Wearables

Technological wearables are becoming ever more common in society; starting from their humble beginnings with the Bluetooth headset, branching out to the more eclectic and fashionable, like pet wearables and the Apple watch. Though while wearable tech is becoming more diverse, from goggles to earpieces, there’s one anatomical location more suited for a hands-on approach to tech.

MIT researchers have developed low-cost chemical sensors, made from chemically altered carbon nanotubes, that enable smartphones or other wireless devices to detect trace amounts of toxic gases. Using the sensors, the researchers hope to design lightweight, inexpensive RFID badges to be used for personal safety and security. Such badges could be worn by soldiers on the battlefield to rapidly detect the presence of chemical weapons and by peo...

This year’s launch event of London Technology Week, Europe’s largest festival of technology, is set to bring together some of the UK’s leading fashion technology designers for a first of its kind fashion technology showcase. London based fashion designer Brooke Roberts has been commissioned by London & Partners, the Mayor of London's promotional company, to curate the exhibition which will be displayed at the launc...

  Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech and founding director of the department's robotics and mechatronics lab, has been working with robotic exoskeletons for years and on medical diagnostic robotics systems since his time with General Electric Medical Systems from 2000 to 2002.

The growth in consumer wearables over the last few years has been well documented. The commonality of devices such as the Fitbit, Jawbone, Apple Watch and Misfit Shine - to measure personal parameters such as heart rate, steps taken in a given day and even stress levels - have given us an unprecedented insight into our current condition and a potential heads-up on any imminent health issues.

A student at Nottingham Trent University has developed a new wearable device that warns rugby referees if a player needs to be medically examined. George Russell, 21, who’s studying a BSc in Product Design, created the device after his brother underwent MRI scans after developing concussion twice while playing rugby. Russell’s device can prevent players carrying on in the heat of battle after suffering a dangerous knock to the he...

Menlo Park, California-based SRI International has news about its robotics project known as Superflex, which is a suit to enhance the human musculoskeletal system. The company announced Superflex, Inc. as a spinoff venture in April. SRI International said "Superflex will develop cutting-edge wearable robotics to enhance the human musculoskeletal system." Signe Brewster on Friday wrote about the suit in MIT Technology Review.

The first generation of wearable devices are constructed using mature, rigid technologies put inside a new box that can be worn. These are often bulky devices that are not truly wearable in the sense that our clothes are. This is, however, beginning to change... albeit slowly. New conformal, clothing-based components are emerging. By Dr. Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, Research Director, IDTechEx.

  Researchers have developed an integrated, wearable system that monitors a user's environment, heart rate and other physical attributes with the goal of predicting and preventing asthma attacks. The researchers plan to begin testing the system on a larger subject population this summer. 

The consumer marketplace is flooded with a lively assortment of smart wearable electronics that do everything from monitor vital signs, fitness or sun exposure to play music, charge other electronics or even purify the air around you - all wirelessly. Now, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has created the world's fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits, an advance that could drive the IoT and a much more connected, hig...