Aria adds gesture control to Android Wear and Pebble Time

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Deus Ex has come up with a solution to one of the biggest drawbacks of wrist-adorned gadgetry: having to use both hands.

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As if handheld computers and wrist-adorned gadgets weren’t enough in today’s tech-savvy world, a new smartwatch accessory wants to make controlling a wearable device as simple as moving a finger. In what would appear to be some sort of Harry Potter wizardry at work, Aria employs a layer of sensors to enable users to perform on-screen functions without ever having to physically touch the gadget.

More times than not, people’s hands are constantly full of things whether it’s a caregiver with a child, a housewife preparing dinner or an engineer hard at work. In any case, what if accessing a step count, checking a recipe, or playing a song was as easy one tap of the index finger? Capable of exactly that, a wearer slaps Aria around their wrist, calibrates it and then uses it to scroll through menus, launch apps and answer calls.

Aria is compatible with a wide range of watches including Pebble Time, Samsung Gear Live, Sony Smartwatch 3, LG G Watch R and Urbane, Motorola Moto 360, Asus ZenWatch, as well as any other Android Wear device. What’s more, users can customize their gesture controls for various functions, like scrolling down a menu with a ring finger or flicking a thumb to read an email.

The brainchild of London-based startup Deus Ex, the hands-free remote is comprised of a water-resistant silicone material that attaches to the underside of the watch and is held snug against the person’s wrist. This allows it to sense and analyze distinct tendon movements.

For its Kickstarter launch, Deus Ex has made Aria available in two different models: a clip for Android Wear and a smartstrap for  Pebble TIme, both of which feature varying connectivity options. The clip is Bluetooth Low Energy compatible, meaning that it should sync with countless electronics ranging from drones to action cameras. Meanwhile, the smartstrap communicates via a serial interface. Plus, the startup has revealed that it will be releasing an SDK for developers who want to explore their creativity and design apps of their own.

“Our focus is giving the best support and the best tools to the developer community. There are still thousands of applications and use cases for Aria that we want to empower you, the developer, to discover and exploit them all,” the team writes.

Interested? Head over to Aria’s official Kickstarter page, where Deus Ex is currently seeking $100,000. Shipment is expected to get underway in June 2016.

Report: Wearable device shipments predicted to grow 173% this year

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“Growth in the smart wearables market points to an emerging battleground among competing platforms.”

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An estimated 72.1 million wearable devices are expected to ship this year, IDC researchers have revealed in their latest report. If that’s the case, the number would surge 173% from the 26.4 million wearables delivered back in 2014. Moving ahead, the firm forecasts a CAGR of 42.6% over the course of the next five years, bringing the total shipped in 2019 to 155.7 million.

According to the report, nearly four in 10 wearables are now priced under $100. However, IDC expects devices classified as “smart wearables,” which refers to those capable of running third-party apps, to take the lead in 2016. These include gadgets like the Apple Watch and Micosoft’s Hololens that are believed to open up endless opportunities for vendors, app developers and accessory makers.

“The demand for basic wearables, those that do not run third party apps, has been absolutely astounding,” said Jitesh Ubrani, IDC senior research analyst. “Vendors like Fitbit and Xiaomi have helped propel the market with their sub-$100 bands, and IDC expects this momentum will continue throughout 2015.”

While the demand for more basic wearable devices, such as watches, fitness bands and eyewear, may have gotten off to a slower start, the market has certainly matured over the past couple of months with a wider range of products and improved consumer adoption.

Though shipments for the so-called basic wearables came in at 22.1 million in 2014, this segment will also continue to grow with 39 million projected for this year and 66.3 million by 2019. Meanwhile, smart wearables — which only stood at 4.2 million in 2014 — will rise to an incredible 89.4 million throughout the five year period.

“Growth in the smart wearables market points to an emerging battleground among competing platforms,” added Ramon Llamas, IDC research manager. “Android Wear, Tizen, and WatchOS are moving ahead with improved user interfaces, user experiences, and applications. These will raise the expectations of what a smart wearable can do, and each platform is vying for best-in-class status. We’re not there yet, but we’re seeing the building blocks of what is to come.”

