE CEO Mark Parker laid out plans to bring self-lacing shoes and body sensors to NBA apparel. Next year Nike will begin an eight-year period during which it will be the NBA's exclusive uniform provider.
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You also can’t wait for the ski season to begin? To ease the wait for the first snow this year here our latest wearable trends for skiers!
The startup Motion Metrics’ feedback system will easily turn you into a professional skier or improve your already existing skill set in no time. Using custom built sensors placed on the boots of skiers, the system can analyse the finest details of the skier’s movements and weight distribution. Based on this data to the company can identify common mistakes in technique, such as bad body posture or placing too much weight on one ski.
Next one on the slope is Forcite – an Australian company. The company’s Alpine helmet is pretty much all you need in the mountains. The helmet has a 4k built-in action camera, a walkie-talkie feature, headlights, GPS and even a pair of Bluetooth speakers for your music, all in one device! The accompanying app will include auto-footage editing and stat overlay for videos. The app will overlay top speed, altitude, airtime, and distance. Better yet, it will trim out the parts of your footage that are boring, and skip straight to all the backflips and a front side 360’s you did on your last run. Foggy day? No problem! The Forcite Alpine helmet also has OLED fog lights so you can still do your tricks even with poor weather conditions. Fell down and smashed your helmet while doing the buttered pretzel (For those of you who no nothing, like Jon Snow: this is a snowboard trick) Also not a problem. Forcite Alpine is designed to be modular. Send it back to the Forcite team for a quick, cheap and fuss free repair service.
Now you are almost fully equipped! You’ve got a helmet and the boots enhanced with tech but something important is still missing: The ski goggles! RideOn are AR goggles for skiers and snowboarders who want an enhanced, visually interactive experience on the mountain. RideOn lets skiers communicate with friends, navigate the mountain’s runs and lodges, and play games, all overlaid seamlessly in the center of their vision instead of on the side. So what exactly can you do with these super goggles? See your friends’ locations around you, communicate using audio and video, post videos and stats online to make your friends back home jealous and annoy the ones around you throwing them a virtual snowball! You can also see your location on a map, find ski lodges, restaurants, and bars to make a pit-stop and check queue wait times.
For the most adventurous skiers and professional ones among you, Dainese recently launched the D-Air Ski system. The system includes an airbag which can inflate in a blink during a crash. The surfaces of the bag are connected by micro-filaments, which allow it to expand with a constant pressure over its entire surface area so as to wrap around the skier’s body. Using an algorithm developed by measuring forces exerted by skiers the system senses irregular acceleration as it happens in a fall, deploying the airbag automatically in 25 milliseconds to cover the shoulders, collar bones, and chest. The focus of the product is ski racing and for the moment is only available to elite athletes on the circuit but we are hoping to see this in the consumer market in the near future.
So now only one thing is still missing! Where’s the snow?
The Nokia brand was once the most recognized brand in the world for mobile devices. Now the company is hoping that brand still has some magic left as it prepares to enter the wearable market.
The post Evidence suggests Nokia will soon launch wearable devices based on Android Wear appeared first on Digital Trends.
MasterCard wants to turn every device into a credit card with its secure mobile payment technology and NFC. The company partnered with Ringly, Nymi, TrackR, GM, and a fashion designer to turn connected devices into payment devices.
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In a Juniper Research survey of over 2,000 smartphone owners in the U.S. and the UK, only one in five respondents said they were willing to spend more than $175 on any kind of wearable.
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The Nuzzle collar keeps track of your pet's health and activity and relays the information to your phone. You can also track daily walks, and be informed of any impact involving your pet. Nuzzle also offers free pet insurance quotes through the included app.
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There is an increasing mass market for wearable devices. ABI research shows that in 2017, the wearable shipments will jump to 169.5 million compared to 20.77 million in 2011. According to Forrester research, 21% of US adults use wearable activity trackers. However, a study of Endeavour Partners found that one third of devices are no longer in use after 6 months. Given current sales there are conservatively millions of wearable devices lying in the drawers. It inevitably leads to e-waste (electronic waste) problem of wearable devices. At WT, we care about how wearables become more eco-friendly and sustainable.
E-waste is already a major problem. It is claimed in 2009 by the EPA from the US that only 25% of over 181 million mobile devices, televisions and computers were thrown away were actually recycled. The fact is that people are buying more and more electronics and producing more and more e-waste. With the attendance of wearable devices in the technology ecosystem, Industrial Ecology assumes that wearable devices will contribute to the growth of e-waste. Moreover, the article from Industry Ecology suggests that wearable techs will be difficult to recycle. People are doubting if wearable devices are really for our future.
So what is the solution?
RecycleHealth
RecycleHealth as a part of Tufts University in America is a charity organization who collects unused wearable activity trackers. RecycleHealth aims to provide refurbished devices to the people who wish to use them to increase their fitness but they cannot afford it.
At the moment, RecycleHealth is working with existing fitness programs including a weight loss challenge at Montachusett Branch YMCA in Fitchburg, MA. By asking people to complete surveys they collect information about how wearable devices support people increasing and sustaining fitness. Through this RecycleHealth expects to gain information from users who are older or weaker than the typical wearable purchaser. Besides, RecycleHealth is enlightened from hearing people’s story and understanding their motivation of obtaining a wearable device to the reason why they donate them.
RecycleHealth finds a solution for saving e-material by giving wearable devices to those who would use them but cannot afford. On the other hand, Lisa Gualtieri informed WT that most people are grateful to know their unused wearable devices will have a second life through RecycleHealth
Recycled wearable devices
There is another way to recycle wearable devices. It is to produce a wearable from recycled e-waste! Bejamin Hubert launched a very friendly wearable wristband called Worldbeing. It is made of recycled e-waste; meaning discarded plastics and circuit boards then injection-molded into an agglomerate material. Moreover, the Worldbeing’s purpose is to encourage people to help in saving the Earth by lowering their own carbon footprint. When you buy things with the Worldbeing, it puts real-time information on what you’ve purchased and from where into their smart device app. After analysing the person’s carbon footprint, Worldbeing encourages users to buy locally from more environmentally friendly stores. Additionally, Worldbeing can track other carbon metrics such as place you are travelling and the means of transportation you are using. At the end of the day, it comes up with an estimate on how much carbon you are responsible for each day.
Worldbeing – a wearable for the world from Benjamin Hubert on Vimeo.
