Headset

Back in 2009, the Kopin Corporation’s Golden-i headset promised a hands-free, natural-speech-recognition interface for wireless remote control over a range of devices including mobile phones, PCs, company networks and wireless systems, but it was also little more than a concept. Four years on, the company is marketing the wearable, hands free computer interfacing devices for heavy and light industries, professionals and first responders. The Golden-i headsets allow the user to send and receive audiovisual information from multiple platforms by means of both voice and motion control while leaving the hands free to get on with the job.  Read More

I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to testing another Bluetooth helmet system. In the past they've proven clunky, unintuitive and annoying. But the Sena SMH10, which clips on to most helmets in a minute or two, has changed my view on these devices. The SMH10 is simple to use, relatively cheap and it adds a whole new dimension to the otherwise antisocial sport of motorcycling.  Read More

Motorola Solutions has released its own head-mounted wearable computer based on Kopin Corporation’s Golden-i headset. Aimed at industrial and military users who need to keep their hands free on the job while viewing documents and schematics or getting help from far afield specialists, the Motorola HC1 Headset Computer places an 800 x 600 (SVGA) full color TFT micro-display at a viewing distance that provides a virtual image size of 15 inches. In keeping with the hands-free theme, the headset can be controlled via voice recognition and gesture controls.  Read More

At this year’s Tokyo Games Show, Japanese purveyor of electronically-augmented fashion Neurowear unveiled the successor to its Necomimi brain-activated cat ears. It's called Shippo, and it's a brain-controlled motorized tail that responds to the user's current emotional state with corresponding wagging.  Read More

Along with its 84-inch 4K TV, Sony also chose IFA 2012 to unveil the latest version of its head-mounted Personal 3D Viewer. The successor to the HMZ-T1 we tried out at IFA last year, Sony claims the updated HMZ-T2 model boasts a sharper display, improved sound and is some 20 percent lighter, making it easier on the ol’ neck muscles.  Read More

NeuroSky’s brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has found its way into a variety of devices over the last few years, from the MyndPlay media player and MindSet video game headset to the XWave and XWave Sport. The latest product sporting the company’s brainwave-reading technology features a slightly more fun form factor – fluffy, wearable cat ears.  Read More

Tech startup Neurovigil announced last April that Stephen Hawking was testing the potential of its iBrain device to allow the astrophysicist to communicate through brainwaves alone. Next week Professor Hawking and iBrain inventor, Dr Philip Low from Stanford University, present their findings at the Francis Crick Memorial Conference in Cambridge, England. In anticipation, Gizmag spoke to Dr Low about the potential applications of the iBrain.  Read More

Canon has announced a new augmented reality tool geared toward speeding up the product design process and easing the transition between the conception and execution of a product idea by allowing virtual prototypes to replace physical ones. The Mixed Reality (MR) System will make use of full-scale, three-dimensional computer generated (CG) images that change in real time based on the movements of the user.  Read More

NASA has developed a pair of augmented reality glasses designed especially for commercial airline pilots to see during the worst visual conditions. The glasses include a heads-up display showing a virtual overlay of the runway and airport, head tracking technology, and voice controls - features that may help pilots keep their eyes where they're most needed.  Read More