Wearables
Wearable tactile sensor suitable for use in robotics applications
A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering has developed a wearable liquid-based microfluidic tactile sensor that is small, thin, highly flexible and durable. Simple and cost-effective to produce, this novel device is very suitable for applications such as soft robotics, wearable consumer electronics, smart medical prosthetic devices, as well as real-time healthcare monitoring.
Artificial pancreas works for length of entire school term
An artificial pancreas given to children and adults with type 1 diabetes going about their daily lives has been proven to work for 12 weeks, meaning the technology, developed at the University of Cambridge, can now offer a whole school term of extra freedom for children with the condition.
Earfree headphones allow you to listen to music & the world around you
Wireless headphones were an up and coming trend; now ear-free headphones are available. BATBAND is a piece of sound technology allowing users to privately listen to music or chosen sound as well as being able to hear the world around them. The ear-free heaphones work via bone conduction, consisting of transducers that emit sound waves perceived by the 'private' inner ear, freeing the 'social' outer ear.
Any watch manufacturer can now launch a smartwatch
Nordic Semiconductor has announced that a Swiss-engineered turnkey Bluetooth Smart smartwatch platform has employed Nordic nRF series wireless technology to allow any watch manufacturer to launch a smartwatch extension to their range without becoming RF engineering experts, or significantly impacting battery life for normal watch functionality use.
Wearables chip saves power & improves location experience
Broadcom has announced a GNSS chip for IoT and wearable devices. The advanced chip enables devices such as fitness bands to deliver pinpoint location while consuming minimal power and in some cases can eliminate the need for a separate MCU.
Protecting wearable electronics from the human body
Wearable electronic devices are presenting new challenges to circuit protection technology, says Adam Chidley, European Product Manager, Avnet Abacus. The human body is one of the biggest enemies of circuit protection for modern portable electronic devices, because of ESD.
Sensor hub AP supports wearable tech
Toshiba Electronics Europe has announced the launch of TZ1041MBG, an application processor designed for use in wearable devices such as activity monitoring products, smart watches, bracelet and glasses-type devices. The IC is the latest addition to Toshiba’s ApP Lite TZ1000 family of solutions for the IoT. The TZ1041MBG meets increasing market demand for IoT devices able to support multiple external sensors.
TFT driven LED display laminated into textiles
The world’s first stretchable and conformable TFT driven LED display laminated into textiles has been demonstrated by researchers from Holst Centre (set up by TNO and imec), imec and CMST (imec’s associated lab at Ghent University).
EEG headset targets consumer applications
imec, Holst Centre and the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) faculty of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have announced the introduction of a wireless EEG headset that can be worn comfortably and achieves a high-quality EEG signal. The headset enables effective brain-computer interfacing and can monitor emotions and mood in daily life situations using a smartphone application.
Forget fingerprints, you can pay with your heartbeat
Since the advent of biometric authentication, a myriad of devices have been introduced in an attempt to replace traditional cash and cards, including fingerprint and iris scanners. Now there is a new method available using heartbeats. The Nymi Band is a secure, wearable authenticator that increases convenience and security through continuous, biometrically authenticated, proximity-based access control.