Wearable devices are still struggling to create sustainability in their production. This leads to many unanswered questions and challenges. However, engineers are beginning to lower their e-waste by saving products which not only help evolve inner thinking and overall wellness; such as your activity trackers and sleep trackers. This action also promotes outer thinking and helps provide solutions to social problems like climate change. Wearables are expected to become the next best friends of human beings that we will keep closely to our side for a long time.
Initially scheduled for release sometime this summer, HTC decided it would delay the launch of the Grip, the first product born from the company's partnership with Under Armour. Now, there's a chance it may never arrive at all.
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Looncup the world's first smart menstrual cup is designed to help women track and analyze their menstruation. The initial idea was to add sensors that would simply tell the wearer when it's full, but your flow can reveal a lot about reproductive health.
The post This menstrual cup tracks periods and keeps a calendar of Aunt Flow’s visits appeared first on Digital Trends.
Looking for some ways to spruce up that new Android smartwatch of yours? Here are our favorite apps to download and use with any Android smartwatch, including note-taking apps, a tiny Web browser, mobile payments, and more.
The post Check out 20 of the best Android Wear apps for your smartwatch appeared first on Digital Trends.
There are plenty of separate iPhone and Apple Watch charging docks out there, but Belkin’s new Charge Dock combines the two in a space-saving, minimalist package.
The post Hands on: Belkin Charge Dock appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Apple Watch's latest update allows for native apps, which means that some apps will work on the watch without your phone's help. RunKeeper is among the first to join in on the game with its fitness tracking app.
The post Leave your iPhone at home: Runkeeper’s new Apple Watch app tracks your stats alone appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sensoria is already expanding its line of smart garments beyond its first product, the Sensoria Sock.
IFAI’s Advanced Textiles Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in October offered attendees a variety of opportunities to learn about the current and projected market, new product offerings and breakthrough technologies in the wearable technology sector. IFAI’s market research manager Jeff Rasmussen reported that the worldwide smart fabrics market is growing at an annual rate of about 18 percent from about $984 million in 2011 to a projected $1.9 billion in 2015.
According to British market researcher IDTechEx, the wearable technology market will grow to $70 billion by 2025. The company’s Dr. Guillaume Chansin told conference attendees that sports and fitness have spurted ahead for now, but Chansin sees medical applications as “where the most interesting things are.” It’s also where the largest growth is expected.
Growth factors
Private equity funding for e-textiles jumped from less than $10 million in 2012 to more than $40 million in 2014, and that level of investment is projected to continue, he says. Additionally, huge investments are being made in advanced “infotainment” devices, but more basic devices in this market are relatively static.
A variety of developments over a long period of time have contributed to the current interest in wearables. One in particular is driving current developments: Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) technology. In fact, he says, “Bluetooth 4.0 is the largest individual contributor to the current interest in wearables.”
The transition to wearable technology has followed a pattern already established, which is why the focus has been on wrist-worn devices—a natural transition from the wristwatch. Health care, fitness, military, fashion and “infotainment” all use wrist-worn devices.
Applications are also diverse and becoming more so, including sensors, energy harvesting and storage, lighting, heating and identification technology. Some of the products, in addition to smart clothing, are smart beds, textile lighting, sports tracking, wound care and protective clothing.
Wearable sensors
Sensor technology is especially important and includes wearable sensors for inertial measurement units, optical heart rate monitoring, wearable electrodes, chemical detection, pressure and impact sensoring, temperature levels and microphones. Several major sportswear brands have launched sensoring fabric garments in recent years.
Maurizio Macagno, CTO and cofounder of Sensoria Inc., used the company’s trademarked slogan, “The Garment Is the Computer®” as the title for his presentation on smart garments, which he says has the greatest potential for growth in wearable technology. Smart shirts are already available and more smart garments are emerging from the testing phase.
The company’s first product, the Smart Sock, is as comfortable as a normal sock, but pressure sensors connect magnetically to an electronic anklet with an accelerometer and Bluetooth communication. The product’s target market is runners—numbering in the many millions—says Macagno, who are prone to get hurt. The product is designed to help prevent running injuries.
The company has just introduced a Running System that includes its Fitness T-shirt (or Fitness Sports Bra) and the socks. Information collected by the smart garments is sent to the wearer’s smartphone app. The goal, however, is for the company to offer manufacturers a “Powered by Sensoria” label via a developer kit that enables manufacturers to develop their own smart products and B2C branding.
Sensoria has done this with car manufacturer Renault for a line of clothing. RespondWell is another example of a partnership. It provides rehabilitation patient monitoring and feedback; patient activities at home can be reviewed and assessed by health care providers, such as monitoring the patient’s gait, balance and progress in rehabilitation exercises.
The technology is not without its challenges. Macagno lists the difficulty of powering and reading data from fabric and the connectors. Given the applications, there’s also the issue of sweat interference. Signal noise needs to be filtered and because the baseline changes, there can be degradation of the signal. He also points out that “You don’t usually talk about washing electronics,” but these garments must survive many washing and drying cycles.
In addition, the garment industry, generally, is optimized for volume and speed, with significant work being done by minimum-wage labor. “There is still a gap there in volume and scale for garments that can be smart,” he says.
Conductive, stretchable ink
Although growth rates may appear impressive, DuPont’s Dr. Michael Burrows says that larger growth has been held back because of a need for stretchable electronics. In an IFAI Advanced Textiles Conference presentation about the company’s new ink, Burrows said that the printable, stretchable electronic ink will enable “truly manufacturable smart clothing.”
“Can we simply print a circuit on textiles?” he asked. His answer was that the ink not only has the signal-carrying capacity of traditional electronics, but it’s also manufacturable in high volume.
“There is a massive wave [in wearable technology] going on right now,” he says. “Where is the smart clothing? Where did it go? The growth for this part of the market has been held back because these textile products require stretchable electronics. We believe this has been the missing element.”
Basically, the e-textile is made by first screen printing the conductive ink on to stretchable substrate that can be laminated to a textile to create a “stretchable package.” The stretchable conductor is laminated between an elastomer film and the fabric on one side and a stretchable sensor and an encapsulant overprint on the other.
The advantage of printed, stretchable circuitry is that it provides the thinnest option—and it’s rugged, washable and comfortable. In fact, Chansin listed comfort among the challenges this market faces. Bulky electronics, Chansin says, can be too uncomfortable to wear. Additionally, interconnection between components and adapting battery technology are challenges, along with encapsulation for washability and mass production capabilities.
