Wearable Electronics
Solar Powered Jacket from SCOTTeVEST
One of the most remarkable debuts at the 2004 CES was the a solar power jacket prototype designed to allow wearers to carry, connect and charge their portable digital devices. Developed jointly by ICP Solar Technologies and Technology Enabled Clothing company SCOTTeVEST, the solar jacket will go on sale in February 2004 in several models with prices varying from US$200 and US$400. (read more...)
Retro-fit heads-up display system for motorcycle and bicycle helmets
Fighter pilots have had it for years but Formula One drivers have only just begun experimenting with heads-up displays, so it was unexpected to find Motion Research Corporation showing their forthcoming consumer heads-up display for motorcycle and bicycle helmets at last Friday's 23rd Annual Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Seattle. (read more...)
Frog Design and Motorola unveil a new family of wearable devices
Sports sunglasses that incorporate a heads-up display, wrist-worn PDAs with voice control and intelligent pens that store a digital copy of your handwriting - these devices will form part of an integrated family of wearable devices under development by Motorola and frog design (read more...)
Our Clothes are Getting Smarter
Clothes have done much more than serve as protection from the weather for tens of thousands of years. Over the last few millennia they've been worn as statements of rank and fashion, adapted for countless specialised uses from military combat to surfing and bee-keeping, cut and tailored in every conceivable shape, colour, size and fabric, and become signposts for entire cultures. Along the way clothing manufacture has embraced and developed many new innovations, and it seems a natural progression for micro-electronics and other emerging 21st century technologies to find their way into our wardrobes next to the zip-off tracksuit pants and the Moon-boots. The result: clothes are getting smarter.Smart clothing will both enhance its primary role as body covering and extend its functionality to keep us connected, entertained, relaxed, safe and healthy. Fabrics and designs with built in temperature control mechanisms will merge with invisible add-ons like mobile phones and MP3 players, sophisticated medical monitoring systems integrated into shirts will save lives and clothes may even provide us with our daily vitamin supplement. (read more...)
Olympus Eye-Trek finding myriad real-world applications
More than just a cinema-on-your-face, the expanding range of Olympus Eye-Trek head-mounted displays are finding a myriad of surprising 'real world' applications. Developed primarily for use with DVD and gaming consoles, the Eye-Trek - which includes the FMD-200, FMD-250W and the Sony Playstation2 compatible FMD-20P - has found its way into dentists chairs and F1 simulators as well as being used for virtual reality VR training and simulation, entertainment and educational purposes. (read more...)
