Categories
Wearables

Here earbuds let you tune how you hear the world

In the beginning there was the volume control, and it was good — so good in fact that it launched an infinite number of ways to tune and distort audio. But there was always a catch. The audio had to be playing through some kind of device, whether it be a transistor radio, CD player or iPhone.

But now, for the first time, people will be able to apply some of the same adjustments they’ve made to recorded audio to real-life audio via Here Active Listening earbuds. Somewhat of an equalizer for the real world, the Heres use a digital signal processor to allow you to not only tune people out, but change their bass and treble settings as well as a host of other options. The app comes equipped with a number of settings to take into account prolonged aural unpleasantness such as a baby crying or a being in a plane.

Categories
Wearables

Run right into improved performance with the RunRite running system

Most wearable running devices focus on different variables like heart rate and stride, but with the activity being such a personal activity unique to each body, simply keeping track of disparate variables isn’t enough. Each body has its own potential and limitations so a system needs to not only obtain the necessary data but also analyze it, too.

This is exactly what the RunRite system does. Comprised of two sensors worn around the legs, RunRite takes in common data like heart rate along with more refined data like power output and pace. The system then compiles this data and assigns a running efficiency score, advising runners how best to increase that score during a run and analyzing the data to recommend exercises to improve performance between runs. RunRite works on iOS, Android, and some Windows devices, and goes for $199, with an expected ship date of September 2015.. Its campaign is looking for $60,000 by June 4th, 2015.

Other products like the Stridalyzer and runScribe also serve up valuable information on running performance, but the RunRite has them beat on both the quantity and quality of that information, in addition to the exercise recommendations it provides. Most running systems are best used during the run, while RunRite stays helpful all the time.

Categories
Pets Wearables

Smart Connected Collar keeps Fido in line, trains and teaches pooches

Dogs are arguably the greatest pet a person can have. They’re loyal, fun, and offer invaluable companionship. They are, however, fairly high maintenance because of their size, bathroom needs, and required walks.

patent-claimedThe Connected Collar promises to lend a hand in training and keeping a dog as a pet. This Bluetooth-enabled device is powered by an accompanying app. It offers health monitoring, training tools such as simulated leash tugging and whistle blows, GPS locating, LED lights, and more. This collar promises to help with controlling barking and running away as well. Connected Collar also teaches dogs simple commands like “sit” and “stay”. Take that, Apple Watch.

This collar makes any pet owner seem a little lazy. However, its functions are dynamic and valuable. One will cost dog owners $120 for a black collar with delivery in August 2015. This smart collar is looking for a goal of $25,000 on Indiegogo.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands Wearables

Swimmo smartwatch tracks pool performance, encourages strokes of genius

Perhaps the advent of the Apple Watch isn’t the be-all and end-all of smartwatches after all. At least until its app library fills out, there’s still room for specialized wristwear to make a splash.

patent-claimedEnter Swimmo, a smartwatch focused solely on the swimmer looking to increase strength and improve form. The OLED-equipped wearable is designed to be fully waterproof so as to work perfectly while tracking the length and intensity of each session. To do so, it captures everything from speed, distance, lap times, and heart rate, vibrating to alert users when to speed up or slow down in order to maintain a beneficial level of intensity to achieve set goals — all without having to interrupt the swim to take a look. The multilingual device uses  a patent-pending Rotate&Tap maneuver to keep things as streamlined as its users wish to be.

Categories
Wearables

Reserve Strap charges Apple Watch while you wear it

The Apple Watch isn’t even out yet, but many people are already viewing the device’s 18 hour battery life as a point of concern.

Coming to the rescue is the Reserve Strap, a charging band for Apple’s new smartwatch that charges the device while its user is wearing it. Photos at the strap’s website, where pre-orders are being taken, show a design that features a silicon band with embedded lithium polymer cells and an inductive charging cradle located between the user’s wrist and the Apple Watch itself. The strap is similar in concept to the smartstraps recently announced by Pebble for its new line of smartwatches, including the Pebble Time.

Through prototyping, the Reserve Strap’s maker has refined the product’s design and has come up with a few other ways to charge the watch that remain undisclosed for the time being. Interested buyers should note that there is no ship date yet for the band. Nor is there a final price, for that matter, but the site lays out an estimated selling price of $249.99.

The Reserve Strap, featured in a Backerjack podcast, seems to solve an issue many Apple Watch users will likely face. As a result, this product has all the makings of a slam dunk — so long as the Apple Watch catches on, that is.

Categories
Fitness Wearables

GoMore Stamina Sensor will help you run in record time

Making the right decisions while running — when to slow down, when to speed up — is absolutely crucial to getting an efficient workout in. Such subtle decisions can be the difference between prematurely finishing a run or exceeding a previous record. Even seasoned runners have a difficult time making such decisions.

patent-claimedA solution to this problem comes in the way of the GoMore Stamina Sensor. The GoMore is wearable that wraps around the chest, acting like a fuel gauge for the body so that runners can visualize their stamina as a number. Using electrodes positioned on the wearable, the sensor helps runners make speed det%rminations via real-time vibrations. Additionally, the sensor helps runners understand their theoretical limits after a completed run. Naturally, the product can also log and save running history through a companion iOS or Android app. The GoMore’s patented algorithm finds the relationship between heart rate, lactate build up, and energy burn to make all of this happen, giving runners the right kind of information they need to go even further. $120 gets backers a GoMore Stamina Sensor with an expected ship date of May 2015. The campaign is looking to raise $100,000 by April 11.