MYLE TAP is the world’s first wearable thought catcher

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This touch-activated, voice-powered wearable automatically converts your thoughts into actions.

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Did you know that the average person generates over 70,000 thoughts each day? Many of which are forgotten. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there: a great idea pops into your head while in the shower, in the car or out for a jog, only to find that by the time you grab a pen and paper, that million dollar concept or simple to-do is out of mind. What if there was a device that could easily capture that thought in a matter of seconds and then automatically convert it into action?

That’s the idea behind the latest innovation from one Calgary-based startup who has devised what they’re calling the “first wearable thought catcher.” As its slogan would imply, the MYLE TAP is a super stylish, touch-activated wearable voice recorder that instantly registers and analyzes spoken words, then sends them to one of many commonly used mobile apps. This can be everything from writing a Facebook message to a friend to jotting down an appointment in the calendar while driving or sharing a memo to a colleague in Evernote.

In addition to dozens of integrated program already available, MYLE TAP also features several applications of its own, including those that can help keep tabs on groceries, manage personal budgets, count calories and even control IoT systems. What’s more, it understands 42 languages.

Based on an Atmel | SMART SAM4S MCU, the super compact and lightweight gadget is equipped with an accelerometer, a Bluetooth Low Energy module, a few LEDs and a built-in battery capable of running up to a week on a single charge. MYLE TAP boasts some impressive memory as well, with a storage capacity of up to 2,000 voice notes.

As for its software, the MYLE TAP is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, along with countless apps already installed on a majority of today’s smartphone and tablets. Beyond that, the startup’s SDK/API enables users to develop their own programs.

So whether you’re a businessman, a stay-at-home mom, a fitness buff or a marketing guru with a constant stream of ideas, this wearable thought catcher may be for you. If so, head over to MYLE TAP’s Indiegogo campaign where the team is currently seeking $50,000. Shipment is expected to begin later this year.

This fiber optic dress is amplified by a wearer’s thoughts

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This EEG-powered dress shines red when alert and green when relaxed.

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Rain Ashford has been tinkering around with EEG-enabled wearable devices for quite some time now. In fact, she is in the midst of wrapping up her doctoral thesis. As part the process, the Maker has created a rather slick, interactive dress as a fun way to display engagement and moods in crowded situations, particularly those so noisy that hearing someone speak is virtually impossible.

The aptly named ThinkerBelle EEG Amplifying Dress uses a NeuroSky Mindwave Mobile EEG headset to collect brain information and relay that data to her garment to non-verbally communicate with those nearby. Ultimately, this leaves it up to observers to make their own interpretations from the brilliant spectacle.

“I created this dress in response to a subsection of feedback data from my field trials and focus groups, which investigated the functionality, aesthetics and user experience of wearables and in particular wearer and observer feedback on experiences with my EEG Visualising Pendant,” Ashford writes.

The dress was constructed out of satin fabric and fiber optic filament woven into an organza. The EEG headset collects and amplifies data in the form of two separate streams — attention and meditation — which are sent over via Bluetooth and visualized on the top layer of the dress through a series of LEDs. The illumination is controlled by an Adafruit Pro Trinket (ATmega328): red light signifies attention while green denotes a state of relaxation.

“The dress is constructed so the two streams of data light overlap and interweave. The fiber optic filament is repositionable allowing the wearer to make their own lighting arrangements and dress design,” she adds.

What’s more, the wearable project features a variety of modes, one in which lets the user record and playback the data. This means someone can design a combination of color and lights on the dress, then replay it after taking off the EEG headpiece. This enables the wearer to come across as though he or she is concentrating or relaxed to those around.

“Why would someone want to do that? Think of this much like a lie detector test. Sometimes you want people to know how you feel, and other times you would rather keep your thoughts to yourself. So, in this case if you want to appear calm even though you are really agitated, you can just have the dress display a previous calm time period,” the Adafruit crew explains.

Pretty cool, right? Check the project out in its entirety on Ashford’s page here. Not for nothing, the blend of these two colors makes for one heck of Christmas attire!

