Glasses make sounds visible

With the announcement of Google Glass recently, there's been a growing drumbeat around heads-up displays. The latest focuses on people suffering from hearing loss. The Himri Glasses, created by Daniele Silvestri and co-owned by Andrea Chagnon, make sounds visible to users with hearing impairments. The glasses detect surrounding noises, analyze their amplitudes and volume and displays a graphic visualization of the sound on the sides of the lenses. Notifications alert wearers about approaching cars and wailing alarms to help avoid any accidents. What's nice about this design is that the aesthetics and styling is considered, making the solution more appealing to users to actually wear. Also, interactive heads-up displays should not be about replicating the phone experience onto eyewear lenses. Don't give me a bunch of UI that comes at me at all times! This concept is an example of how you can use the unique formfactor and body placement of glasses in a unique and useful way to solve a simple problem. Well done Silvestri.

More info and images at Industrial Design Served.

A fashionable, wearable camera

Artefact has created a fashionable, wearable concept camera and display that encourages users to snap, share, and wear their photos in an instant called Meme. According to an article published by Fast Company about the project, "by transforming the traditional lens camera into a wearable screen (it can be worn as a necklace or attached with a pin or clip), Artefact tapped into the idea of using tech as a means of self-expression--an especially smart strategy for attracting the Lady Gaga generation. The e-ink display uses the same technology as Amazon’s Kindle, but here, the 32-bit grayscale monitor renders moody, black-and-white images that complement the retro-cool, color-saturated effect of Instagram."

Here's how Artefact approached the concept:

The traditional point-and-shoot camera is becoming marginalized as camera phones continue to improve in quality and functionality. We thought about how to re-imagine this device as a product that teens and young adults would want to use as much as their phones. But rather than try to displace the cell-phone as a camera, we wanted to find a solution that integrates into the existing tech ecosystem (mobile, app, social media).

Young people enjoy sharing experiences right at the moment they happen and define their identity through creative outlets. Artefact wanted to design an affordable yet disruptive camera that offers instant gratification and relevance to its user. Emphasis has been placed on fun and self-expression rather than tech specs and functions.

As a fashion accessory, Meme goes with everything! Users can change the picture as frequently as they change their mood, interests, or style. Meme can be worn as a necklace, or attached to clothing with a pin or clip.

Continue reading on Artefact

Examining the culture of militarization

Carrie Mae Rose’s work is aimed to evoke emotion. Her work includes sculptural mandalas made of confiscated scissors and razors and a proposed necklace constructed out of violet wands (a relative of the Tesla coil).Her projects examine the culture of militarization and its influence on pop culture, education, entertainment, and high fashion.

Her current explorations include a series of interactive costumes titled Wearable Weapons that she's creating through a residency at Eyebeam. Here's what she says she'll be exploring during her time there:

I am planning to build a series of interactive costumes I call Wearable Weapons. I will be testing and collaborating to create at least 2 or 3 collars that use devices called Violet Wands that are placed in a large wearable armature. Violets Wands are sold both to the police department and the S&M community and are generally described as either self defense products or highly erotic electro-stimulation tools. The wands have a variety of intensity levels that do anything from burn to arouse the end receiver. I’m still working out what kind of interactivity the pieces will have, but the working idea is that they will respond both to sound and movement.

I can't wait to see what she creates. Her gorgeous moodboard is certainly intriguing...

Eyebeam intern Katherine DiPierro sat down with Carrie Mae for a conversation on the intersection of technology and vulnerability. You can read the interview here at Eyebeam.

AND...If you want to get invloved with the project, Carrie Mae Rose is currently looking for an intern or collaborator. More info on the opportunity is here.

An emotional sensing necklace

[gallery]Philips Design is always exploring what our futures might look like through their dedicated "far-future" probes research that tracks trends and developments, which may evolve into mainstream issues that have a significant impact on business. The Probes generate insights from research in five main areas; politics, economic, culture, environments and technology futures. The results are quite evocative and generate a dialogue on the possibilities of our futures.

One of their design probes is VIBE - an emotional sensing necklace that combines conductive ink and textile sensors. The necklace can read multiple biometric signals of the wearer and communicates them to other devices and other wearers.

Most electronic communication is limited to very direct channels where we naturally exhibit many more signals or channel indirectly. This opens up a whole new universe of emotional applications, such as physical and emotional gaming, mind and stress control applications, as well as emotional telephony.

Continue reading on Philips Design. Images from Philips Design.

Catalytic clothing purifies the air

Catalytic Clothing, a collaboration between designer/artist Helen Storey and chemist Tony Ryan in partnership with University of Sheffield and University for the Arts London, explores how textiles and nanotechnology can be used to form a catalytic surface to purify the air in our environment.

The clothing uses photocatalytic (light activated catalysts) to break down airborne pollutants such as industrial pollutants and car exhaust fumes by reordering the electrons in the atoms of the fabrics to create a more reactive surface. These radicals then react with the pollutants in the environment resulting in "cleaner" air.

According to the creators, "Catalytic Clothing indicates that a significant reduction in the level of airborne pollutants in a large city such as London could be achieved if, for every metre of pavement width, 30 people wearing Catalytic Clothes walked past each minute." Better get these garments into the mainstream!

Continue reading on Creative Idle, Triple Pundit Image from Creative Idle

Gloves that capture your secrets

[gallery]Designer and maker, Meg Grant, has been exploring wearable technology and eTextiles. Her latest work Secret Keeper Gloves, extends human behavior and tendencies in a poetic, playful way through simple interaction triggered by natural gestures. The gloves capture your secret as you cup your hands over your mouth to whisper it. Here's how it works:

• The batteries, microchip and speaker are all in the left hand. This means that the left hand has a fully-contained playback circuit.
• In order to activate playback, press the thumb and the forefinger of the left hand together.
• The only components in the right hand are the microphone and an indicator LED.
• When the left and right palms are pressed together, the record circuit is connected at three points, two on the heel of the hand for power and ground and one on the side of the hand for input from the microphone.
• Record is activated by pressing the left and right thumbs together.
• The embroidery makes it possible for the wearer to use a variety of thumb positions for record and playback.

Via talk2myshirt More info at meggrant.com Images from meggrant.com