WEAR YOUR TECH
From
socks that tell you they need to be washed to jeans that have a keyboard,
wearable tech seems like magic
Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic’. Arthur C Clarke wrote that in his essay,
Hazards of Prophecy and even though he wrote it in 1962, he got it bang on.
Every few years, along comes a technology that truly transforms lives, makes
our jaws drop at the potential and makes us yearn to strap it on and start our
magical journey. Wearable tech is the latest technology magic that has taken
the world by storm. Unfortunately every ‘Next Big Thing’ also spawns some ‘Next
Big Horrible Idea’ devices too. Here’s my list of top wearable tech products
that are emerging. How many of these are incredible innovations and how many
should be thrown in the super clunker basket?
TOP WEARABLE TECH PRODUCTS
Solar Coterie – Solar Powered
Bikini: Yes, you read that right. It’s a bikini retrofitted with photovoltaic
waterproof solar film strips sewn together in series with conductive thread.
The cells terminate in a 5-volt regulator and you can charge your phone or
portable music player through an attached USB connection. There’s also a male
swimsuit version coming that apparently has more ‘surface’ area. Go figure!
Amiigo – Fitness Bracelet: Most
activity trackers give you an estimate of your physical activity all day by
tracking movement. Unfortunately that’s not very accurate as they can’t track
the energy burnt during lifting weights or a spin cycling session. That’s where
the Amiigo comes in. It can track the exercise type, reps, sets, duration,
speed and intensity while built-in sensors can monitor real-time heart rate,
blood oxygen levels, skin temperature, sweat, overall activity level and
calories burned.
Misfit Shine: This is the next
generation of clip-on physical trackers. This is a tiny, waterproof, all-metal
activity tracker that you can sync with your smartphone just by placing it on
your phone screen. It has built-in sensors that can track cycling, swimming,
running and walking, plus it keeps you on track all day with an array of light,
that shines through microholes laser-drilled into the metal shell and alerts
you about your activity progress.
Beauty and the Geek
Jeans: Is that a keyboard on your
pants or are you just happy to see me! These jeans go where no jeans have gone
before. They have a keyboard, a speaker and mouse built right in and can
connect to your computer through Bluetooth. My only real issue is actually
typing on that keyboard as that’s the kind of ‘space’ I don’t want to drum my
fingers on all day!
Orange Power Wellies: Our bodies
generate an infinite amount of energy, and there’s nobody tapping it. Well, now
your shoes can. These Wellies have a power-generating sole that converts heat
from your feet into an electrical current. As you move about all day, the
‘welectricity’ you generate gets stored and all you have to do is plug in your
phone into the power output at the top of the boot and it’s good to go. Walking
around all day can give you about an hour or two of a boost – and if you want
more, then it’s recommended that you get onto the dance floor. But don’t blame
me if you look like a total prat dancing in those oversized boots!
BLACKSOCKS – the world’s smartest
socks: Mankind is made for greater things than sorting socks; that’s the claim
of this manufacturer and I’d tend to agree. Each pair of socks comes with a
RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip built-in that talks to an app on
your phone. This tells you which socks belong together, how often you’ve washed
your socks, how old they are now, if they’ve lost colour and aren’t jet black
anymore and even helps you order new ones and alerts you when they’ve been
dispatched. Overkill, anyone?
There are many others, like the
Pebble watch, the Basis Band or the LUMOback – but those I’ve already covered
earlier. Yes, some are horrible ideas and some are radically mouth-watering.
But then that’s how all magic is, isn’t it? Some leave you spellbound at the
sheer wizardry of it all and some leave you disappointed by the silliness of it
all. Which of the above is magical and which is super clunky? Time for you to
pronounce a verdict by joining me on Twitter.
RM HTBR130428
No comments:
Post a Comment