This mood-altering wearable will make you feel more alert or relaxed

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Doppel is a wrist-adorned device that can naturally make you feel more alert or calm you down on demand.

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The latest entrant in the wearable space is not a smartwatch, it’s not an activity tracker nor is it a heart rate monitor. In fact, it doesn’t even have screen or button. This means no annoying alerts, phone calls or emails. Instead, what is being billed as “a new breed of technology,” Doppel is a performance-enhancing device that can naturally make a user feel more alert or relaxed on demand using nothing more than the innate human response to rhythm. So, whether it’s getting ready for an intense workout at the gym, preparing for an important presentation at work or cramming for a crucial final exam in the library, the wrist-adorned gadget can harness the body’s natural reaction to stress and positively change its wearer’s state of mind.

The brainchild of London-based startup Team Turquoise, the wristband uses tactile rhythm, otherwise known as haptic feedback, to rhythmically tap a wearer’s wrist at the speed of their choosing: faster for a quick pick-me-up, slower for some calmness.

In order to get started, a user must connect their Doppel to its accompanying app, whether it’s via Bluetooth for a smartphone or USB for a PC, to measure their resting heart rate and calibrate the device to save their preferred settings. From there, everything is controlled through the wearable itself. A firm squeeze will increase the rhythm, stroking its face will slow the beat, while rotating the dial will amplify or soften the intensity. (Think of it like the volume knob on a stereo.)

Doppel is built around an ATmega328 MCU and features a microUSB charger. Impressively, its built-in battery lasts for over five hours at its maximum intensity, which is geared toward running. While at its lowest level, it will last for over 10 hours — plenty of juice for an entire workday and a gym session afterwards.

At the time of its crowdfunding debut, Doppel is available in three styles (black and white, original and classic) and with two different cuts for the strap (tapered and straight). Need a mood-alrtering wearable to help keep you calm in the day-to-day hustle and bustle? Head over to its official Kickstarter campaign, where Team Turquoise is currently seeking $155,412. Shipment is slated for April 2016.

Build your own activity monitor with Arduino

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RetroBand is an open source, ATmega328 powered activity tracker that pairs with your smartphone.

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Over the last couple of years, the wearable technology market has experienced tremendous growth, particularly when it comes to health and wellness. When thinking of the latest and greatest fitness bands, companies like Jawbone, Fitbit and Nike typically pop into mind. However, despite its surge in popularity, the cost of owning such a device has become as a major barrier in adoption. That’s exactly why an Instructables user “GodsTale” has decided to take it upon himself to create a DIY activity tracker using an Arduino Pro Mini (ATmega328), a Bluetooth module, an accelerometer, a LiPo battery and some custom software from his smartphone, all housed inside a 3D-printed case. Total cost: Less than $30.

The Maker, who recently designed the RetroWatch, says that the device he calls the RetroBand has only one feature: collecting data through its built-in accelerometer and relaying it to his smartphone. An accompanying mobile app (available on Google Play) then analyzes the accelerometer data and provides an output of calories burned as well as steps taken to the user. Subsequently, GodsTale urges that “this shouldn’t be called a ‘smart band’ since it has only simple features.”

The Android app is comprised of four parts: an Android UI, a Bluetooth manager, a background service and an algorithm section.

“The Android app check steps using collected data provided from RetroBand Arduino. The algorithm of the app is not that complicated. If you have much experience to this area, you can replace it with your own algorithm. The app saves the calorie data, so you can see the progress it in a monthly/daily/hourly graph form,” GodsTale explains.

The Maker has established a system where the accelerometer data is checked 20 times a second by the device. The gadget then transfers data to the smartphone application once a second. From there, the Android app receives the information in a matter of two seconds and determines an interval that the user’s movement increases dramatically — the number of movement increases is the step count. Beyond that, the app calculates calories burned based on user’s weight and steps, along with accumulated monthly, daily and hourly data.

At the brains of the operation lies an ATmega328. The Maker selected the Pro Mini board as “it works well with 3.7V lithium-polymer battery and its size.” He also employed a USB-to-UART converter to upload its source code.

