Tag: sensor

Categories
Nutrition/Hydration Sensors/IoT

The One X biosensor lets you pick up on your body’s vibes

Everyone is generally aware of the elements that contribute to a healthy lifestyle: nutrition-dense foods, ample water, some exercise and plenty of sleep, just to name a few. But the one issue most people have is actually quantifying the kind of lifestyle being led with something other than that vague sense of ‘feeling bad’. Luckily, the One X does exactly that.

The One X is a nutritional biosensor that can effectively measure the body’s antioxidant level, a reliable metric for understanding how well the body is able to cope with various lifestyle challenges along with the body’s reaction to elements like sun, alcohol, nutrition, exercise, pollution, stress and sleep. It’s able to do this through high-quality optic sensors that analyze critical skin antioxidants called carotenids with a 20-scan of the palm. Since carotenids absorb light in the blue spectrum, the One X pumps blue light into the palm and reads how much is absorbed for an accurate measurement of the body’s overall health. The worse the lifestyle, the lower the score: This gives up to five users (courtesy of a handy fingerprint sensor) clear incentive to make better decisions throughout the day.

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Connected Objects Imaging Maker/Development Sensors/IoT

Sweep eyes an opportunity for affordable LIDAR sensors

LIDAR sensor technology is being used in a growing number of products. For example, these sensors serve as the eyes of self-driving car, enabling them to detect other objects on the road. LIDAR scanners are sold on their own, but they tend to be too pricey for the average consumer, sometimes coming in at more than $1,000.

Sweep is an inexpensive scanning LIDAR sensor for consumer applications including high school robotics projects. digital art and drones. It can also be used to get the dimensions of a room much faster than it would take when using a tape measure. It can also be used to detect when somebody walks through a doorway or tries to touch something they shouldn’t. Sweep uses sensing technology that differs from most other LIDAR sensors on the market –- a technique that enables it to use lower power components to perform long-range measurements.

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Categories
Apparel Kids/Babies Sensors/IoT

Hoko smart comfort monitor keeps your toddler temperate

It would be helpful if parents could be quickly informed if their small child is too hot or cold, especially when engaged in outdoor activities for an extended period of time.

Hoko is a smart, portable comfort monitor that should enable exactly that. One side of Hoko is a small, circular device containing a microprocessor, along with temperature and humidity sensors, that gets placed inside a child’s clothing. That side of the product is attached to a piece of soft fabric with a cute doll on the other side that serves as Hoko’s interface.

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Sensors/IoT

AllBe1 offers one for all in a palm-sized personal security system

Several portable security devices have either reached the market or been introduced on one of the crowdfunding sites, including the multi-function Tye.

patent-claimedBut AllBe1 is out to top them all, offering about 10 features in one small device with multiple sensors. Those functions are each available to the user via mobile device apps: an out-of-range lockdown mechanism that will prevent anybody else from accessing one’s mobile device when the user steps away, a fitness/steps tracker, the ability to track people or pets, a car alarm, drawer opening detection, theft detection, and the ability to send alerts when the user’s body needs more sun exposure or less. AllBe1 also offers a smart button that can be used to alert somebody at a pre-set number if the user senses danger.

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Sensors/IoT

HemaVision thermal imaging device helps you see temperature of everything around you

Thermal imaging devices can be handy because they can be used to accurately gauge the temperature of various objects all around one’s home. The problem with some of them, however, is that they don’t inform the user if the measured temperature is within a normal range or not.

patent-claimedThe maker of HemaVision, a computer vision-enabled thermal imager, is out to change that. HemaVision can be used to help users diagnose problems in their building or anywhere else where temperature levels are important. For example, it can be used to determine if a circuit breaker is running at an abnormally high temperature. Thermal imagers work because all objects give off a small amount of long-wave infrared light, with hotter items giving off more light than colder things. HemaVision will cost $295 and ships in October. Its maker set a Kickstarter funding goal of raising $40,000 by May 4.

HemaVision has potential but it’s not clear how many consumers are interested in adding a single-function electronic device to their arsenal of home safety products along with must-have, and much cheaper, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It stands to reason that many consumers might be much more comfortable using a smartphone app or accessory that performs a similar function without the thermal imaging component.

 

 

 

Categories
Input

Type on the go with ease with Qii’s full-sized, rollable, and extremely portable Bluetooth keyboard

The big problem with most smartphone and tablet keyboards is that they are too difficult to type on for very long. Ultimately, a Bluetooth keyboard is required for writing anything substantive in length. Unfortunately, though, many Bluetooth keyboards are poorly designed and not very portable.

Qii solves that dilemma with a clever solution. Qii is a full-sized QWERTY keyboard that can be rolled up and stored in a user’s pocket. The keyboard is versatile insofar as its compatible with Apple, Android, Blackberry, Windows and Palm mobile devices. The keyboard was designed using nanotechnology and organic electronics, according to its Indiegogo campaign video. It costs $99 and is scheduled to ship in October. Its maker is hoping to raise $890,000 by April 3.

