Now available: Fashionable tech report

Dr. Sabine Seymour of Moondial has released another fashionable technology report which focuses on the intersection between design, fashion, science and technology. The report is published twice a year. It will set you back 100 bucks, but it's worth the investment. Here's her latest: "SCIENTIFIC FASHION concentrates on scientific explorations that manifest themselves in bioart, research projects, and product explorations focusing on the body as metaphor. It touches upon the history of synthetic biology and exposes ethical implications. The chapter second skin features BioLace from Carole Collet, sneakers from Rayfish are displayed in artificial extensions, and the project Hylozoic Ground by Rachel Armstrong and Philip Beesley is an example presented in synthetic senses. 59 Pages." Continue reading on moondial.com

Images from moondial.com

You may now ditch your trainer

I recently wrote an article for Seattle design firm, Artefact, about the exploding trend in wearable fitness devices that are entering the market. Here's an abbreviated version. Read the full article here. ......

Make some room in your junk drawer – that old pedometer is about to find a new home.  The market is exploding with new technology targeting both consumers who want more control over their personal fitness and those looking to change their lifestyle to improve their overall health.  This emerging trend centers on the idea that we want to collect biometric and environmental information on what we do, how we eat, when we sleep, and even how we feel.  Some folks call it the Quantified Self movement, which is a fancy name for people that like to collect data on their daily habits to analyze or share with others.  From established brands like Polar and Nike, to upstarts such as Jawbone and other independent manufacturers, the personal fitness space is getting crowded with wearable devices that can collect personal data and talk to our ever-present smartphones.

Despite the proliferation of gadgets, it’s difficult to pinpoint one that really stands out.  A lot of the new wearable devices count calories and track users’ movements, so companies are trying to differentiate themselves through accessories, add-ons, and feature sets that, for good or bad, approach the challenge of data collection and analysis in similar ways.  Still, there are some interesting options out there, so let’s take a look.

  • It’s all in the wristWhat’s old is new again.  Wristwatches are ubiquitous, making them ideal for companies like Polarand Garmin to convert them into wearable computers. Capable of handling many functions that were up until very recently, the domain of much larger devices, these multitasking timepieces are becoming more robust, offering a lot of functionality that let runners and bikers leave their phones at home so they can exercise without distraction.
  • New wearable options. Beyond the wrist, other solutions come in designs that can be clipped, Velcroed, or hung form your body.  Despite their migration away from the wrist, the data collection options remain similar.
  • Make it social. Where once products differentiated themselves with social networking capabilities, we’ve come to expect our products to share with the world.
  • Not-so-everyday products. Just as TVs are becoming more and more connected, so too are other common household items.Fitbit has been doing a nice job with their Ultra wearable device/iPhone app solution (a lightweight clip/iPhone app combination) and is now extending the experience into everyday objects.
Continue reading the full article at Artefact.

Body monitoring for healthier living

Cnet's Nafe Needdleman discusses an emerging trend around the collection of data streams about what we do, how we feel and how we move called the Quantified Self movement. In this Reporter Roundtable episode, he explores how it applies to healthcare and interviews two entrepreneurs who are working on a subset of the quantified self movement: body monitoring. Both their companies have the goal of making us more aware of ourselves. The first guest is Monisha Perkash, CEO of Lumoback, which is an adhesive patch that you wear to track and measure your posture. She talks about how we're swimming in data and how we can turn the data into something that is truly meaningful to help us improve our lives.

"We're now wearing code. We can now extend the power of computing from our phones and computers to our own bodies as a platform for innovation." says Monisha Perkash.

The second guest is Jef Holove of Basis, which is a sensor array in the form of a wrist watch that monitors heart rate, temperature, sweat levels, and movement. He talks about Consumer-approachable idea of collecting data about your body and turning it into insight about your health that everyday people understand.

Needdleman challenges the ideas by asking about security, whether or not these types of solutions are truly useful for us, and what's next for Lumoback and Basis.

Watch the video on cnet »