The closest product to something like the GoMore is the Zoi, which urges runners on with very specific feedback about variables like pronation and ground contact time. The GoMore’s heavy focus on stamina makes it unique in the wearables segment, something that is increasingly more difficult with every new wearable on the market. Runners of every skill level will surely be interested.

Categories
Fitness Wearables

Oli exercise wearable makes sure you can lift, bro

The path to achieving sizable gains through strength training is littered with seemingly insurmountable dead-ends. Accurate information about one’s technique is vital to overcoming these obstacles. Without such information, or an experienced trainer present, the lack of feedback can cause one to fruitlessly spend hours at the gym every week.

The information available to professional athletes is now available anyone who straps the Oli wearable exercise tracker around their arm. The Oli tracker combines a variety of sensors that can ably keep track of completed reps and sets. What’s more, these sensors can monitor the movement of workout bars as to analyze force, velocity, and power metrics. All told, the product provides users with the type of important accurate feedback needed to see discernible gains at the gym. A companion iOS/Android app is capable of syncing workout video of user lifting motions with other data obtained through the Oli for a comprehensive workout picture. An Oli armband will cost $199 and is expected to ship in January 2016. It’s makers are hoping to raise $50,000 by April 26.

The Oli is definitelynot your father’s fitness tracker. While it may eliminate the need for expensive gym memberships for some, its doubtful an armband will completely replace a an actual fitness trainer for some of the more potentially dangerous lifts. For some people, false confidence can lead to serious injuries. This one is aimed squarely at the Crossfit crowd.

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

Narbis trains your brains

Neurofeedback technology is being used in a growing number of consumer devices to help train the brain.

patent-claimedNarbis — itself an anagram of the word “brains” –- is a headset using patent-pending technology to help train users to better focus their brains. Attached to a set of glasses is a sensing device that touches the wearer’s head. When the user gets distracted the glasses darken and when the user focuses clearly the glasses clear up. The headset’s sensors measure brain matters and send the signals to the device’s electrochromic lenses. Narbis works with an accompanying app for mobile devices and costs $395 and will ship in December with a Bluetooth armband, a protective carrying case and software that includes five program goals: focus, performance, sleep, calm, and mood. Its maker is hoping to raise $150,000 by April 27.

The Kickstarter success of the similarly advertised Melon headband indicates that there is indeed a market for these types of products. The electrochromic lenses in particular are a nice touch offered by Narbis offers. Still, it’s hard to believe that such a device will get much long-term use after a few days or months. More likely than not, the product seems more like a novelty than a device most people really need.

Categories
Wearables

RE-vibe wearable minds your focus so you can mind your work

In a world filled with a million and one distractions, maintaining focus on tasks at hand can be pretty difficult at times. For children in the classroom, nearby classmates, along with the temptation to start daydreaming, often make it difficult to focus and complete work assignments. For adults, smart devices, computers, friends, family, and responsibilities all contribute to a lack of focus and lack of production. Compounding the problem is that adults don’t always have someone hovering over them to make sure that the work that needs to be done is being attended to.

patent-claimedThe RE-vibe wearable is an extremely simple wristband designed to do one thing and one thing only: be that helpful tap on the shoulder when needed. The product employs a proprietary algorithm which monitors when a user is most likely to be distracted. When a potential distraction is detected, the device’s embedded vibration motor begins to shake, thereby alerting the user that it’s time to get back to work. Key to the RE-vibe’s utility is that its algorithm was written as to prevent the user from becoming used to the vibrations, thereby making the wearable an effective tool in the long run. The device which has no screens or buttons on the outside, has a recessed button hidden underneath the strap which can be toggled to one of four modes, all designed to address various levels of distractedness. Re-vibe is available for $89 with an estimated ship date of September 2015. The campaign is looking for $25,000 for mass production.

Previous products dedicated to keeping people focused have targeted specific subsets of users, such as writers or drivers. RE-vibe is one of the first focus-oriented products casting a much wider net, housing appeal for teachers trying to corral thirty children, individuals with a lot on their plate, and even professionals looking to address the effects of ADHD and autism.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wearables

With the Tritium altimeter, all you’re missing is Tony Stark’s suit

Altimeters are crucial to successfully executing a skydive, second, of course, only to the parachute itself. For the most part, altimeters are gauges with nothing but numbers on them, something that could be a tad difficult for newcomers to make out while falling through the sky at 200mph.

Although safety supersedes looks, the Tritium altimeter is designed to be representative of both. The Tritium is a stunner, taking the looks of Tony Stark’s arc reactor and applying it to an altimeter. Instead of numbers, the product is outfitted with 16 super bright LEDs, each representing 1000ft. Depending on the altitude, the LEDs change color from green (>6000ft) to amber (4000-6000ft) to red (<4000ft), indicating when exactly to enjoy the dive, start tracking the landing point, and when to ultimately pull the parachute. Tritium works in altitudes up to 16,000ft, and lasts 10 hours on a single USB-enabled charge.

Although the company is looking to make an easier to read altimeter, no numbers on the device may present some problems to skydiving newbies. The company behind the £110 (~$164) Tritium, AO2, is looking to ship the product in July 2015 provided its £66,000(~$98,100) campaign is met by April 25.