Qii could be appealing to many consumers thanks to its portability and compatibility with multiple mobile device operating systems. Its rollaway design makes it a superior portable solution than other foldable keyboards such as the Flyshark or TextBlade. Still, it’s a bit hard to tell from the video how easy Qii will be on users’ fingers.

 

Categories
Sensors/IoT

No tricks are too tricky to measure for the iddo BMX sensor

The entire genre of points-based, extreme sport video games was popularized by the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise. Not only did the title raise awareness for skateboarding, it raised awareness for other extreme sports as well, including BMX.

From video game consoles to the real world comes iddo, a BMX sensor that lets riders experience a new way of interacting with their rides. The iddo sensor can recognize specific details for a number of tricks, including speed and height data along with the accuracy of the trick itself. This data is recorded with a companion app which allows riders to analyze laps, compete against earlier times using a ghost mode, and share these achievements with friends. Challenges are also available for those who harbor a competitive streak. The campaign is aiming for €40,000 (~$44,200) in funding. Each iddo and access to its premium app will go for €159 (~$176). The device is expected to ship in September 2015.

The iddo is certainly a novel device, and when combined with gadgets like the Jalapeño and Removu P1, interest in the sport of BMX will only rise. With so many new ways to record BMX performances, both statistically and visually, extreme sports in general are poised for yet another renaissance.

Categories
Connected Objects Food and Beverage

Proscan scans food for nutritional content

It’s always best for everybody to know exactly what’s in the food they’re eating -– especially if they’re on a diet or have a serious allergy to foods such as peanuts. Unfortunately, a list of ingredients isn’t always available.

Proscan is a water resistant device that quickly scans any food and displays a list of the calories, energy, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol and dietary fiber that it contains. The device works by using a load sensor, optical sensor (spectrometer), other advanced sensors and complex algorithms to analyze food and then display its nutritional content on the device’s touch-sensitive display screen or on a Bluetooth-connected iPhone, Apple Watch, Android device, or Windows Phone. In speaker mode, all scan results are read aloud via Proscan’s speakers.

Provided that a $50,000 goal is reached by April 14, Proscan will ship in December in a choice of a Beam (rectangular) model or a round version. The entry price is about $349 for a regular model. Proscan Mini versions will cost about $238, while customized versions with color options and engraved wording will cost about $419. The Indiegogo campaign is slated to end on April 14.

There have been other food scanner campaigns in recent memory. The SCiO is one product that comes to mind, although that product was designed to analyze surrounding environments as well. If Proscan works as easily and seamlessly as it appears to in its Indiegogo campaign video, the product may very well hold some promise. Still, a pocket device like SCiO seems much more practical, especially when dining at a restaurant or traveling, which would seem to be when users would want it most.

Categories
Connected Objects Lighting

Playbulb garden lights up your garden, saves you some green

Outdoor garden lighting tends to be pretty routine, offering little in the way of color. Few outdoor bulbs can also be deemed to be green, as in environmentally friendly, because they require the same electricity that indoor lights use.

However, the latest Playbulb LED lighting product -– the water-resistant Playbulb garden –- adds multiple colors, special lighting effects and smart functionality, and is driven purely by solar power. Each light is controlled via Bluetooth 4.0 by the accompanying free Playbulb X app for Android and iOS mobile devices. Users can change each light’s color with the app and also select from rainbow, fading, pulsing, flashing and candle light effects.

The built-in sensor detects lighting conditions and automatically turns on or off accordingly. The included monopod/spike allows more flexibility for installation. Once attached to the bottom of a Playbulb garden light, it’s easy to push into the grass to make the bulb secure. The monopod can also be removed if the user just wants to place the light directly on the ground. Each Playbulb garden costs $29.99 and will ship in May. Its maker set a goal of raising $10,000 by March 27.

Playbulb garden follows the Playbulb color and Playbulb rainbow, and will likely appeal to many homeowners with gardens. Other good features include its ability to run up to 20 hours on a full charge. One drawback is that its light might not be bright enough for some consumers. Customers shouldn’t expect to be able to use one to read a book outside at night. The product is featured in a recent Backerjack podcast.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Wallets

Where’s Wallet calls home to your smartphone to avoid being misplaced

Forgetting or misplacing a wallet can be a major inconvenience — especially if it’s left in a public place and has a lot of cash and credit cards in it.

Where’s Wallet is a twist on the increasingly popular Bluetooth item finder that solves that dilemma. It’s a wallet that features a hidden sensor inside. Users just have to download a free Android or iOS app, set a notification range, and their smartphone/wallet will beep to alert them the moment they step beyond that preset distance. Its maker is fielding the product in three versions: a $49 slip model, a $69 bi-fold version and a $99 clutch version. Each will ship in August. Its maker is trying to raise $30,000 through Kickstarter by March 22.

Where’s Wallet is a clever entry in the Bluetooth tracking device category. Applying the technology to a wallet is a no-brainer, and should be especially appealing to consumers with a tendency to misplace their valuables. However, the specific application has a drawback in that some consumers will prefer a small tracking device like TrackR Bravo that can be attached to the object of their choice. For example, folks who are more likely to misplace their keys than their wallet.