Thursday Special: Augmenting reality

This monday we featured the Google Glasses, where we as a footnote added, however awesome it sounds, that the idea is not really new. On this Thursday Special we take a look at reality-augmenting gadgets, some still in development, some discarded.

1. Nokia Mixed Reality

Back in 2009 Nokia released a video, demonstrating a set of glasses with inlaid screen. They were pretty similar to Google Glasses, but with a bit sleeker design and a wristband to control it by gestures.
The video in itself describes how the technology can be used for windows as well (the glass windows, not the OS).

Similar to Google Glasses, this product is not reality yet, and sadly, Nokias vision is probably never going to be. All fingers crossed for Google.

2. SixthSense 

Pranav Mistry, PhD candidate and research assistant at MIT Media Lab, developed in 2009 a Wearable Gestural Interface, known as "SitxhSense". The concept was a camera, a projector and a smartphone linked to each other to create a piece of technology, that overtook any feature that the smartphone had and projected it into the physical world.

The SixthSense is very real, but plans of putting it into retail are unclear. However, Pranav Mistry put the schematics online for any developer who wanted to take a swing at building his own. The price is around $350 in hardware costs, to produce your own prototype. www.pranavmistry.com

3. The Smartphone 

I know what you are going to say; "Smartphones are smartphones! You cant wear them as glasses?" and no, you can't, but even so, AR apps are already highly popular on the App Store and Android Market. Augmented Reality games are being played by thousands and some of the features as we see on the items listed above are mostly based on the smartphone's features.
For an augmented reality internet browser for your smartphone, check out Layar.

4. Video Screen Eyeglasses

On the market there are hundreds upon hundreds of products going under the term "screen glasses". Although they are common, none of them really apply as AR-capable. The closest thing is the Video Screen Eyeglasses in this video. They show video on conventional glasses, but that's about it. A lot have changed since 2008.






Question time:
How would you use a pair of AR glasses? Would you use it at all?

Wearable Tech: The Sonic Walk

If you get your excercise from running, chances are you easily get bored with the sound of your own hard-working body and thus prefer to run with a mp3-player, containing your favourite running playlist.
You have undoubtedly experinced wires getting in the way and earphones popping out of your ears, disrupting your concentration on what you are doing right now. And do not get me started on how earphones lowers your awareness on your surroundings! Sheesh.

If you can relate to the text above, then maybe the Sonic Walk is the right choice for you!
The Sonic Walk is part earphones, part backpack and part boombox. It's basically a soundsystem you wear over your shoulders.
What's so great about it then? First off, it's put on like a backpack. It fits ergonomically into the human body and it doesn't fall of like earphones. Secondly, the sound blends with the surrounding environment, which is definitely a better alternative to the deafining earphones.

This invention isn't new in thought, but is considered better than predecessors of its like. The Sonic Walk is ergonomic and comes in various models, built for different types of excercise and one model allows you to hear music while riding a motorbike at 60 mph. Prices start at $90.
For more info visit their website.

Wearable tech: Lunar BLU Jacket

This product isn't really going into retail, sadly, but this concept design does leave a room for imagination.
The BLU Jacket is designed by Lunar Design. It is basically a jacket with electronic paper sown into it, allowing the surfaces to shift into any image or video that you want. The designers thought that it could be used to show the wearers mood and generally be decorative.
In a commercialized world however, this could be used as a human adboard, where the wearer earns a little bonus on the side for wearing it. The possibilities are many, so maybe, just maybe, this is something we are going to see a lot more of in the coming years.

The BLU Jacket, here depicted as a means to show the subway map.

Google Glasses

Okay, I've wanted to write about this for a long time:

Rumors have been spreading for weeks, that Google is developing glasses that works as a transparent screen. The thought is that you can wear a pair of Google Glasses and be up to date with everything that you see through them.
Furthermore they allow you to stay in touch with your contacts, read your email, text your friends, share location, check in at places, take photos... the lot! I'm not really going into depth with the features, until they have actually made it, but I am providing a video that tells it all much better than I can. Oh yes, they really are working on it!
EDIT: According to PC Gamer Magazine, the Google Glass wil be in retail in late 2012. End of the world as we know it indeed.

