Robotic arm cuff therapy

[gallery] Fire your shrink. Jens Dyvik, a freelance designer in Holland, has created a therapeutic robot that provides more intimate psychological coddling than you ever knew you needed. That’s because you wear it.

Ref is a haptic creature that straps onto your wrist and twists, curls, and nuzzles against your skin in response to changes in your pulse. The movements are designed to soothe, to “help people become familiar with their emotional world,” Dyvik says and, by extension, calm their demons. Would something like this work? Well, the simple act of being more aware of your emotions and stress levels has a long history in psychology and even Buddhism -- it's the main tenet behind both Cognitive Behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation.

Continue reading on Fast Company Images from Fast Company

Modwells: Personal Modules for Wellness

[gallery] I'm currently working on a new project around the topic of healthcare and wellness. The project includes a variety of garments with integrated technology, which I'm currently designing. So stay tuned for an update on the progress. In the meantime, here's a short description:

Modwells is a new consumer-focused healthcare experience that is integrated into our daily lives and aimed to improve our physical and emotional health toward a better quality of life. It is modular, customizable, scalable, wearable and social.

The modwells system includes:

  • mods: a collection of sensors that collect and assess your health
  • trestle: a devices that allows you to view the data that you collect, recharge your pebbles and customize them
  • accessories: a collection of accessories and garments that allow you to extend the mod’s capabilities
  • application: allows you to manage your experience

Continue reading about Modwells here. Read about the initial research here.

Measuring physical activity

There's a ton of exploration going on in the healthcare space with regards to useful wearable technology applications.  Michigan State University's departments of Electrical Engineering and Kinesiology are investigating a wearable sensor network that measures a person's physical activity and overall well-being. I can see how this type of collecting and assessing biometric data can scale outside of healthcare into other areas such as sports and and sports medicine. "Using technology developed by engineering professor Subir Biswas, participants will wear three small, wireless sensors — on their wrist, upper arm and lower leg — that during any physical activity will measure not only the frequency, intensity and time but also now the type of activity, providing valuable information. The data then will be wirelessly transmitted to medical service providers' servers for remote assessment and well-being management." continue reading at physorg.com

Image from physorg.com

A smart hoodie that helps kids with autism

[gallery] There's a lot of discussion around wearable technology that debates the usefulness of solutions that integrate electronic functionality into garments. There are so many explorations that are short-term novelties and few that solve real and sustainable problems. Designer Leo Chao sets out to change this. His Beagle scarf is intended for medical therapy targeted to children with autism. The project is an example of solving problems that he uncovers by observing people and their context.

"Leo’s concept: the Beagle Scarf, a garment co-created with autistic children and their parents. Beagle Scarf integrates sound, smell, and texture, making it a wearable and portable medical assistance device for Autistic children who suffer from a sensory disorder where they sometimes need to be blocked or stimulated from certain senses to feel relieved,"  (source).

Continue reading on Yanko Design. Photos from Trends Update.