A hands-free gesture device

Forget about Kinect that limits gestures to a fixed location (i.e., your living room), Myo is a muscle-gesture wristband that is a completely hands-free gesture input devices. This product looks a lot like the muscle-gesture computing that came out of Microsoft Research a few years back. Nonetheless, it's pretty cool.

"In the future we’re all going to be robot-human hybrids with the help of wearable computers. We’ve already seen Google Glass, the search giant’s augmented-reality glasses, and now the latest Y Combinator startup to come out of stealth, Thalmic Labs, is giving us a wrist cuff that will one day control computers, smartphones, gaming consoles, and remote-control devices with simple hand gestures.

Unlike voice-detecting Google Glass, and the camera-powered Kinect and Leap Motion controller, Thalmic Labs is going to the source of your hand and finger gestures – your forearm muscles. “In looking at wearable computers, we realized there are problems with input for augmented-reality devices,” says Thalmic Labs co-founder Stephen Lake. “You can use voice, but no one wants to be sitting on the subway talking to themselves, and cameras can’t follow wherever you go.” Continue reading on Wired.

Image from Myo.

Crafting wearables: touchable light

Textielmuseum Tilburg and designers Kristi Kuusk, Martijn ten Bhömer, and Paula Kassenaar have been exploring "crafted wearables", one of which is a touch sensitive illuminated garment called Tender. "The world of high-fashion is home to many kinds of unique wearable technologies, but one thing the fashionistas usually have in common is an aversion to touch. After all, the garments are usually one-of-a-kind and were placed on the gaunt model via a combination of safety pins and a lot of luck. In short, if you break it you buy it. So it comes as quite a relief to see one tech-heavy garment coming down the pike that not only encourages touch, it actually requires it.

[This] touch-sensitive illuminated blouse/garment thingie that is going to quite literally brighten your day(sorry.) Tender features conductive surfaces that are beautifully knit and integrated into the garment. Wherever you place hour hand while wearing it a subtle light follows. It’s like your whole body becomes a flashlight of sorts. This is perfect for ladies who like to remain on the cutting edge of fashion, or those who are just afraid of the dark." Continue reading on crunchwear.com

Preventing the Invasion of Privacy

There’s a lot of discussion around how wearable technology impacts our notion of privacy. From our body metrics to data about who we are, where we’ve been and who we know, software and services that use the data can quickly blur the lines. There are many aspects to privacy, but let’s take photos for instance. Facial recognition is increasingly used online and in real life by law enforcement, social networks, Internet search engines and even for retail marketing purpose. If everyone has a camera and can snap a picture at any time, how can we remain anonymous?

Tokyo’s National Institute scientists created the first Privacy Visor to address this growing concern. The silly-looking glasses could make you invisible to facial recognition technology. One of the scientists, Isao Echizen, said that “essential measures for preventing the invasion of privacy caused by photographs taken in secret and unintentional capture in camera images is now required.” By wearing this “privacy visor”, still in the prototype stage, people can control if they want to be recognized or not.

But what if you’re in a situation where you want your photo to be taken such as at a party or event? So what is the happy medium between remaining anonymous and spontaneously sharing our experiences?

How does it work? The glasses use near-infrared light sources to disrupt the facial-recognition software without affecting his or her visions. Lights create interferences across key areas needed to identify your face (like eyes or nose). Goggles are connected via a wire to a power battery supply in the pocket.

Would you wear it? Personally, I wouldn’t. Of course people want to control if, when, and how their image is used. But the design of the Privacy Visor is bulky, awkward, and just plane goofy looking. It’s almost as if it was designed for people to broadcast that they have something to hide since it’s not discreet in any way. What do you think? Would you buy and wear this type of product?

Related concepts This isn’t the only privacy-focused concept. Adam Harvey created an anti-surveillance clothing line that blocks cell tracking and drones. What are other concepts that help people remain anonymous?

More info and image via Slate.

Experimenting with visual perception

Wearable technology isn't just about health & fitness, which is all the rage right now. German artist lorenz potthast offers an experimental approach to vision that challenges our visual perception. His Decelerator Helmet creates an evocative experience that filters the environment and shows the user a slow motion perception of the world. "The technical reproducible senses are consigned to an apparatus which allows the user to perceive the world in slow motion. The stream of time as an apparently invariant constant is broken and subjected under the users control.

Processed by a small computer, the helmet uses a video-signal of a camera to slow down the stream seen via a head-mounted display and simultaneously shown at a monitor on the outside. The idea to decouple the personal perception from the natural timing enables the user to get aware about his own relationship to time. Working as a 'reflection-bubble, the helmet bridges relations between sensory perception, while disrupting the environment.

The technique of the decelerator extends the awareness of time and transforms the concept of present in a constructed, artificial state. On a different level, it dramatically visualizes how slowing down under all circumstances causes a loss of actuality and as idea is inconsistent with our surroundings." Continue reading on designboom.

Images from designboom.

Nike+ Accelerator deadline is approaching

For anyone with a health & fitness idea that wants to integrate with the Nike+ platform, now's your chance. Nike has offered an accelerator program sponsored by Techstars that will mentor 10 companies to jump start  their product idea over 3 months. They will be open up their APIs for Nike+ Running and FuelBand and provide resources to set you up for success. The deadline to apply is quickly appraoching. You have until Feb 3 to submit your idea. More info on the program here.

Is it time for a Google Smartwatch?

Google is exploring the idea of making a smart watch according to a Business Insider source mentioned on Gigaom. They suggest that "Google is researching how to market such a device and BI notes certain relevant patents Google has that would support such a product. Even with the report, which I’d consider a rumor at this point, now’s the time for a Google smart watch for a number of reasons I can think of. The biggest one? Google already has a smart watch on the market." Continue reading on Gigaom. Smartwatches like this would be great as a companion device to your smartphone where the watch displays glance-able data and timely information that is important to see if you are unable to take your phone out. The watch would not be ideal for consuming a lot of content or interacting with apps that have a lot of functionality. Leave the more advance interaction and content consumption to your phone.

I'd like to see Google and Apple duke it out with a smartwatch offering. Which do you think would be the better experience? Read more about the apple rumor at Is iWatch in Apple's future?

Check out Google's smartwatch patents here. Image and more info at Gizmodo.