Question time:
In your opinion, would Google Glasses be the first of the final steps for completely digitizing our world? Is the world ever gonna be the same?
Comments below.

It should however be pointed out that this idea is old. On thursday, I'll feature some of the predecessors to Google Glasses.

Ethics #1: RFID-tagged Children

First Ethics post is up!
In these special posts we will discuss morality and ethics in certain tech development. This is where we get all personal and want you to partake in a debate about the pros and cons of the posted tech.

Case:
According to the Associated Press, 20.000 pupils across 213 schools in Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil, will be given a school uniform with an RFID-location-chip. The chip sends a text message to their parents, when the child is in the vicinity of the school at the start of the day. If the child fail to get to school at an appropiate time, the parents are again texted about this.
Secretary of Vitoria da Conquista, Coriolano Moraes, explained that the initiative aims to prevent children from skipping class.  “We noticed that many parents would bring their children to school but would not see if they actually entered the building, because they always left in a hurry to get to work on time. They would always be surprised when told of the number of times their children skipped class.”
The city have so far invested US$ 670,000 to design, test and fabricate these school uniforms.

Discussion:
Education is indeed important, but if the children wants to skip class in order to do other things, should we monitor and manage the students as a consequence or should we instead try and make education more attractive to those children, who tends to skip class?


Pros:
This might actually be a good way to ensure that children attend their classes and that their parents know what they are up to during school hours. The potential to adapt this into other sectors might as well prove successful - to keep track of employees for example.

Cons:
Privacy issues. Is it a good idea to replace the normal raising of your kid, by influencing them to do the right thing, with monitoring systems? How long will it take before we are all chip-coded. Isn't it enough that we are being monitored online?

Tell us what you think of this in the comment section.

Wearable Tech: LED Eyelashes

A commenter on the facebook page asked me to elaborate on the cover photo we are currently using on the fan page's timeline, so here it goes:

The LED Eyelashes, created by Soomi Park, were designed somewhere before 2010. The LED eyelashes were introoduced as "a product that speaks to many Asian women's desire for bigger eyes".
The eyelashes are controlled by a tilt sensor, allowing you to control the lights by tilting your head.
Electronics are stored in a set of headphones.

Question time:
If technology allows these LED eyelashes to be elegantly designed, would this take flight in modern fashion, in your opinion?
Comments below.

Wearable Tech: Necomimi ears

2nd post today? Double trouble!

So, last month I came across the Necomimi ears. Cat ears on a ribbon bow, that respond to brain waves; every cos-players must-have! The idea was to have an external organ to communicate changes in mood, attention and stress levels. Since the developer was based in Japan, naturally this external organ was shaped as cat ears.

Today I found out that they actually managed to launch a retail edition, which first launched March 15 at the price of approx. $149,99, according to the developer, NeuroWear.


Question time:
In your opinion; would you prefer a world where everybody could get a read on your emotions?
(Feel free to elaborate in the comment section below.)


Here's the concept video from NeuroWear, showing the features of the Necomimi. Enjoy!

For more information about this product, visit NeuroWears webblog at http://neurowear.com/?p=28

Tech Jewelry: Transformer ring

Have you ever tried using a headset with your phone? If you have, you've known the irritation of when you accidently got something stuck in the wiring and the headphones just pop out. That's why the experienced headset user made the switch to a wireless bluetooth unit.

Bluetooth headsets are neat little things that keep the wires away, but stop me if this doesn't sound familiar:
They're ugly.
To make a long text short I recently stumbled upon this headset, which with a gentle twist transforms into a beautiful little ring or vice versa. It's old news from 2009, but I think this is what headsets should aim to be like: Versatile and simple.

Check out gizmag for more info: http://www.gizmag.com/the-orb-bluetooth-headset/12313/