From activity trackers and smart watches to responsive clothing, wearable technology has been around for several years. This article looks at a few examples to provide a better appreciation for wearable technology: a GPS tracker to keep track of your pet, a watch that may be more powerful than the first computer you ever used, virtual reality goggles, clothing that gives you more strength, and a neural stimulator that claims to modify your mood.
Nuzzle
There are millions of cats and dogs in Canada alone. Household pets go missing every day. Imagine what it feels like to lose a cherished family member.
In 2012, Diana lost her dog Zoey in New York City. Zoey pulled out of her collar and took off when she spotted a nearby dog in Central Park. Fortunately, after searching for Zoey for a week by making ads and strolling around the big city, Zoey was found by someone. Cases like this could be easily prevented if Zoey had Nuzzle.
Nuzzle has two components: a GPS collar and smart phone app. The app will inform the owner of the exact location of their pet as well as their past activity and where the pet has been within the past 24 hours. Users can create a virtual fence around their homes through the app, so that if their dog or cat is beyond the boundaries, they will get a phone alert. It doesn’t keep an animal from wandering, but it does make it much easier to locate a pet who has gone on an adventure.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is like an iPhone on your wrist. You can make and answer phone calls, respond to texts, listen to music, and even look at email and pictures. You also have access to the App Store right on the watch, though not all the iPhone apps are available on the Watch. A wide variety of apps are available, including fitness, finance, the personal assistant Siri, and a remote control for your Apple TV.
There are multiple Apple watch models and accompanying accessories. If you are an athlete, Apple Nike+ is the way to go. Apple Nike+ includes a GPS to record your route for walking or running, tracks your exercise goals, is easy to read on a sunny day, waterproof in pools, and has pores to help with ventilation when you are sweaty.
The Apple Watch Edition, part of Series 2, is a flashy and stylish accessory. This watch is really nice: it has a slick architecture, is light in weight, and has a tough ceramic surface which should prevent it from scratching easily.
There are a variety of watchstraps offered in unique colours and materials, and there is even an option of using wireless headphones. That’s right: you can get headphones for a watch.
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Oculus Rift
Oculus Rift is a piece of headwear that provides users with a virtual reality experience. One way to describe Oculus Rift is that it is like being in a dream. You feel immersed in the setting when you wear the headset. For instance, the headset can provide the visual and auditory experience of sitting on a roller coaster and you can look all around your seat as the ride progresses. Unlike a dream, you can control how long you use Oculus Rift, where you go, and what you do.
Why would anyone use Oculus Rift? In video games, it makes you feel immersed in the environment, as though you are playing the role of the character in the game. It is a revolutionary step up from first-person games where you watch the action on a screen. Oculus Rift can be used when playing PC games and the Xbox One. The PlayStation VR provides the same functionality for the PS4 console.
Is a virtual reality headset useful beyond gaming? Oculus Rift can be used to view models designed by architects, to visit tourist attractions without actually travelling, to conduct therapy in a virtual reality setting and to create 3D art. The link below is a website to check out some of these ideas.
Superflex Clothing
The purpose of Superflex clothing is to provide seniors with low strength extra support for daily activities such as walking, standing up, and lifting things. The way it works is by incorporating special pieces of hardware within the clothing. This hardware is an “electrical muscle” that performs as a light duty exoskeleton and copies the contractions that muscles in the human body perform. These electrical muscles are located on key parts of the clothing where daily activities require significant weight-bearing muscle contractions, such as the torso, arms, and legs.
The company Superflex is working with fuseproject, which is a tech design agency that helps make the clothing fashionable. The goals of their contributions have been making this innovative clothing comfortable and stylish, while delivering results. Superflex clothing is not commercially available yet. It is expected to be released in mid-2018.
Thync
Thync is a product that claims to alter your mood. The science behind how the product works is controversial but does seem to work.
There are three parts of Thync:
- Module– a small triangular device that you put on your forehead.
- Respective energy and calmness strips- attach the mood you prefer to the module. These strips attach to the back of your neck.
- Thync app- The app is available for smart phones and allows you to choose the program you want.
How does Thync work? Low magnitude electrical pulses are applied to nerves in the head and the neck. The electrical activity acts as a massage, in the sense that it stimulates nerves and causes your brain to change how you feel.
One controversy is the question of whether it is safe to apply electrical pulses to your body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Thync. More than forty years of research in the applications and effects of low-level neurosignals were used to support the development of Thync.
Is there a possibility of a placebo effect with regards to Thync? This is the idea that people mistakenly believe something worked for them. The company Thync claims their product will positively transform your emotions. From this, is possible the product Thync works for some people because they are expecting it to? Placebo effects can also be negative, it all depends on the perception behind what is being used.
References
[1] Marietti, Lexi. “4 Amazing Stories Of Lost Dogs Being Found That’ll Give You Major Feels”. BarkPost. Web. 14 February 2017. <http://stories.barkpost.com/lost-dogs-found/>.
[2] “Nuzzle Products.” Nuzzle – Your GPS Pet Tracker. Web. 20 January 2017.< http://hellonuzzle.com/nuzzle-products/>.
[3] Kleiman, Dena. “A Dog Is Lost; Hope Is Found”. The New York Times. Web. 14 February, 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/nyregion/odds-slim-for-finding-dog-lost-in-manhattan.html>.
[4] “Apple Watch Nike”. Apple (CA). Web. 14 February, 2017. <http://www.apple.com/ca/apple-watch-nike/>.
[5] “Apple Watch Edition”. Apple (CA). Web. 14 February, 2017. <http://www.apple.com/ca/apple-watch-edition/>.
[6] “Watch.” Apple (CA). Web. 21 January 2017. <http://www.apple.com/ca/watch/>.
[7] “Oculus Rift.” Oculus. Web. 20 January 2017. <https://www3.oculus.com/en-us/rift/>.
[8] Furness, Dyllan. “Superflex’s Powered Clothing Is Designed To Give The Elderly Their Strength Back.” Digital Trends. Web. 20 January 2017. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/superflex-powered-clothing/>.
[9] Thync. “Thync.” Thync. Web. 23 January 2017. <http://www.thync.com/>.
[10] [Wearable Technology]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UipJ5CbFFf0/maxresdefault.jpg
