portable technology extends throughout the body

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Pregnant women could watch the health of their fetus with original smart clothes from Canadian startup Myant, part of a new class of costume-based textiles at the exhibition at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas

From fatigued driving glasses and bare lights to judging footballers’ performance – we’ve come a long way since the first days of the smart watch.

Some of the latest innovations in the expanding emerging technology industry were featured this week at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020, offering improved ways to stay connected and keep focusing on health issues.Advertisement 

The eyes have it

The smart glasses at CES have sought to provide solutions to various problems.

The French startup Ellcie Healthy has introduced the visual framework that offers drowsy alerts to drivers and can also help detect falls in the elderly.

“This product can help save lives and reduce accidents,” said Theo Niktabe, business manager of the glasses sold in France and marketed worldwide.

Drowsy warnings can be helpful for truck drivers, and the discreet design – they look like regular glasses – can get older people to use them.

“We’re trying to make smart glasses that don’t look like smart glasses,” Niktabe said. “The elderly do not want to wear drop detection devices.”

A different kind of smart glasses from the US startup Narbis uses neurofeedback for brain exercises that can help boost concentration, especially for children with attention deficit disorder.

Ellen’s Smart Serenity Glasses by Ellcie Healthy Launched in France Presented at Consumer Electronics Show 2020

Using an algorithm developed by NASA, the glasses become colored when the user is distracted and clean when calm and focused.

“You can wear this for 20 to 30 minutes a day and your brain develops the ability to pay better attention,” said Jay Arcata of Narbis, who added that the device is also being tested for help with some types of dementia.

Meanwhile, Bosch unveiled its glasses giving users similar alerts to those they received on a smart watch, and smart eyewear maker Vuzix showed connected swimming goggles that can provide underwater information.

Connected glasses can be used by professionals for training, “but you can also watch Netflix,” said Vuzix CEO Paul Travers.

“Some people get bored doing rounds in a pool.”

The radiation is getting older

Earphones are one of the fastest growing categories of wearables and there was no shortage of “headphones” at CES, for simple music and conversation as well as for health applications.

“Real wireless headsets are everything,” said IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani.

“The cost has dropped so many people are giving away the show.”

Connected Vuzix glasses featuring information and entertainment for swimmers are displayed at the Pepcom show on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics 2020 show in Las Vegas

But more advanced services also come in headphones.

Waverly Labs has unveiled its earbud that can translate conversations into 20 languages.

Avi Greengart of Techsponential Counseling said there has been a development of “socially acceptable” headphones for people with hearing loss.

“We are seeing an increase in hearing aids for people with hearing loss who may need a hearing aid but are unwilling to remove it,” he said.

The next step is medical and medical applications.

“Headphones are extremely useful for measuring biometrics because you can get a nice, clean heart rate and blood pressure signal,” said Matthew Smith, Valencell’s head of technology for mobile device makers.

But Greengart said there are limits to what businesses can do in health without going through certification for use as a medical device.

“There is a cross between consumer suitability and real medical devices,” he added.

“If it is a medical device, it needs a whole layer of approval.”

Welt Smart Zone, Fall Risk Assessment, appears at Consumer Electronics Show 2020

Sensors everywhere

Some of the newer dresses receive data by attaching directly to the body.

Canadian startup Myant has unveiled a range of portable clothes called Skiin, including underwear, offering a “full body interface” that can keep track of heart rate, physical activity, sleep and other conditions and can help carers to warn of the dangers of falls.

Myant’s so-called “textile computing” incorporates sensors “braided into the fabric, so you don’t even know it exists,” spokeswoman Julie Bosotti said.

Bosotti said the company is seeking approval for medical use and is also preparing a wearable for pregnant women who can monitor the health of a fetus.

Myant sees the possibility of using textiles to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, mental health and rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord and spinal cord injury, for example.

For sports enthusiasts, the Italian Soccerment startup has introduced affiliated guards that monitor the activity of players and rate the quality of their moves and passes.

“The idea is to give a non-professional player the same way to analyze and improve their performance as a professional,” said Paulment Tchonnin-Dodjou of Soccerment, who plans to start selling the guards this year.

Welt, based in South Korea, which already has a belt-based fitness tracker, introduced this year a new model that tracks waist measurements and walking, a product aimed at the elderly.

The $ 400 strap “analyzes gait and helps prevent falls,” said Welt’s Nahyeon Gu.

Connected Italian Soccerment start flakes evaluating dribble and player passage appear at Consumer Electronics Show 2020

Attach the legs

The lower ends also have better links to the products presented at CES.

The Japanese sportswear company Asics showed an original of the associated indoor soles for shoes. “They analyze various operating points and can help you improve your efficiency,” said marketing director Gentaro Makinoda.

The Italian startup Wahu has shown its “active sole”, which can change its shape to adapt to different types of soil, temperature or humidity and can analyze leg and foot pressure for drop detection.

The retractable sole, which has retractable soles, “can be used for the elderly but also for people working in factories or mines in hazardous conditions,” said Patrizia Casali, the Wahu project manager.

Technical demonstration offers great and fancy, up-close and (very) personal

© 2020 AFP

Reference:
Dressed to connect: Wearable technology extends throughout the body (2020, January 10)
Retrieved January 10, 2020
from https://techxplore.com/news/2020-01-wearable-tech-body.html

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