One drawback of the RetroBand is that it cannot save data given its limited memory capacity, which is the reason for pairing it to a smartphone. GodsTale has made his code available on GitHub, while its Android app can be downloaded from the Play Store. Want to save some money on your next wearable? Head over to the project’s official page here to get started.

Build yourself a GEMMA-powered buzzing mindfulness bracelet

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Inspired by the Apple Watch’s Stand Reminder, Adafruit’s latest wearable project lets you know when it’s time to step away from your desk. 

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If you’re like nearly 90% of employees in America, you sit all day for your job. Add to that the time you spend on the couch after work watching TV, reading, playing video games and surfing the web, that’s an approximate total of 13 hours spent each day in a chair of some sort. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little reminder letting us know to take a short break from time to time? That was the idea behind Becky Stern of Adafruit’s latest project: a buzzing mindfulness bracelet.

Powered by the one and only GEMMA (ATtiny85), the band emits subtle haptic feedback as the day progresses, offering a helpful hint to get off your rear and step away from the desk — even for just a few moments.

All too often, we get to the office, start working to look up and find that it’s already five o’clock. Where did the day go? Inspired by the Apple Watch’s Stand Reminder feature but at a mere fraction of the cost, this DIY project enables users to literally feel the passage of time, or at least “have a new awareness of how the perception of passing time varies based on what they’re doing.”

The wearable is comprised of a vibrating motor circuit, which includes a transistor, a resistor and a diode, along with a GEMMA to control the frequency of vibrations. The circuit itself is housed inside a linked bracelet, however as Stern notes, it can be embedded into pretty much anything such as the rubber from a bicycle’s inner tube.

This bracelet is created out of folded figure-8 shapes cut from leather, along with a pair of elongated tabs for its closure. Once the GEMMA is inserted into its resting place, a small hole is poked to make room for the resistor to fit through. From there, a Maker simply needs to solder the electronic components among the loops of the bracelet and voilà!

A user must then plug in the ATtiny85 powered board over USB to load up the code and adjust the timing intervals based on their haptic preference. In this case, the time interval is set to one hour, but can be modified by the user. Although the times are stored in milliseconds, the design does use the tinyAVR’s Watchdog Timer (WDT) to conserve power. What’s also nice is that, since it spends most of the day in sleep mode, the battery lasts for quite a while.

Looking to become more mindful as to how you spend your days? Head over to Adafruit’s step-by-step tutorial here to get started.

This IoT device will help detect heatstroke during road races

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Telefonica and GFI Informatique have developed a wearable device that will be able to stop heatstroke before it occurs.

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Recent studies have shown that long distance running involves a slightly increased risk of death but it’s heatstroke, not heart-related issues, that are the culprit. Luckily, when racers take their mark this weekend at the Proniño six-mile race in Madrid, they will only have to focus on battling each other, not so much high temperatures. That’s because Telefonica and French IT services group GFI Informatique have announced a new device that will be able to prevent heatstroke before it occurs.

The battery-powered gadget, which measures just 58mm x 30mm x 27mm, can be comfortably clipped onto a wrist and head band, or any part of a runner’s clothing for that matter. Still in its prototype stage, the wearable is based on an Arduino Pro Mini (ATmega328), and features a GPS module, a Lilypad temperature sensor and an M2M SIM card with global coverage. Additionally, it packs a LiPo battery with a life of about eight hours, which should be plenty for the duration of the event.

During the race, staff will use a special web-based app to monitor a runner’s position and body temperature, ensuring that the latter doesn’t exceed 104°F — one of the first signs of heatstroke. Meanwhile, the unit’s built-in GPS will provide accurate positioning of the wearer’s whereabouts throughout the course. The prototype will be connected to S.A.M.U.R. (Servicio de Asistencia Municipal de Urgencia y Rescate) should any emergencies arise.

Beyond spotting potential risks in marathons and other strenuous sporting activities, its creators say that the device can be used in outdoor work environments that entail high exposure to heat, as well as by the elderly and children — two segments of the population most likely to suffer from heatstroke.

These smart gloves will actually let you feel virtual reality

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Gloveone is a pair of embedded gloves that lets you feel your way around the virtual reality world.