Burrows says that DuPont has now addressed these stumbling blocks. “You have to take complexity out of the garment, not put complexity into it,” he says, so people will actually use the product.
A prototype biometric fitness shirt developed with electronic products supplier Maxim Integrated has shown that the product is thin, comfortable, stable through repeated elongation and washable up to 100 cycles. DuPont is now developing a complete material suite that will include conductors, encapsulants, sensors and breathable films.
Expectations are high for the impact of DuPont’s technology. “Clothes will always outsell phones,” Burrows says.
Janet Preus is senior editor of Advanced Textiles Source.
As we head into the Internet of Things, humans are looking at a future that is more connected than ever. Bird is a wearable gadget that makes it easy and fun to control and manage our many devices and highly connected lifestyles.
The post Bird lets you control the electronics around you just by pointing appeared first on Digital Trends.
A security researcher has published findings suggesting malicious code could be placed on a Fitbit tracker in seconds, and lead to a virus being installed on a synced computer. Fitbit has issued a statement saying the hack is not possible.
The post Syncing an infected Fitbit could be a security risk, says analyst, but Fitbit’s not worried appeared first on Digital Trends.
Medical wearables have proven their quality, accuracy, and ease of use. They are not only extremely convenient when it comes to measuring body vital signs 24/7, but also become increasingly fashionable. Why should something you have to use every day look clumsy and grey? Blood pressure monitors, activity tracker, glucose meters, and ECG monitors turn into objects you do not need to hide. Or they can be extremely comfortable and / or even “invisible” as patches – the new hot form factor at the moment. We are happy to have some of those next generation healthcare wearables represented at our joint booth at MEDICA in hall 15 A23.
Qardio is one of those companies merging the frontiers between lifestyle and medical accuracy. Their devices are clinically-validated and do not only satisfy high medical standards but can be easily incorporated into your everyday life. QardioArm can measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure along with your heart rate. The device is available in several different colours and works with Android, Apple Health, can be integrated with Apple HealthKit. QardioCore is a wireless EKG/ECG monitor and offers more comprehensive insights into your heart health. Over 20 million data points record and analyze the data and unlike traditional ECG /EKG monitors, the device is free from pads, gels and wires and can be worn discretely. The device measures heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, stress level, respiratory rate and activity. QardioBase, their smart scale, fully integrates in the Qardio product family with the app.
Also Rooti Labs deals with the topics of fitness, healthcare and wellness and will present several of their products at our booth in hall 15 A23. The company also takes into account the individual preferences for wearing devices. W/Me2 for example can be worn as a heart rate belt, sports bra, or smart shirt and has up to 10 hours battery life in continuous measurement mode. Their A-patch is a comfortable, clinical grade biosensor with 24bit/500Hz ECG recorder captures atrial fibrillation. Together with built-in respiration sensor, temperature sensor and accelerator, the device detects sleep apnea and overcomes the inconvenience of traditional Polysomnography. At MEDICA they will present their latest product Rooti RX which tracks your biometric signals to deliver a better sleep.
One of the biggest trends at the moment is to wear wearables discretely or even invisibly directly at the body in form of patches. You will not recognize them, they can be worn several days in a row and you can even take a shower whilst wearing them.
WT | Wearable Technologies Innovation World Cup finalist 2015 Feeligreen will present both their smart Dermopatch, a flexible electronic plaster driving drugs into the body via iontophoresis, as well as reveal their latest, sports related product. They were category winner for their cosmetic patch for anti-aging treatments or thinning and firming, but their products have several areas of application such as controlled pain-relief, wound healing, or bedsore prevention. We interviewed Christophe Bianchi a while ago; you can have a look at the interview here.
We warmly invite you to talk to our exhibitiors in person at our joint booth in hall 15 A23 from November 16-19. If you are more interested in our Enabling Tech partners, you can have a look at Part 1 of our exhibitor overview and in Part 3 we will introduce our exhibition partners covering the topics rehabilitation, telemonitoring and emergency cases.
Wove is a wearable device with an always-on, low-power, completely flexible e-ink screen. Applications run and update in the background without requiring user interaction or draining the battery.
The post Wove brings back the ’90s slap bracelet with a flexible E-Ink twist appeared first on Digital Trends.
A new type of foam VR headset is launching in the coming months, and will run on the popular Google Cardboard platform. Named Merge VR, it is a cheap, comfortable solution for those who want to dabble in VR.
The post New foam Merge VR headset launches today for pre-order, running Google Cardboard appeared first on Digital Trends.
Breast cancer is one of those things every woman has in the back of her mind as she grows older; especially if breast cancer runs in the family. We have all heard that an actress Angelina Jolie decided for double mastectomy when finding out she carries the gene which would increase her risk of potentially fatal breast cancer for 87 percent. This reaction is not out of the ordinary. Breast cancer is frightening, but with wearables there are alternative methods to detect breast cancer early. This assistance can increase ones chances of gaining the right treatment in order to receive a successful recovery.
Cycardia Health has developed a smart bra iTBra for monthly breast scanning. We have featured this product in a previous article. If you want to know more about this product and other healthcare wearables, please take a look at our article Wearables in Healthcare.
The scary truth is: every 3 minutes one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. iSono Health is developing a platform to facilitate regular self-monitoring at home for early breast cancer detection. A lot of information is still under the wraps but stay tuned because we will inform you about their progress.
Researches at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University are developing a breath test for detecting lung and breast cancer. A patient breathes into the device where a sensor examines chemical compounds found in their breath. Based on the recordings a scientist can determine if cancer is present. Please read more about the research on Georgia Research Institute of Technology´s website.
Last but not least, we like to encourage all women to have a look at the documentary called Detect. This documentary is about a revolutionary wearable bra that can detect breast cancer. The trailer is below.
We are thrilled to see that wearable market is following a demand of thousands of women concerned about detecting early signs of breast cancer. No matter what your journey is please know you are not alone. Even though these wearables can´t prevent you from getting cancer, they can assist in your prognosis.
Sensors are the golden ticket to obtaining purposeful wearable data. Without sensors there would be no method to track the activity of a person. Shimmer is a research company that is provides wireless sensing materials to empower people; their data, solutions, insight, and meaning bring the wearable industry to greater heights. WT | Wearable Technologies to proud to feature Shimmer at the world’s largest medical device trade show – MEDICA 2015. Shimmer was founded in 2008 and since then has devoted tremendous amounts of energy to pushing the boundaries for what wearable sensing can accomplish. Take a look at the interview below for more details about how Shimmer is re-shaping the wearable industry.
