14 DAY TRIAL // The world of wearables is expanding at a fast rate, and even if the ecosystem is currently dominated by fitness bands and smartwatches, there are a few products you can put on your body that defy the norm.
While most wearable manufacturers concentrate on building products that can be worn around the wrist, some have expanded beyond that and have included in their vision props for the head, arms, legs, and so on.
I constantly stumble upon weird wearables through my work, so putting together a collection of the wackiest, looniest pieces of wearable devices today seems like a good idea. Here’s five of them that really stand out (in my opinion).
Electricfoxy ping back social networking clothing
You need to stay connected to social media all the time? Electricfoxy has come up with a weird solution to let you to do just that, by offering a line of so-called social networking clothes.
Once you connect your garment to your social media account, you’ll be allowed to interact online by virtue of gestures, such as picking up the hood of the blouse you’re wearing.
Someone mentioned you in a post? You’d better start flailing your arms and fiddling with your garments in order to send out a response.
The downside is that people in your vicinity will probably think you’re not in your right mind. Until they get the taste for this sort of weird acrobatics and get some Electricfoxy gear of their own.
But I have to admit that some of the pieces of apparel created by Electricfoxy actually look really fashionable. For example, the Zip jacket that lets you control the music.
Electrozyme temporary tattoo biosensors
Most wearables out there will normally be able to keep tabs on the number of calories you ingest or count how many steps you take. But the Electrozyme is a fitness tracker that's a tad different.
Don’t let the tattoo part scare you off, there’s no pain involved, as this is actually a term used to describe a “printed electrochemical sensor platform.”
Basically, what we have here are biosensors capable of analyzing a user’s sweat and drawing relevant conclusions related to hydration, electrolytes levels, muscle fatigue, and so on.
The best part is that the tattoo can be printed to look like anything you like, and once you’re done with it, you can simply wash it off.
Lechal: interactive haptic footware
Smart shoes have become increasingly more common in the last few months, but the Lechal pair is certainly a bizarre addition to the family.
You don’t like looking down at your phone while you’re striving to find your way in town and you’d like a more intuitive way of finding guided help?
Leave it to Lechal to amaze you with their interesting proposal. The Bluetooth-connected smart shoes come integrated with Google Maps, and as you walk, the left or right shoe will vibrate in order to indicate which way you should be going.
Password Pill
Tired of remembering those complicated strands of numbers and letters that make up your passwords? Well, Motorola has an odd solution to the problem of security. What if you could become the password, as a person?
How might you go about doing that? The answer will probably shock you a little bit. You will have to swallow a password pill which basically turns the host into an authentication token.
After you swallow the pill, the magic starts to happen. The acid in your stomach starts interacting with the pill and create an 18-bit ECG-like signal that is strong enough to unlock a smartphone and other gadgets. This kooky concoction has even received FDA approval, so it should be pretty safe.
However, this miracle pill is yet to arrive on the market.
Sensory Fiction
Using your imagination is not enough for you when you’re reading a book and you want something more? Then Sensory Fiction might be something you could really enjoy.
The project developed by MIT promises to reflect a book’s atmosphere by inviting you to wear a vest-like device that is capable of conveying physical sensations according to the events in the book.
You think this is a bit too much? Not necessarily, since this sensory wearable project might actually end up bringing more people back to the ancient practice of reading.