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The relationship between video gamers and gloves hasn’t been all too dandy to say the least. Remember the Nintendo Power Glove from the early ‘90s? The accessory had been designed to provide players with buttons conveniently located on their forearm. Along with the wearable controller, the user was able to perform various hand motions to command a character on-screen. Unfortunately, the trend never really caught on.

Fast forward 25 years, video games have come a long way. Not just with their killer graphics, but more immersive experiences than ever before thanks to virtual reality. Cognizant of this, one Miami-based startup has set out to create a pair of gloves that works alongside a VR headset to offer users a sense of texture and depth. And with the emergence of industry heavyweights like Oculus, Google, Samsung and HTC each debuting simulated googles of their own, this innovation couldn’t have come at a better time.

Surely more exciting than Nintendo’s ill-fated attempt at a body-adorned gaming device, the aptly named Gloveone slips onto a person’s hands while sensation and texture are created through a series of complex vibrations. The wearable, which is based on an ATmega32U4 MCU, features 10 actuators on each fingertip and the palm that translates touch into haptic feedback at various frequencies, times and intensities to accurately reproduce sensations in the VR world.

What’s more, the device is embedded with IMU sensors to track and mimic movement on-screen in a natural manner, a Li-Po battery for four hours worth of power, a microUSB for low-latency mode via cable, Bluetooth for wireless communication (meaning no getting tangled up in wires), and those who work up a sweat during gameplay can take comfort in knowing that the gloves are comprised of breathable and anti-bacterial fabric.

The gadget enables users to perceive texture, sense sound and temperature, as well as distinguish between weight of objects. In other words, this means a wearer can feel heat from touching a fire burning in a game, a raindrop falling from the virtual sky or even tell if one augmented item is heavier than another. Beyond that, four sensors located in the palm, thumb, index and middle fingers communicate with one another, allowing a user to shoot a cannon, grab a flower petal or simply control the main menu. Unlike other gesture recognition systems, contact-triggered commands do not suffer from false positives or negatives, which can often times be very frustrating for users.

Aside from enhancing the gaming industry, Gloveone could surely play an integral role in bringing sci-fi-like technology into the healthcare setting by assisting those with impaired mobility to re-learn movements such as picking up and holding an item or even walking.

Currently available in three sizes (XS-S, M-L, XL-XXL), the system does rely upon auxiliary sensors like Leap Motion or Intel RealSense to track a user’s hands. However, it can also work with other tech including Microsoft Kinect and OpenCV. Sound like something you’d like to use? Head over to its official Kickstarter campaign, where the NeuroDigital Technologies crew is seeking $150,000. Delivery is slated for February 2016.

TRASENSE MOVEMENT is a smart daily tracker for under $30

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One Shenzhen startup is looking to democratize the wearable industry with its affordable fitness band.

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Unlike other fitness trackers available on the market today that can run anywhere from a $100, a new wearable device from Shenzhen-based startup TRASENSE packs much of the same punch as industry heavyweights but at a mere fraction of the cost.

Priced under $30, the MOVEMENT is a super easy and affordable way to begin dabbling into the quantified-self era. Boasting a sleek, unisex design, the unit comes in black and purple with more colors likely to follow its crowdfunding campaign.

The lightweight device is comprised of a TPSiV bangle and a Polycarbonate/aluminum hybrid case, which houses a Bluetooth Low Energy module, an accelerometer and a custom PCB. The incredibly power efficient piece of hardware boasts a battery life of one to two weeks, while recharging its battery requires just about an hour.

The information collected through the wearable band is transmitted to an accompanying app named LYTICS. Much like those of its competitors, TRASENCE has designed its program to provide all of the data configurations that users have come to expect, including steps taken, calories burned and sleep cycles. What’s more, MOVEMENT is focused on making data more action-oriented, hence its name. For instance, if a user has not been achieving their regular targets, the app will offer up a small tip to help get back on par.

While time will only tell as to how it lives up to the rest of the market, at $23, it’s certainly worth a try. Want one of your own? Head over to its Kickstarter page, where the TRASENCE crew has already surpassed its $12,000 goal in a matter of hours.