Shimmer offers full-service sensing solutions. Can you tell us a little bit more about your services and products?
Shimmer provides advanced development of wearable sensing systems based on our award winning clinical grade sensor technology. The Shimmer3 platform enables real-time data capture and communication and facilitates comprehensive wireless sensing applications that address biophysical and kinematic sensing needs. We can provide medical researchers, computer scientists or enterprise product development teams with a best-in-class vehicle for data capture that is robust, reliable, and unobtrusive out-of –the box.
As a service Enterprise, we provides deep sensing experience and expertise offering consultancy, contract, programming and manufacturing services across the five main areas of Connected Health, Rehabilitation, Neuro-marketing, Elite Sports and Clinical Assessment. This allows insight that accelerates innovation development and can reduce cost and time to market for our customers by up to 80%.
Shimmer based deployments already include:
What are – due to your experiences – the biggest challenges in creating a new product?
One of the biggest challenges that we face in developing new and innovative products is ensuring that we are fulfilling a particular need for our customer and ensuring that it solving a pain point for them. The wider wearable technology industry moves very quickly, and can often be associated with trends, we rely on primary feedback from our customer base about, what works and what doesn’t work. Moving from our old platform to the Shimmer3 platform allowed us to really understand how our customers used the platform and what area’s are needed to be improved for their applications.
Do you see any changes in the demands and requirements for sensors in the wearable industry?
As a lot more use cases for wearables start to form, sensors are finding their way into more and more aspects of our lives, at home, work and in our leisure time, pushing the demand for Interoperability. The access to data is becoming progressively more important and there is a demand on us as sensor providers to find new ways of accurately capturing, communicating, and synthesising this data for true actionable decision making.
We do find that the industry continually demands smaller and more discrete sensors, with larger power consumption and additional sensing capabilities. Shimmer uses feedback that is reported annually, to maintain its position as market leader in the provision of high performing, simple to use tools, for the capture and communication of kinematic or biophysical sensor data.
Shimmer also does a lot of research, just recently you were involved in an emotional group quantification experiment in conjunction with the Science Gallery, Dublin. Do you think motion sensing will become more important in the future? Where do you see potential areas of application?
Shimmer is founded in research, and we work hard to forge links with our community of researchers because of the mutually beneficial opportunities to that it awards all involved.
In March, 2015 Shimmer was involved in a Group Quantification Experiment with the Science Gallery at one of Irelands leading Universities, Trinity College Dublin. The experiment was based on gathering emotional response data from a group of 100 adults using the Shimmer3 GSR+, during a screening of a series of short films.
In recent years, the measurement of emotions has been transformed by the availability of wearable devices. These devices can measure physiological signals and provide insights beyond any information obtained from more traditional methods such as surveys or questionnaires, which remain subjective at best.
We believe that emotional sensing will become more important as we are already beginning to see some areas where this technology is being applied. The 1st is in health research, where application areas range from sleep disorders and anxiety studies, to the fields of autism, epilepsy and dementia. The 2nd is in the rapidly growing field of Neuro-marketing. Companies have a requirement to optimize product placement and advertising and the subtleties of emotional sensing enables a whole host of tools to be uncovered in driving this rapidly growing field.
What is your favorite wearable device besides your own (and why)?
There are different wearable devices for different aspects of our lives, so it’s hard to pick just one. Overall, I’m a fan of wearable systems that are focusing on the ‘collective’ as I think that this is an innovative aspect to the wearable space. This is an exciting area as I think a lot of people will enjoy being a part of something new and exciting, be in it sports or healthcare and might even inspire a healthy competition among its users to better themselves.
There is still time to register to attend MEDICA 2015. WT | Wearable Technologies has featured medical wearable products at MEDICA for the past 5 years. If you are able to make the travel, please join WT and Shimmer in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 16th -19th. MEDICA is an event you will not want to miss, because you will introduce you to the latest technological innovation in wearable healthcare.
A security researcher has published findings suggesting malicious code could be placed on a Fitbit tracker in seconds, and lead to a virus being installed on a synced computer. Fitbit says it has seen no evidence of this happening.
The post Syncing an infected Fitbit could be a security risk, says analyst, but Fitbit’s not worried appeared first on Digital Trends.
Apple has begun rolling out minor upgrades to iOS devices and the Apple Watch. The upgrades, iOS 9.1 and watchOS 2.0.1, contain new emoji and bug fixes, including improved Live Photos behavior on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
The post Apple now rolling out iOS 9.1 and watchOS 2.0.1, and they contain the middle finger emoji appeared first on Digital Trends.
Garmin has a bunch of new fitness-focused smart watches in its Forerunner series. The Forerunner 230, 235, and the 630 all track activity data with a focus on runners. The 235 has heart rate monitor, and the other two work with chest straps.
The post Garmin’s new Forerunner watches track every running stat you can imagine appeared first on Digital Trends.
Today Nike, releases the long-awaited self-lacing Nike Air Mag in New York City in celebration of Back To The Future Day. No word on availability.
The post Nike will release self-lacing Back to the Future shoes for charity in 2016 appeared first on Digital Trends.
American watchmaker Fossil has announced four wearables earlier today, including two fitness trackers for men and women, a wearable watch and an Android Wear smartwatch, all running on Intel technology.
The post Fossil’s Q Founder runs Android Wear, but its other new wearables are fitness trackers appeared first on Digital Trends.
Magic Leap, the secretive AR startup that received a big investment form Google last year, has revealed a few more tidbits about its platform, and suggests it could be shipping the mysterious device pretty soon.
The post Magic Leap offers another peek at its mysterious AR tech via new demo video appeared first on Digital Trends.
Misfit's new Shine adds improved fitness and sleep tracking, but it's also got fun different-colored lights, and the ability to alert you to notifications. The Shine 2 arrives in stores this November for $100.
The post Misfit polishes up the Shine 2 with more accurate tracking, even slimmer design appeared first on Digital Trends.
If you own a wearable, especially a smartwatch, you already know how important battery life is. Well we have good news. Samsung and LG showed off new wearable batteries that could double battery life.
The post New wearable battery tech from Samsung and LG could double battery life on wearables appeared first on Digital Trends.
