wearable computers

18 Stories

Coming Soon: Amazon's First Wearable

Smart glasses equipped with Alexa could be out this year: FT

(Newser) - Amazon has set to work on its first wearable device. With help from Google Glass founder Babak Parviz, whom Amazon hired in 2014, the company is developing smart glasses equipped with the Alexa voice assistant, reports the Financial Times . The glasses will reportedly look pretty normal, without a visible screen...

Google Resurrects One of Its Worst Product Flops
Google Resurrects One 
of Its Worst Product Flops
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 19, 2017 9:17 AM CDT

Google Resurrects One of Its Worst Product Flops

Glass Enterprise Edition claims to boost productivity in factories

(Newser) - Astro Teller, who runs Google's X division, admits the company "got more than a little off track" with Google Glass. One of the most-hyped products of 2013 fell flat , becoming a footnote in the history of wearable tech, reports Wired . But don't count it out yet. After...

Why People Spent $450K on a Ring That Doesn't Seem to Exist
Why People Spent $450K on a
Ring That Doesn't Seem to Exist
in case you missed it
Dec 10, 2016 12:09 PM CST

Why People Spent $450K on a Ring That Doesn't Seem to Exist

Indiegogo campaign is shut down, with no BioRing in sight

(Newser) - A ring that seemed too good to be true is apparently too good to exist at all. So reports Vocativ in an exposé about a product that may have never been in the works—and the marketing teams and fundraisers who were seemingly duped by a shiny gadget. The object...

Your Milk May Soon Come From Cows That Can Text

Sensor can track basic health metrics, predict pregnancy with 95% accuracy

(Newser) - Cows across 350 farms in nearly two dozen countries around the world are now embedded with hot-dog-sized wireless sensors in their stomachs. It may sound a bit Orwellian to some, but the idea is to help larger farms better manage their herds—by catching major health changes early and then...

Temporary Tattoo Tells You When You're Drunk

It has an electronic sensor

(Newser) - These days there are plenty of options for those who want to test their (or a friend's) blood alcohol content before getting behind the wheel, but a finger prick is the best bet if what you're after is accuracy. Now researchers at the University of California San Diego...

Will Women Actually Insert This Smart Device Up There?

A Bluetooth-connected tampon is due to hit the market in 2017

(Newser) - It seems there are connected, wearable devices for anything these days, even of the very up close and personal variety—think vibrators and Kegel exercisers. Now a startup called my.Flow is hoping to help women avoid the embarrassment and cost of over-saturated tampons by introducing a smart one whose...

Now You Can Test Your Sweat as You Run

Sweat monitor could alert users to early signs of dehydration, stress, and more

(Newser) - That Fitbit on your wrist is about to look "awfully basic," reports the Los Angeles Times , with the introduction of a sweat monitor that the lead author of a new study likens to having "a pathology lab right on the body." Electrical engineers at UC Berkeley...

Google Halts Glass Sales for 'Transition'

New, improved version will be out this year, company says

(Newser) - Google is calling time on the first phase of its Glass experiment, but it promises that it will be back with an improved version of the smart eyewear. The company says sales of the $1,500 Google Glass through its Explorer program will end on Monday for a "transition"...

New Fitness Wristband Gives Slackers Shocks

Pavlok is designed to jolt people into better habits

(Newser) - If what you need to meet fitness targets is a device attached to your body that will jolt you with electric shocks, then a new company called Pavlok has just the thing for you. Founder Maneesh Sethi says the fitness-tracking wristband he devised can keep track of things like gym...

Android Wear: More Wearable Wearable Tech?

New OS set to open up smartwatch market

(Newser) - Wearable technology looks set to take a big leap forward with Google's new Android Wear system, a version of its mobile operating system designed specifically for wearable devices. Analysts say the move opens the door for a lot of wearable devices like smartwatches that, unlike Google Glass, the general...

Google Unveils 'Smart Contact Lens' for Diabetics
 Google Making Contact Lenses 
Jan 17, 2014 4:21 AM CST

Google Making Contact Lenses

Tiny chip, sensor can monitor diabetics' glucose level in tears

(Newser) - After an acquisition that brings it deep into people's homes , Google is getting up close and personal with people's bodies. The latest project from the firm's secretive Google X facility is a "smart" contact lens that monitors the glucose levels of diabetics with a tiny wireless...

Uh Oh, Wearable Tech: Pirates Are Ignoring You

Counterfeiter apathy a 'warning signal' for industry

(Newser) - Is wearable technology like Google Glass and Samsung's Galaxy Gear smart watch destined to be a short-lived fad? China's famously adept counterfeiters appear to think so, in what one expert tells CNN should be a "serious warning signal" for the tech industry. CNN reporters visited almost two...

Sony's 'Wearable Tech' Idea: a Wig

Complete with GPS, camera, and sensors to detect blood pressure

(Newser) - Watch out Google Glass , Sony is delving into wearable technology—and fashion, apparently—with a patent for a wig that can check your blood pressure, detect objects around you, and even help blind people navigate roads, the BBC reports. Sony thinks its SmartWig, worn "in addition to natural hair,...

Cook: New Apple Game-Changers Are on Deck

He hints at a move into wearable electronics

(Newser) - Apple hasn't been having such a great year but CEO Tim Cook says the company will continue to come up with new innovations—in the field of consumer electronics, not tax-dodging . Speaking at the All Things Digital conference, Cook says Apple will release "several more game-changers" and signaled...

'Wearable' Gadgets Respond to Body Movements

Japanese wireless carrier tests new technologies

(Newser) - Someday, you may be able to tap your fingers to control your DVD player or roll your eyes to pump up your music player’s volume—if technology under development by Japan's top mobile carrier comes to fruition, the AP reports. A cell phone shaped like a large ring that...

Patch Would Track Health
Patch Would Track Health
Apr 17, 2008 12:25 PM CDT

Patch Would Track Health

Product collects sweat samples to monitor wearer for overexertion, stress

(Newser) - Researchers are developing a patch to monitor the wearer’s health by collecting sweat. Embedded in a band or shirt, it analyzes the sweat’s electrolyte content to determine if the person is overexerting or stressed. Other health-monitoring clothing usually detects body temperature and heart rate—testing biochemical signals is...

High-Tech Sleeve Helps Athletes Shoot for Perfection

Garment monitors players' movements

(Newser) - Researchers have developed a sensor-equipped sleeve to help basketball players perfect their shots. It monitors athlete’s movements in real time and plays a certain tune to give them instant feedback on their performance. Over time, players recognize the tunes that equal a successful shot. The technology could be adapted...

New Electronics Can Stretch, Fold

Bendable circuits perform as well as rigid circuitry

(Newser) - New research showing that it’s possible to make stretchable, bendable complex electrical circuits could open the door to wearable computers and to health-monitoring systems that can be implanted, Technology Review reports. Previous bendable circuitry was too slow for complex computing, but the new circuits, of ultra-thin silicon on plastic...

18 Stories