The Gadget Blog » Wearables

UV-Responsive Contact Lens Darken Automatically Under Sunlight

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:56:50 +0000

Believe it or not, while glasses that turn a shade darker under bright sunlight have been around for 40 years, only recently has someone developed a pair of contact lens that does the same.

Even better, through the use of some nifty nano-engineering, these photochromic (that’s the scientific term folks) lens perform even better than their traditional, frame-rimmed counterparts. According to the director of the Singaporean institute responsible for this development, the contact lens adapt faster, thanks to the use of a network of really tiny tunnels distributed evenly throughout the lens.

These tunnels contain the dye that automatically adjusts to the sunlight; the structure itself allows more of this dye to exist in the same area, granting the sensitivity and speed benefits noted above.

Will these lens be a good enough reason for me to drop my glasses and fully embrace the daily hassle of putting on and removing contact lens? It would be really cool to have your eyes turn black. Imagine the intimidation potential!

Perhaps, but only time will tell. No word yet on market availability and price, so stay tuned!

Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Experimental Underwear Finishes Month-Long Wear Test

Rico Mossesgeld — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:54:40 +0000

So your a Japanese company working on the J-Wear, underwear that’s “designed to be anti-bacterial, odor free, flame retardant, static free and water resistant”. How do you test it? Get a Japanese astronaut to try it out on the International Space Station for a month!

Courtesy Wikipedia

Koichi Wakata took a big step for mankind, probably breaking the record for consecutive days faced with the same underwear. Last we heard, Wakata is back from space, and his month-old apparel is now undergoing serious testing by (of course Japanese) scientists to determine its effective.

It’s honestly hard imagining for a pair of groin covers to remain effectively unsullied after a month of continuous use. The junction between a human’s legs is easily one of the dirtiest parts of our anatomy, thanks to constant skin-to-skin contact that accompanies the constant covering required by societal propriety. And how many here are willing to admit their relative failure to clean up their waste conveyors after use?

But there’s a reason why people should hope that the J-Wear project is successful. Aside from making longer trips into space much more practical (light packing and fewer resource use for laundry anyone?), this would probably make long travel trips much more bearable. And of course, once you conquer one of the potentially most stinky place of the human, who’s to say working J-Wear fabric wouldn’t be utilized for normal, overwear clothing?

Everlasting underwear: boon or bane? Hit the comments below.

Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The Uniform Project: Perfect for Geeks!

Rico Mossesgeld — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:04 +0000

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade’s boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India.

Courtesy The Uniform Project

The Uniform Project: proving expensive fashion unnecessary, increasing funds for geeky buys!

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Sound Wave Bracelets: Geeky Support

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:57:46 +0000

The original purpose of The Sound Advice Project is to help parents convey support to their kids in their own special way, apparently to help them avoid falling into (or further into) the drug addiction trap.

Image: The Sound Advice Project

But the project’s sound wave bracelets, generated by getting out the waveform of spoken words and turning it around its axis to create three-dimensional beads, is also really cool in a geeky way. In a digital-processing-results-in-a-physical-thing kind of way. Heck, I’d even send these as gifts to those who’ve managed to stay away from drugs. Just say no people, just say no.

Oh, and the bracelets definitely save you from the cost of having your special message engraved on your gift. It’s just too bad the site didn’t seem to work for me, leaving me unable to purchase my customized wrist decorations.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Win a Star Trek Movie Messenger Bag

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:30:10 +0000

Here’s our own special Star Trek related promo, as promised yesterday: get a chance to win the Star Trek Messenger bag pictured above!

So how can you enter?

Over the next week two weeks, just leave a comment here about the new Star Trek movie and what you think about it. Will it revive the currently moribund franchise? Or doom Gene Roddenberry’s creation for good?

Say whatever you want, just play nice, stay relevant, and please use your real email when you comment! Only US residents may participate, while comments received after 10:00 PM, March 21 (PST) will not be considered.

I will choose the best comment (based on my subjective judgment) and email its author for his or her delivery address. If for some reason I can’t declare my first pick as the winner (ineligibility, does not reply, etc.), I will move on to my next pick, and so on and so forth. Contest starts today; good luck!

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The F5 Ring

Rico Mossesgeld — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:45:19 +0000

A bit late on the uptake here, but has anyone considered getting this F5 ring for themselves or their mates? Conceivably, could this be a not-so-subtle way at breaking up? I’m not really sure, but you can bet the ring’s very nature appeals to gadget geeks everywhere.

Thanks Trend Hunter! Order this ring Etsy if you like.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The Geeky Shirt for Valentine’s

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:15:04 +0000

With Valentine’s Day a couple of days away, this is the perfect shirt for you and your mate:

Raise your hand if you think such a geeky love-oriented gadget can lead to, of course, a geekasm. Cheesy yet comprehensive concept video, plus link to the product page site (how does ThinkGeek continue to top itself?) available to those who continue.

Available from ThinkGeek.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Kickbee Sends Baby Kick Updates Via Twitter

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:00:12 +0000

Parental Twitter application: If you’re a dad like Corey Menscher, who unfortunately is “once-removed from the physical knowledge my wife has of our baby and its development” (geek speak for “I can’t get pregnant so I don’t know how it feels”), the Kickbee may satisfy your need to know what’s happening to junior in the womb—and satisfy your geeky need to get things done via technology.

Simply put, the Kickbee is a vest designed for pregnant women. Movement triggers integrated Piezo sensors positioned over a woman’s tummy. These send electronic pulses to an Arduino microcontroller that communicates with nearby software (in this case running on a MacBook Pro) via Bluetooth. Once the Java app determines that the movement represents an actual kick by the baby, it puts out an update via Twitter.

What kind of market would this gadget have? Let’s see first if Corey Menscher can turn his rough prototype into a fully-integrated wearable gadget, lacking the need to remain near a specific Bluetooth device.

(Image by Corey Menscher)

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Etretouchy Lets Geeks Finger in the Cold

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:30:43 +0000

Well, finger their gadgets at least. The Etretouchy is basically a pair of gloves with holes that leave both hands’ index fingers and thumbs exposed. It’s easy to see that this geeky sort of apparel will keep hands warm, while allowing reasonable accuracy when tapping or touching your way through a gadget’s features.

Here’s the thing: are you willing to pay £15, when you can just buy a normal pair of gloves for around £5, and cut holes in them? But then again, you’ll be amazed at how many people are lazy enough to pay an extra £10 for convenience.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Bulletproof Casual Clothing for the Rich and Famous

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Got $12,000? Enemies threatening to gun you down left and right, but you don’t want to dress up like a walking tank?

Enter this bulletproof polo shirt from Colombian Miguel Caballero, made out of bulletproof fabric. Clients include a Spanish prince and a Venezuelan president. Of course, assuming this works like your typical bulletproof wear, the hurt will still be there, even if the bullet was kept from tearing through your vulnerable body. Bulletproof pants are also available, but what about headshots? Rakishly confident male model sold seperately (dvice.com)

Post from: The Gadget Blog