Roar for Good, a startup whose mission is to empower women, reduce assaults, and transform society, today launched the Indiegogo campaign for Athena, the "smart, fashionable jewelry" designed to protect women against attacks.
The post Athena wearable empowers women to protect themselves appeared first on Digital Trends.
The demand for wearables is bustling. Manufacturers and product developers need to work with distributors to ensure demand meets supply. Once the product has become an internet buzz, it is imperative for producers to distribute their product to the best buying companies – as retail or e-commerce. To connect all players in the WT | Ecosystem, we have researched the big distribution players for wearables at the moment.
Amazon
Amazon is the largest internet-based retailer based in America. Nonetheless, the once electronic book store has expanded to distribute goods to and from every corner of Earth. Amazon has diversified tech categories, like wearable devices. Amazon joined forces with wearables in 2014; after realizing the power of demand for this new technology. Nearly a year of distribution, Amazon customers can search and find many wearable devices. These devices cover many categories, such as sport & fitness tracker, healthcare and fashion. Amazon has approximately 124,000 wearable products for sale on their website.
Best Buy
Best Buy is currently known as one of the Canada’s largest and most successful technology retailers. The company offers consumers various products from TVs, tablets, computers, gaming systems, cameras, printers, WiFi, headphones, speakers..etc. In regards to wearables, Best Buy sells smart watches, fitness trackers, healthcare devices and so on. All these wearables can be found in stores for a reasonable price.
WYNIT
WYNIT is a leading USA distributor of various products from the top national brands. They sell consumer electronics, printer services, outdoor leisure and products for adventure seekers. WYNIT has recently joined the wearable technology space. Now, WYNIT is one of the largest distributors of wearable technology in the United States. They mainly focus on a business-to-business model. They provide an array of wearables from fitness wristbands to smartwatches. They are always searching for to deliver the most in-demand product to all kinds of customer. They also offer audio, fitness wristband, GPS trackers, heart rate sensors, smartwatches and sport trackers.
ePathChina
ePatchChina is a well-known wholesaler and exporter of China electronics; including wearable devices. They have partnered with more than 50 Chinese electronics manufacturers for many years. ePathChina’s goal is to provide the best Chinese products for best price. They offer good deals for a large quantity. Therefore, ePathChina is also a good choice for electronics suppliers and drop shippers. A major plus is that they offer a “ship within 24 hours” service for partial products.
Tmart
Tmart is a leading e-marketplace distributor for consumer electronics products. They offer customers with a wide range of top-of-the-line products. Tmart provides consumers with competitive pricing and a superior pre-sale / after sale services. Tmart store can be the source for gaining cool gadgets, cell phones, LED flashlights, accessories, security cameras, and lastly wearable devices. Moreover they provide a majority of well-known products for individuals and businesses of all size. Besides, their ability to sell devices at a low price, their worldwide free shipping and superior customer service makes Tmart exceed consumers’ expectations.
This is the decade of IoT. All global leading retailers on the e-marketplace platform need to develop creative strategies to power their logistics and distribution capabilities. We say e-market place because this form of buying is fast and comfortable for busy professionals. As well, most wearables are bought and sold on the World Wide Web. If online distributors can provide the least expensive product, quickest shipping, and excellent service that exceeds customers’ expectations, then they are sure to be the top-dog of electronic distribution. On the other hand, it is a clear way for customers to see and know about the development of a new product segments as wearable technology devices.
As the wearable market trends younger and younger, child development company VersaMe today announced the Indiegogo launch of Starling, "the world's first education wearable for newborns to children up to the age of 5."
The post Startin’ them young — VersaMe releases Starling, the first wearable for newborns appeared first on Digital Trends.
Adidas gave its fitness app MiCoach Train and Run a major update, adding some welcome functionality to their Fit Smart band. The band is now up to competing with other 24-hour tracker bands.
The post Adidas’ MiCoach Train and Run app update makes Fit Smart smarter appeared first on Digital Trends.
Google has teamed up with The New York Times to distribute a million Cardboard VR viewers to the newspaper's subscribers, through which specially made VR films can be watched using a new NYT VR app.
The post If you get The New York Times, then VR films and Google Cardboard are coming your way appeared first on Digital Trends.
Polar's A360 is a high-end fitness tracker that doesn't compromise on hardware, but delivers on price. It features a color display, GPS, a proprietary heart-rate monitor, and more.
The post Polar’s A360 is a high-end fitness tracker at a competitive price appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Apple Watch, in its first generation release, hasn't necessarily found widespread adoption (likely because of its hefty price tag). So to figure out what millennials think of the wearable, Buzzfeed surveyed its editorial department.
The post What do millennials really think about the Apple Watch? appeared first on Digital Trends.
There's something strange in your neighborhood; It's Ghostbusters sneakers with parts ripped from the actual movie gear. Australia-based Nookiee worked with Columbia Pictures to make these. So who you gonna call?
The post Prove you ain’t afraid of no ghost with limited-edition Ghostbusters sneakers appeared first on Digital Trends.
No more shorts or flip flops, and if you're thinking about playing outdoor sports through winter, proper clothing is a must. Luckily, heated clothes are out there, ready to wear. Pick motorcycle gear that's draws power from your ride, or battery powered heat gear for home.
The post When body warmth alone won’t cut the cold, these electric clothes crank up the heat appeared first on Digital Trends.
Check out our roundup of the coolest crowdfunding projects and product announcements that hit the Web this week. You can't buy this stuff yet, but it sure is fun to gawk!
The post Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Robots, earbuds, a dash cam for car junkies appeared first on Digital Trends.
The truth is the trends are set by the people that are in the limelight. WT | Wearable Technologies believes wearables are the pioneering innovative technology that can help shape a better, more fit, and more aware future for humanity. However in the meantime – it is fun to see which celebrities are in the front line for purchasing the newest wearable tech.
Loyal customers are what drive the exponential revenue of Apple. Some of their most loyal customers are also the most popular in the world, celebrities. Apple Watch is expected to be the most popular wristable – despite its high price. According to IDC Apple Watch sold 3.6 million units in the second quarter of 2015. No wonder the celebs are showing off their new wearable smart watch. Just to name a few that look flashy and fit: Ludacris, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Karl Lagerfeld, Sophie Turner, Drake, Pharrell… even Wan Jianlin dog is rocking two Apple Watches!
Mr. President Barack Obama is taking the stage with wearables on his side. You can spot photos of the American President with Game Golf wristable, and Google Glass. Not a huge surprise when you consider that the military were the first to pioneer the creation of wearable computers. Even so, government officals are in full support of wearables assisting with lowering cost for the healthcare market.
