WearTec

I’ve only just found the following article on the development of an artificial kidney. While the original article has been published in September 2005 at Medical News Today I decided to link to it from here, as it is something very close to my heart due to kidney disease running in the family.

They write:
“The HNF [human nephron filter] is the first application in developing a renal replacement therapy (RRT) to potentially eliminate the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation in end-stage renal disease patients. The HNF utilizes a unique membrane system created through applied nanotechnology. In the ideal RRT device, this technology would be used to mimic the function of natural kidneys, continuously operating, and based on individual patient needs.”

According to the article, the HNF could be designed either as a wearable or an implanted solution and would have double the filtration rate of traditional dialysis performed 3 times a week.

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Remember the Imation wristbands I wrote about a while ago? JTSmart is now offering similar wristbands, but the only seem to come in 256mb capacity. Also I don’t think they look quite as stylish as the Imation ones, but then you can’t argue taste…

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Ricardo Beverly Hills has created a new range of travel luggage that comes with an inbuilt scale. The scales can be activated when lifting the carry handle and an LCD display will show the weight either in pounds or in kilograms.

As a fairly regular plane traveller myself, both on national and international routes, I feel that this will be a really useful tool, rather than just a wearable, or should I say drag-able, gadget. Most airlines are fairly restrictive when it comes to overweight luggage and repacking the suitcase at the airport, or even worse, having to pay for excess baggage are some of the stresses I don’t fancy when I’m travelling. And while the old scales at home are fairly accurate it takes some acrobatics to balance the suitcase on them while still being able to read the display. When travelling and staying in hotels you often don’t have the ability to weigh your luggage at all, yet it would be necessary and provide peace of mind, especially with all the extra shopping that now has to fit into the suitcase.

I had a brief look at some of online luggage retailers and the largest suitcase seems to sell for around $200 and a small carry on bag can be bought for around $50.

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MobileMag have reviewed the Oakley Thump 2 MP3 sunglasses that feature an integrated MP3 player with a capacity of up to 1GB.

They write:
“Simple controls. The top of each arm has buttons, the right side has Power, song advance and skip back, the left side has the volume controls. These are easily accessible to you while on your head, making it a flawless piece of wearable technology. The earbuds have not one, not two, but three pivot joints, this allows for getting that sweet spot angle with the right sound and comfortable fit to your oddly shaped ears. […]
I had fun wearing the Thump 2’s, people on the street give you that “he must be some famous techno-geek” look. They are very practical for the outdoorsy types who would like to carry next to nothing around with them but maintain that aggressive sporty look.”

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Philomeen Engels(25), a student from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has developed together with Philips a luminous sleeping-bag to give people with the Crigler-Najjar-syndrome more freedom of movement.

People suffering from the rare Crigler Najjar syndrome need to be exposed to blue light for up to 12 hours a day, otherwise they might die. Philomeen Engles, a student at the Deft University of Technology in the Netherlands has developed clothing that could help Crigler Najjar sufferers gain more freedom, who were previously bound to a sunbed, while still receiving the required amount of blue light. The two pieces of clothing are equipped with LED foils, developed by the photonic textiles divions of Philips, emitting blue light, while still being comfortable enough to wear.

[via Fresh Science]

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A team of students of the Simon Fraser University in Canada is developing a handbag that can remind you of items you have forgotten to put in your bag. The bag consists of an LED display that shines through the bag’s fabric, and a radio frequency reader inside the bag. Each item that is to be put in the bag is tagged with a RFID (radio frequency sensor), that gets scanned when putting the item in the bag. If an item is missing, the LED display will light up and show a representation of the missing item.

The team is also working on several other bag prototypes, for example a solar powered bag that transforms sunlight into electricity which is then used to light up the interior of the bag at night to make it easier to find things inside.

[via Discovery Channel]

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Living in Australia, the land with the highest occurrence of skin cancer, this wearable device is somewhat close to my heart.
Gadget Candy discovered this little UV meter which is available at The Gadget Store. The UV meter measure the intensity of the UV rays and tells you which sun protection factor you should be wearing. The device can also remind you when it is time to leave the sun and find a spot in the shade.

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Gizmag is reporting on an MP3 shoe that could soon be part of fully wearable electronic body network.
The MP3 shoe, picture here with the attached USB cable to download music, is part of the Code M System, and the brainchild of LL International. The shoe is made up of two systems, the mp3 player inside the shoe and a wireless headset that allows you to listen to your music and control the MP3 player.
According to LL International the Code M System could soon feature a host of other useful applications, such as tracking your heart rate, making phone calls or having a navigation system showing you the way, all integrated into one system.

The MP3 shoe currently holds up to 100 songs. Expect to pay around $200 for this singing shoe.
I like the idea of the whole body concept and hopefully having a system that ‘can do it all’ in the future. I’m not quite so sure about having electronic parts in your shoes however, after all this is probably the one area that has to absorb the shock of impact while running during workout.

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The previously featured German company Interactive Wear is also offering the O’Neill Hub, which they claim is the first Snowboard jacket that allows its wearer to listen to mp3 music while still being contactable on the cell phone. The jacket comes with an inbuilt MP3 player, bluetooth, a microphone that’s integrated in the jacket collar and a control panel sewn into the jacket arm. Headphones can be connected to the jacket to listen to music, and when your bluetooth compatible cell phone rings, the jacket automatically pauses the music and let’s you take the call.

My only problem is that the integrated MP3 player only has a storage capacity of 128MB. Come on guys, what do I need the 8 hours of battery power for if I have to listen to the same songs over and over again?

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“The GPS/Galileo Jacket that know its location”

This is how German based company Interactive Wear introduces the Galileo Jacket. The jacket features not only an MP3 player, earphones, a microphone, but also a GPS device called GPS Auge (GPS Eye). The GPS Auge can both determine and transmit the jacket’s location. The Galileo Jacket is also equipped with an emergency button which could be used to call for help, telling the rescue team exactly your location.

The GPS antenna is located in the shoulder part of the jacket where good reception is pretty much guaranteed. Interactive Wear sees a wide range of application for the jacket, including mountain climbing, sailing, etc.

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