Webelow Wear

Hitachi celebrated its 100^th birthday this week and held a mini exhibition in Tokyo to demonstrate a few of their up-and-coming accomplishments. Most notably is the next generation of pedometers: The Life Microscope.  Yes! Another wearable tool to demonstrate how incredibly lazy you are.

This is not your office-mom’s pedometer; using accelerometers, this watch-like wearable monitors a myriad of activities and can distinguish amongst them. From sitting at a desk, to playing video games, the data collected through the Life Microscope is easily sent to a software system that can be used to analyze daily actions. Sounds like a cut-and-dry success, but because the device is worn around one’s wrist, one could trick the device into thinking the whole body is moving. This is not for tricky lazy people, but can help health nuts and doctor’s maintain accurate records on daily activities.

While there are a few working prototypes, there is no info on when it will be available for purchase and how big the price tag may be. Competing with Phillips’ DirectLife and Fitbit, The Life Microscope will probably run you about $100.

Via [AkihabaraNews]

More pictures after the jump.

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Really?

Really??

Even the model looks like he’s thinking “Wow, this is ridiculously lame”.

Ok. A shirt that can carry your I-Pad is just wack man. I guess its cool that the screen is transparent so you can show off images, easily connect your headphones all the while being hands free, buuuuuut it reminds us of this wackable innovation and we’re just getting over the lameness.

Granted, Stye Shirt did propose some venues where one could sport this douche-attire and not look so…douchey. FYI if your activity is not on this list and you’re wearing this shirt shame on you.  SHAME!

• Play movies or interactive games to entertain your kids while keeping your hands free
• Show off your photos with a group of friends
• Broadcast a football game while enjoying a tailgate party
• Promote your artwork, music, and other multimedia anywhere
• Advertise your business by playing promotional content while speaking to customers
• Tech-savvy educators can grab students’ attention by creating interactive lessons
• Trade show vendors can run product demos while working in the booth
• Businesses can hire people to be mobile info booths to display interactive info and maps

Via [Tuvi]

Take your studio with you.

This is pretty cool.

The Square Band is a portable square wave synthesizer and is worn like a watch. The band includes eight tone buttons of varying octaves and a light sensor to change the pitch. Using a flexible solar panel, the band is recharged while worn and is powered for that a-ha moment of creativity.  It costs $35 with battery ($30 without) and there are only 4 in stock! But don’t fret – for you DIY’ers out there the creators are taking names for a potential DIY Kit.

Click here to hear a sample of the sounds. The first sample is a run through of each button and its corresponding tone in a controlled environment. The second sample is the tone of each button being pitch shifted via the on-board light sensor.

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ThinkGeek has done it again. Another wearable revolution – sort of.  The BeerBot Bottle Opening Shirt is exactly what it sounds like: a screen printed shirt with a bottle cap opener and it can be yours for $20.

Useful, creative and Bender-influenced. Our vote: great gift for the newly 21.

Via [Geekologie]

Beat On the Block Drum Gloves Complete Set

Website Interface

Arnoud den Besten, Kristo De Pooter, Sam Vesters and Thomas Leterme are students of the Artesis University College of Antwerp who have recently added to the long line of wearable gloves with their latest concept, the The Beat on the Block Drum Gloves. The prototype, made of micro-switches connected to a computer, a backpack with speakers and controls to change the instruments, was created with the intent of bringing together the immigrants and native teens of Belgium. The Gloves, according to Besten the gloves make it possible “…for the youth worker to make contact with immigrant youth who are on the street”.

That is, it is a way for two circles of life – which may normally never cross – to meet, share and grow together by creating music, uploading to the Drum Glove website and building on what others have contributed.  A sort of social networking music making site. While it is still under development the goal of the designers is get people creating and working together.

Check out the designers video of real drummers trying out the Drum Gloves.

Drum gloves from Arnoud on Vimeo.

Add the Arduino powered laces and Kayne, Weezy and Ricseasons  come to mind as  a few people we can see sporting these.

Check out these creative creations by Creative Recreation.

Via [Fashioning Technology]

MUST…HAVE…THESE…

Fiber Optic Heels??!!!  Jimmy Choo, please sit down.

Via [Ecouterre]

Yeah – it’s a little hard to see, but trust us wearables are so in!

Check out the video for the MJ Tribute at the 2010 BET Music Awards.  It was pretty awesome but got AWESOMER when the MJ dancers came out  in what looks  like either LED Lights or EL Rope accented outfits.  Their moves were punctuated by coordinated moving lights jumping from pant leg, to hat to tie.

It was – you guessed it-awesome.

WW’s vote: AWESOME!

Yeah, it’s gone. Sorry guys.

We are a society of dieters and gadget addicts. Want to combine the two obsessions?! Well, BodyMedia, Inc.  has the products for you. Established in 1999, BodyMedia produces wearable body monitoring systems to help users lose weight. The products not only monitors useful data such as Total Calories Burned, Total Steps Taken, Total Time Spent In Physical Activity  and Sleep Duration, but it also stores and manipulates the data on and online monitoring website.

The  duo will run about $300.

Our vote: smart, useful, a little pricy.

After the jump check out Chris Kasabach, co-founder and director of BodyMedia, at the The 2008 University of Southern California Body Computing Conference.

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This is wearable hotness.

Maker Faire  participant Matthew Garten has created two Arduino Watches using Sparkfun materials. The Steampunk theme is probably the  favorite, but the Biopunk theme watch covered in stingray skin (??!) is pretty awesome too.

The watches use trackball control,  draw pictures, play games and connects to a glove with a myriad of sensors to collect a variety of data.

Instructions can be found on Instructables and more information on Optimized Force.

We tip our hat to you Mr. Garten

Via [Sparkfun]