Nearly a year ago will.i.am released i.am/PLUS; a smart watch that looks like a fat black circle with an LCD screen. His ability to become one with the public consumer demand and the “technologic” world is short-term. In 2011 he was the Director of Creative Innovation for Intel. But after a year, he has yet to place a price and distribution for i.am/PLUS. His contract is said to be up in 2016. Let’s wait a few months and see if will.i.am will remain in this high ranking position. In the meantime, enjoy this drumline music based promotion video for the i.am/PLUS.
Shaq the famous basketball player – stopped working out once he stopped playing for the NBA (hard to believe – we know). But one day he was walking through Best Buy and bought a FitBit. It’s his favorite! He enjoys how it keeps him aware and motivated to stay fit – on or off the court. Shaq says the best part of how FitBit is how you can poke your friends when you realize they haven’t been training. In the future you can expect Shaq to be riding the quantified-self train. No reason to be unaware of your body if you have wearables on your side!
Ashton Kutcher is quoted in mashable saying,”In a world of AR and VR, you can walk down the street and have monsters jump around corners. I can leave virtual notes for my wife on the refrigerator… The entire world becomes the playground of our technology, and we can place things in space and recall them whenever we want.” Kutcher has his feet dangling with investors into the wearable market. It will be interesting to see how his magic hands can affect the growth of wearables.
There are other more well known activites recording celeberties wearing light-up customes (Lady GaGa, Black-Eye Peas ..), however in this article WT wanted to bring you the latest and most up-to-date new. Sure, there are many more celebrities that use wearables – but do not necessarily market it on their social media. You know, being hot isn’t easy and neither is being a public figure. Yet, we have a feeling that most fit celebrities use an activity tracker to ensure they are gaining enough sleep and steps throughout their busy day. Stay tuned for more updates soon.
The Glassy Zone is a fitness band designed for surfers, providing specialized tracking for when you're out on the waves, plus it has a UV sensor to ensure you don't catch too much sun. It has launched on Indiegogo for $100.
The post Catch a wave, not too much sun, with the Glassy Zone fitness band made for surfers appeared first on Digital Trends.
Ideal for anyone that needs time to locate a bathroom, the Dfree is a new wearable that attaches directly to skin in order to monitor intestinal activity and create a bowel movement countdown clock
The post The Dfree wearable predicts your next bowel movement appeared first on Digital Trends.
Apple has announced three new studies for ResearchKit, focused on autism, epilepsy, and melanoma. The studies use the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch to spot early signs, and gain more info for medical research.
The post Apple sets ResearchKit to work on cures for autism, epilepsy, and melanoma appeared first on Digital Trends.
If your smartwatch has its own SIM card, you'll soon be able to use the same number as your smartphone on it. AT&T revealed that its NumberSync technology will arrive soon to make sure that all your devices have the same number.
The post Soon your smartwatch and phone will have the same number, thanks to U.S. carriers appeared first on Digital Trends.
Upright posture trainer is a small wearable device that vibrates to remind you to sit up straight whenever you slouch. The app creates a customisable training program so you only use Upright for a few minutes every day to improve habits.
The post Upright posture trainer is a wearable vibrating reminder to sit up straight appeared first on Digital Trends.
There are so many smartwatches available today, but women are often ignored. Not anymore. The Shammane smartwatch is not only fashionable -- it's functional. More importantly, it's perfect for smaller wrists.
The post The Shammane smartwatch puts fashion first and is designed with women in mind appeared first on Digital Trends.
Samsung has made its official return to smartwatches with the fantastic Gear S2, a round smartwatch that has a gorgeous design and an innovative control system. It's on sale October 2, and here's everything you need to know.
The post Samsung Gear S2 news: Pre-order it now at Verizon and T-Mobile appeared first on Digital Trends.
Keeping with the recent trend of marrying high fashion with high tech innovations, the Vring "enables users to search the Internet, find their phone, and remotely control household appliances without having to hold their phone."
The post Talk to the hand: Vring wants to put Siri on your finger appeared first on Digital Trends.
Geeksphone, the company best known for jointly developing the secure Blackphone, has launched its first wearable device. It's called the Geeksme, and it'll not only track your steps, but your sex life too.
The post This cool fitness watch is yours for $94, and it tracks steps, sleep, and sex appeared first on Digital Trends.
Since 2010, MEDICA, the worldwide leading trade show in the medical area, is a “must” event for WT | Wearable Technologies. Every November, we present the latest technologies, devices and solutions from the entire WT ecosystem with a focus on health and wellness at our joint booth. In the following weeks, we will shortly introduce some of the topics and the exhibitors we cooperate with in this context. Of course we are happy to welcome you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Show 2015 MEDICA in hall 15 A23 and for the “Wearable Sessions” on Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon in the Connected Healthcare Forum directly next to our booth.
Like at all WT | Wearable Technologies events, we cooperate with the entire WT value chain. So we are happy to have both familiar and new faces from the Enabling Tech space and Greater WT ecosystem exhibiting with us at MEDICA. Let’s have a look at those first:
We all know of the importance of smart energy solutions for wearables. Without juice there is no data. Especially in the healthcare market a constant, convenient energy supply is essential. The tinier the source, the better. And the solution should be eco-friendly, but have a long life circle. So a lot of requirements for something we use every day.
VARTA Microbattery, one of the world’s leading battery manufactures, will showcase high-quality battery solutions for all major electrochemical systems and cell geometries. Their CoinPower button cells with lithium-ion technology set energy capacity and performance standards and their Gas Generating Cells are a popular choice for innovative dispensers and portable dosing solutions.
If you are looking for customized, printed batteries, you should definitely talk to Enfucell. Their SoftBattery® is a thin, flexible and eco-friendly printed power source. The battery can be utilized optimally in disposable labels and patches (a topic we will touch on later this month), such a skin-based wearables, medical, healthcare, sports and logistics sensors.
But how to harvest the data? Right, with sensors – and we cooperate with a bunch of companies dealing with the topic and showing all kinds of different approaches.
Exel will present their wireless (Bluetooth) and waterproof inertial sensors. EXLs3 is composed of a tri-axial accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, a 32-bit Cortex microprocessor for data processing and ideal for posture assessment, rehabilitation, gait monitoring, joints’ functionality analysis and activity monitoring.
