Gizmodo Australia » wearables

Wearable Chair is the Ultimate Invention

Adam Frucci — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Seriously, how is it possible that the wearable chair isn’t the hottest accessory around today when it was patented 30 whole years ago? Look at it! You strap it to the backs of your legs and you can just sit back and rest easy whenever you want! I wouldn’t have to submit to the cruel tyranny of standing under my own volition any longer! It’d be perfect for concerts, the subway or the unemployment line, where you’d presumably run into the inventor of these things, Darcy Robert Bonner. Now that this thing has been rediscovered after being lost for so long, it’s time to make the dream a reality. [Patent via Book of Joe]

RallyPoint Combat Glove for Computing Under Fire

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Wearable computers may be a reality in today’s army, but use is restricted to safe environs like a bunker or an armoured vehicle—out in the open, soldiers’ priority is keeping hold of their guns. The RallyPoint Handwear Computer Input Device is unique in that it is designed specifically to be used even while the soldier is gripping a gun or a steering wheel. It’s full of sensors—maybe too many:

• Four fingertip pushbuttons for common functions like push-to-talk
• Index fingertip sensor for map or mouse mode selection
• Lower index finger for switching radio channels
• Pinky fingertip for map zoom or, in mouse mode, mouse-click
• Middle fingertip is “anywhere mouse” trackpad that is engaged when press against a hard surface like a gun or a wall
• Accelerometers in wrist track Wii-like gestures for sending messages, etc.

The glove has been in development for a few years, but has just been taken up by the US Army for testing at the Natick Soldier Systems Centre. It’s insanely cool, and something with clear real-world applications—and not just for you, Zoltan. But still, I keep wondering exactly how smart it is to make the tip of the index (aka trigger) finger a sensor that’s to be used while your holding a gun. No wonder they show it here with a plastic toy instead of a real gun with live ammo. [Technology Review
via KurzweilAI]

USB Dog Tags Shipping Now, Still Overpriced

Jason Chen — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 23:00:28 +0000

Remember those Olinari Silver USB Dog Tags we showed you back in August? The ones that looked extremely nice but costed about $200 too much? They’re shipping now for the price of $US349 (with 2GB USB) and $US319 without. We really want one of these, but for $US349 we’ll stick with going bare chested. [Olinari]

Chewbacca Backpack, Cuddly Without Smelly

Mark Wilson — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:38:33 +0000

The $40 Chewbacca backpack is what would happen if your MyBuddy grew a pair, took some steroids and helped you conquer the galaxy instead of your backyard. This backpack is a smaller version of your favourite Wookie, stuffable with your favourite books and lightsabers. And seriously, we prefer him to the real thing.

Chewbacca seems like a nice (guy?) and all, but the real prospect of living in close quarters with a flee-covered, boisterous and surely odoriferous animal for extended periods of time is about as close to our personal hell as an iconic sci-fi movie has come. And seriously, he has hair everywhere. Not only would a strand end up in a least one bite of every meal, but the possibility that the strand would be fouled with excrement is enough for us to program HAL to just go ahead and lock the pod bay doors during our next space walk. [thinkgeek via scifitech]

WiFi Pain Vest Doles Out Punishment for Nearing Hotspots

Adam Frucci — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:11:07 +0000

The “Constraint City” vest is a weird project by Austrian artist Gordan Savicic that’s a sadistic type of WiFi detector. It’s a vest, and as you get closer to WiFi hotspots, it gets tighter and tighter, causing discomfort and pain. The idea, according to Savicic, is to create “schizo-geographic pain map” of the wireless signals around us. OK. Perhaps it’d be better used to wean people off their Internet addictions, although I suppose you could just plug in and avoid the squeeze. Or, you know, just not put on the stupid vest in the first place. [Project Page via Make]

First Video of the Japanese Vending Machine Dress Transforming

Brian Lam — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:13:13 +0000

Here’s a video report from Reuters on the transforming dress that disguises a scared, vulnerable stalking target into a vending machine you’d find in any Tokyo side street. This is the first time I’ve seen this dress on video. And I like how the reporter calls it a modern day Ninja tactic, while other Japanese men in the segment say it’s probably a better idea to run from rapists and muggers than to lift up your dress and try to disguise yourself as a Soda machine. [Reuters, thanks Chad]

My Chopsticks Bra on Video Makes Me Hungry

Charlie White — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:05:09 +0000

Since we showed you the My Chopsticks Bra earlier this week, a video has surfaced, giving us a closer look at exactly how the “concept undergarment” works. The fact of the matter is, it doesn’t work; the bowls are just a decorative flourish instead of containers for real food. Indeed, there are chopsticks that are stowed away in a small pouch attached to the side, and when it’s time to eat, you assemble them like collapsed pool cues. It’s just that rice and miso soup won’t be on that menu. Yeah, this garment makes us hungry in a strange sort of way. [Pink Tentacle]

Wedgie Proof Underwear Makes Us Recall the Bad Times

Haroon Malik — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:35:00 +0000

Two 8-year old geniuses have invented wedgie proof underwear—more than a decade too late for us. Simplicity is the key to all great design, as the inventors showed when they presented the Rip Away 1000 on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, which is the most unlikely platform for the display of the 8-year olds prodigious talents.
The Rip Away 1000, as the name implies, tears into two pieces when a wedgie is attempted. This leaves the playground bully reeling with a handful of skid marks. Brilliant. The two parts are held together by Velcro, which we think may be a design flaw. Velcro rubbing up our southern regions might be a tad discomforting. That reminds us of the Deep Heat/boxer shorts prank. Oh it burnt—those were the bad times. [Strange New Products]

DARPA’s PowerSwim Brings Out the Aquaman in You

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:44:45 +0000

This crazy fin thing was developed by DARPA for scuba divers to swim 150% faster and with less effort than regular fins, helping to get places quicker and preserve oxygen along the way. Modeled after observing swimming habits of penguins and dolphins, it takes the strain away from smaller leg muscles, instead working the glutes and quads. It was intended for Navy SEALs (duh), but maybe one day we’ll all get a crack at it. The shot above is newly released on CNet. After the jump is a schematic rendering from the original Popular Mechanics story.[CNet News Blog and PM]

TASER-Proof Gear is Great for Students, Political Activists, Criminals

Adam Frucci — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:20:00 +0000

This patent for an “energy weapon protection device” is the perfect accessory for your next anti-war march. It also might be a good idea to just have one handy for other occasions, too, as you never know when the 5-0 might get a little TASER-happy on you for failing to fully stop at a stop sign or something. These are strange days we live in, my friends. [Patent via Danger Room]