If you need help to bridge the gab between electronics and textiles, you should talk to Clothing+ powered by Jabil. They can basically integrate any kind of sensor in your garment. The company has a long success story, so they already created the first heart rate sensing shirt in 1998 and started mass-producing the world’s first textile heart rate sensor strap.
Shimmer is specialized in creating individualized sensing innovations from sketch to launch and can boast with award winning clinical grade sensor technology. With their know-how you can reduce your cost and time to market by up to 80% and extend to regulatory submission and certification.
We are also happy to have our long-term partner AiQ Smart Clothing on board again. The company merges electronics with textiles to create fashionable, functional and comfortable solutions to meet human’s everyday needs. They offer a complete and vertical integration of technology. Their solutions guarantee a comfortable medium for both patients and physicians.
Not only but especially in the healthcare industry it is extremely important that there are no side effects. You have to identify and eliminate hazardous chemicals in skin contacts as well as lithium hazards in batteries. You must be aware of RF exposure levels, regulatory requirements for electrical safety, energy efficiency, data security and privacy of apps. And that is just the peak of the mountain. TÜV SÜD can help you to eliminate any eventualities. The organization is specialized in testing, inspecting and certifying product safety, quality and usability. With almost 20,000 employees around the world, TÜV SÜD is a trusted partner at every step of the production cycle.
Everyone who ever tried to create a new product knows that there are many stumbling blocks. IWC can help. They are a link between small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutions and politics. Their network BodyTec is a federation of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as research institutes located in Germany. Their goal is to initiate research projects and acquire public funding in the field of wearables with a focus on “technological innovation” – a great support for companies without own research departments.
We warmly invite you to visit our booth at MEDICA in hall 15A23 to talk to our co-exhibitors in person. In Part 1 and 2 of our exhibitor overview we will focus on medical products that easily blend into our everyday lives, new rehabilitation tools for home and clinical treatment, innovative health monitoring and clever first aid and emergency tools. Stay tuned.
If your smartwatch has its own SIM card, you'll soon be able to use the same number as your smartphone on it. AT&T revealed that its NumberSync technology will arrive soon to make sure that all your devices have the same number.
The post Soon your smartwatch and phone will have the same number, thanks to AT&T appeared first on Digital Trends.
In a new patent filed on October 13, the Internet giant turned purveyor of all things cool unveiled its plan for a "contact lens employing optical signals for power and/or communication."
The post Google may be developing smart contact lenses powered by the sun appeared first on Digital Trends.
Swatch has finally introduced its first smartwatch. The Swatch Bellamy might not be as "smart" as other smartwatches, but it's the first watch that can make mobile payments at any China UnionPay terminal.
The post Swatch Bellamy smartwatch to launch in China, followed by Switzerland and the US appeared first on Digital Trends.
“Even a pig can fly if it stands at the centre of a whirlwind” – Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi.
It sounds like a fiction but it’s real. Xiaomi – a Chinese startup company in Smartphone and wearable device has much attention from all over the world. Their rise has been unprecedented for merely five years. The Chinese Tech company has defeated Smartphone giants (LG, Sony) and have become the third biggest Smartphone manufactures in the world. Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun relseased the Mi Band in 2014 – marking the beginning of Xiaomi activitiy in the wearable market. Surprisingly, after a year Mi Band became the world’s second largest manufacture -after Fitbit. According to IDC, in the first period of 2015, Xiaomi sold 2.8 million Mi Band; thus concluding why Xiaomi makes up 24.6% of the wearable market worldwide. Today, Xiamoi is the most valuable private tech startup in the world.
WT | Wearable Technologies has been digging to find out what the company’s secret to success is.
Mi Band
Mi Band is designed at the core of wearable device; with the ability to track your steps, distance, calories burned, activities and sleep. The Mi Band consists of the oval-shaped tracking module which has a matte chrome finish with a neat and a variety of colored rubber up. The Mi Band is super light and comfortable to wear. A plus for Mi Band is their 30-days of battery life; which is still a challenge for many wearable devices now. Moreover, the Mi Band is waterproof -down to 1m for up to 30 minutes. It means you can definitely wear the device all day long, even when you are taking a shower! The downside to Mi Band is it does not provide the most accurate trackers. However, its accuracy is acceptable in terms of what the consumer wants. Maybe this is so because sometimes Mi Band can overestimates your steps and distance, making you think your worked more than you actually did.
Price Strategy
Selling a full-feature tracker at cheap price of $14.99 is a smart strategy when approaching the wearable market. They are able to keep this price because they are only selling their products online – where prices don’t need to include a profit margin for retailers. Moreover, Xiaomi keeps marketing costs low by marketing to their fan base instead of advertisments. Their scheme is quite smart, they host “fan parties” every few weeks in different cities. At these events Xiaomi Executives can meet enthusiasts and provide them with fun gifts. Besides, they have an army of employees to interact with consumers on social media such as Weibo (Chinese twitter).
In 2015, 40% of wearable devices on market are sold under $100. The other 60% are marked at high price range; such as Google, Fitbit, Pebble and Apple. However, despite the good quality of these proucts these companies have not received an ideal turnover. Even so people are now curious about activity trackers and becoming connected to their health. Nevertheless, it seems that consumers either can’t or won’t spend a lot of money on wearables.
Xiaomi’s low price seems to be enought to satisfy the curiosity of common conusmers. The success of Xiaomi’s price strategy alarms many wearables producers. The question that remains is when will the rest of the activity tracking companies be able to relsease their products for under $100?
To round things up, according to its CEO Lei Jun, in an interviewed with The Wall Street Journal stated that Xiaomi’s success formula is “simply about seizing the right opportunity.”
Sensoria has created an app and sensors that work seamlessly together to provide important feedback to anyone who cares about improving their running.
The post Sensoria Fitness Smart Sock review appeared first on Digital Trends.
Samsung has released an early preview of apps available on the Gear S2, its newest wearable. They include Line, Nike+ Running, and Volkswagen apps that have been specifically designed for the smartwatch.
The post Samsung announces early app partners for Gear S2 appeared first on Digital Trends.
The Forcite Alpine, the smart ski helmet we took a look at back in 2104, is finally up on Kickstarter in time for the ski season. It's still a 4k action cam, walkie-talkie, headlight, tracker and GPS inside one safety-certified helmet.
The post The Forcite Alpine smart ski helmet is finally live on KickStarter for $800 appeared first on Digital Trends.
The mysterious Meizu smartwatch surfaced early in the year, but has remained hidden since. A new leak shows what could be the final product, coming later this month without Android Wear.
The post Mysterious Meizu smartwatch surfaces with possible October 21 launch date appeared first on Digital Trends.
Taking cues from Google's Project Ara smartphone, Blocks' modular approach to the watch makes it very interesting. The company will start its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on October 13.
The post Everything you need to know about Blocks, the Project Ara of smartwatches appeared first on Digital Trends.
Microsoft is bringing Windows 10 to your Windows smartphone, creating a unified, seamless, cross-platform experience across all your Windows devices. Here's a rundown of the new features we can expect, and what phones it'll arrive on first.
The post Windows 10 Mobile news and update schedule appeared first on Digital Trends.
When I was only 10 years old, I remember my mother repeatedly asking me to assist her in finding her keys. I figured I should search for some sort of lost and found keychain. At the time, I imagined this keychain to be accompanied by a remote that (if she didn’t misplace that too) could signal the keychain to sound off, in synchronized beeps, the location of the lost keys. I searched throughout the entire local mall, and found that this technology did not exist. Yet now, in 2015, it has been over a decade of technological innovation. This type of lost and found technology is widely available for the public to purchase, and works beyond keychains.
Keychains to clip onto your precious “I-can-never-lose” items:
Honey, from PebbleBee, is a Bluetooth enabled tracking device. Their goal is minimize the amount of lost materials in the world. You simply add Honey to your key chain, pair it with your smartphone and live peacefully. When you find yourself searching for your keys, you can pull out your smartphone and signal for the Honey. It works up to 150 feet (depending on the obstruction in the space). Once you plus your smart phone are close enough to the Honey, you may signal the loud speaker to sound; allowing for easier finding.
Honey is not the only lost and found tracker the PebbleBee sells. They also have a newly Kickstarter funded device called Stone. Similar to Honey, Stone will provide to GPS location of whatever object you connect it to. But this device represents how wearables can be smart because if you leave your Stone and walk away with your smartphone – your phone will get a text message saying you left your Stone at said location. But Stone can go even further than being a simple keychain. You can customize the click and hold button to do basically anything, and to talk to a network of devices. The three sensors make is perfect for customization; motion, temperature, and range. The interface is super simple to use: download app, sync Stone, customize, and party!
You can attach GateKeeper to your keychain, ID pack, purse, backpack, or simply inside your pocket and locks your computer/smartphone once your GateKeeper is moved away from the computer’s vicinity. This is ideal for big corporations with security breaches, government officials, and healthcare professionals.
XYfindit is for sale for $25. Similar to the other lost and found tracking – you simply place it on all things that matter- keychains, pet collars, backpacks, bikes and more! The cool thing about XYfindit – is maybe you lost your valuable item and another XYfindit user is near it – they will get a notification to contact you. The trick is now you have to always keep track of your smartphone.
The O is another successful Kickstarter campaign. The O is a smart accessory that can act like your personal assistant. You simply place The O on an object that you need to keep track of. It is waterproof and has the ability to act as a keychain or a sticker. Whatever object The O is on is automatically connected to your smartphone. If you leave with your smartphone, but forget to object you will get an instant notification. They are now taking pre-orders for 2016. You can purchase a pack of 4, a pack of 8, and an extra keychain.
THE O is coming to the world, and it is because of YOU. Thank you so much to all of you who supported us! <3 http://pic.twitter.com/J3hkGQMcQR
— THE O (@owithme) 8. Oktober 2015
Keychains can be considered old school. There are many other form types of lost and found wearables.
A prime example is FiLIP; a wearable phone and tracker for children! The specs: voice calling is only able to contact 5 pre-set phone numbers. You can send one-way text messages to your child’s FiLIP. GPS for constant info on your childs whereabouts. You can also enable “safezones” for your childs location; once the child enter or leaves this zone you will get a notification to your smartphone. Last but not least, FiLIP is also a watch that has the current time and date.
Similarly, Watchie is a wristable for the elderly. It’s considered the world’s most advanced personal locator. Watchie is designed with elderly folks in mind; specifically those who are affected by Alzheimer and Dementia. Their technology is advanced for indoor and outdoor GPS locations.
It’s an employer’s responsibility to ensure that their staff is fit and healthy. 9 Solutions is the key to ensuring this is true for all situations. They provide a unique awareness by combining healthcare safety solutions and workflow optimization into a single device. The technology inside is called IPCS, Integrated Positioning and Communication System, it is a real time locating system developed my 9Soltuions. They keep is simple by offering user-friendly interfaces and precise accuracy for indoor tracking. eTag Pro is their current wearable device on the market. It can clip onto clothing and is designed to be used in hospitals, care homes, and home care environments. gTag is their newest tracking device that will come to the market soon! It will be the first wrist tag that enables real-time location of people indoors and outdoors. gTag comes equipped with the ability to send emergency and assistance calls – by request of pressing a button.
Wearsafe is a versatile tag that is designed to be discreet and fit into various lifestyles. You can wear is or hide – the choice is yours! You create a custom network of people who you can contact without others noticing. The technology works by you acitivating the apps alert options on your networks phone, when your phone is out of place, with a range of up to 200 feet. Your safe network will receive your GPS locations, a streaming audio to provide assistance. If additional assistance seems neccisary, your network can notify the authority to come to your locations. It is ideally meant for students, outdoorsy folks, travelers, and family. You can pre-order wearsafe today!
People love their pets enormously; thus leading to the wearable tech market for pets to be extremely profitable. DOTT hosted, yet another, successful Kickstarter campaign. DOTT is a piece of technology that can be worn on your pet like a collar tag. You connect DOTT to your smart phone to setup the “virtual leash” between your beloved pet and your handy smartphone. If your pet wanders away – you and the DOTT network will be notified. DOTT is now for sale for $30 plus services and shipping. No more lost pet signs in your neighborhood.
Rockettags was featured in our Traveling with Intelligence article. Nonetheless, their technology and innovative QR code stick-on tag is ideal of smartphones, suitcases, laptops and more. Using a QR code is ingenious. If you item is lost, the finder simply has to scan the code to be given information on how to return it back to its rightful owner.
There is no cure for remembering everything you need to carry with you. At least wearable tech designers and engineers can assist you in re-locating your precious items. After this article, WT hopes your find one of these eleven lost and found tags is ideal for your lifestyle.