Showing posts with label Wearable Electronics. Show all posts
Owlet smart sock keeps tabs on your baby's vital signs
Can a sock reassure you of a baby's well-being? Perhaps it can, if it's the Owlet. Created by Owlet baby care, this sensor-lined sock monitors a baby's vital signs through its foot, and transmits the data to a smartphone app or internet-based device via Bluetooth. Parents can check on a baby's skin temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and sleep quality at a glance, and even be alerted to the baby rolling over. As a monitoring tool rather than a medical or diagnostic device, the smart sock aims to help parents be more aware of potential health-related danger signs so that they can take preemptive action.
Created by students at Utah's Brigham Young University, the Owlet is currently the object of an independent crowd-funding campaign and has already exceeded its US$100,000 goal. Owlet's CEO, Kurt Workman, hit upon the idea of a baby monitoring sock when caring for his prematurely-born twin cousins and losing one of them to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A baby's sleeping position is thought to have some connection to SIDS; it's why doctors recommend that babies sleep on their backs instead of face-down.
Its developers hope that the sock can help parents monitor their baby's sleeping position more easily, since the sock can be strapped to the baby's foot and held in place as it sleeps through the night. The built-in accelerometer keeps tabs on the baby's movements and issues an alarm when the infant begins to roll on to its tummy. A four-sensor pulse oximeter within the sock takes numerous readings of the baby's vitals with the aid of a small LED light. It does this by sending harmless beams of light through the tissue and detecting the amount of light absorbed. This is used to calculate the oxygen levels in the blood, and other health metrics.
The data is sent to a paired smartphone or PC and can be uploaded onto the cloud through Wi-Fi, letting parents check on their baby's health from anywhere in the world. While the sock is targeted at babies less than a year old, it has been beta tested on babies up to two years of age and can be used for as long as it fits the baby's foot.
The Owlet will ship in November according to the Owlet website, and is expected to eventually retail for $199 though early backers can obtain it for $159. Owlet 2.0, the next version of the smart sock, will contain an alarm that notifies parents of emergencies such as the baby's oxygen levels falling below the norm. The advanced version is expected to get FDA clearance by 2015.
Intel’s new chip Quark to power wearable devices
Intel is working on a new line of ultra-small and ultra-low-power microchips for wearable devices likesmartwatches and bracelets, a bid by the company to make sure it will be at the crest of the next big technology wave after arriving late to the smartphone and tablet revolution.
The new line of chips, called Intel Quark, will ship next year and include an ingestible version aimed at biomedical uses, Intel's president, Renee James, told reporters late on Monday.
The Quark chips will be five times smaller and 10 times more power efficient than some of Intel's Atom chips for tablets and smartphones, she said.
"We're very committed to not missing the next big thing," James said.
Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker, dominates the PC industry, but it was slow to adapt its chips to be suitable for smartphones and tablets.
Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich and James spoke on Tuesday at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco, their first major public appearance since their promotion in May, when Paul Otellini stepped aside as chief executive.
Intel's focus on wearable computing -- a trend that for many Americans evokes images of Dick Tracy, the comic strip detective who sported a two-way wrist radio -- comes as Silicon Valley eyes sophisticated computerized watches with touch-screens and other high-tech features. Technology companies see wearables as a growth opportunity amid signs that explosive expansion in smartphones shipments since Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007 is receding.
Last week, Samsung Electronics launched the Galaxy Gear watch, and Qualcomm, an Intel rival, launched the Toq smartwatch in a bid to showcase its technology to potential manufacturers.
Krzanich, a three-decade Intel veteran seen as the company's manufacturing guru, has said that under his leadership Intel will give much more priority to its Atom line of mobile chips. In the past, Intel's most cutting-edge manufacturing resources were reserved for making powerful PC chips, with Atom chips made on older production lines.
Processors based on technology from ARM and made by Qualcomm and Samsung account for most of the mobile market.
Intel has shown some recent signs of improvement in mobile, progress Krzanich is keen to build on. The company has promised major performance improvements in its new Bay Trail chip for tablets.
The Bay Trail chip is based on Intel's new Silvermont architecture, which is the most extensive overhaul of its mobile processors to date, with improved performance and lower power consumption.
The new line of chips, called Intel Quark, will ship next year and include an ingestible version aimed at biomedical uses, Intel's president, Renee James, told reporters late on Monday.
The Quark chips will be five times smaller and 10 times more power efficient than some of Intel's Atom chips for tablets and smartphones, she said.
"We're very committed to not missing the next big thing," James said.
Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker, dominates the PC industry, but it was slow to adapt its chips to be suitable for smartphones and tablets.
Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich and James spoke on Tuesday at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco, their first major public appearance since their promotion in May, when Paul Otellini stepped aside as chief executive.
Intel's focus on wearable computing -- a trend that for many Americans evokes images of Dick Tracy, the comic strip detective who sported a two-way wrist radio -- comes as Silicon Valley eyes sophisticated computerized watches with touch-screens and other high-tech features. Technology companies see wearables as a growth opportunity amid signs that explosive expansion in smartphones shipments since Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007 is receding.
Last week, Samsung Electronics launched the Galaxy Gear watch, and Qualcomm, an Intel rival, launched the Toq smartwatch in a bid to showcase its technology to potential manufacturers.
Krzanich, a three-decade Intel veteran seen as the company's manufacturing guru, has said that under his leadership Intel will give much more priority to its Atom line of mobile chips. In the past, Intel's most cutting-edge manufacturing resources were reserved for making powerful PC chips, with Atom chips made on older production lines.
Processors based on technology from ARM and made by Qualcomm and Samsung account for most of the mobile market.
Intel has shown some recent signs of improvement in mobile, progress Krzanich is keen to build on. The company has promised major performance improvements in its new Bay Trail chip for tablets.
The Bay Trail chip is based on Intel's new Silvermont architecture, which is the most extensive overhaul of its mobile processors to date, with improved performance and lower power consumption.
Nissan's Nismo smartwatch delivers real-time data on a driver's performance
The smartwatch trend has certainly taken off recently with new wrist-worn tech announced by the likes of Samsung, Sony, and ... Nissan? Yes, the automobile company is getting in on the action with a concept for a watch designed exclusively for its Nismo brand of high-performance cars. Unlike most other smartwatches that just sync to a person's mobile phone, the planned Nismo Watch will also connect to a sports car to provide data on its performance in real-time.
Unveiled on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show, Nissan says the watch will be the first in an ongoing line of wearable devices for drivers. The Nismo smartwatch snaps together around the wearer's wrist and is designed to be quickly checked while their hands are on the wheel. On a full charge, the built-in lithium battery provides over seven days worth of power and can be recharged through a micro-USB port. A smartphone app connects to the car and uses Bluetooth Low Energy to relay any info on it to the watch, which a person can cycle through using two buttons on the side.
Through the Nismo Watch, users will be able to check their average speed, top speed, and fuel efficiency, amongst other stats. It will also keep a log of all this data to compare with current info or share with friends online. If the app detects that the car is due for some maintenance, the watch will display a warning message to let the driver know. Additionally, the Nismo Watch will show an alert when users receive a message through text, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, along with updates on the weather and time.
The Nismo Watch is also equipped with a heart rate monitor that tracks the wearer's pulse and compares it to their current speed, providing similar biometric technology to the kind used by race car drivers. Nissan hopes this will help customers see not just how their car is performing, but also how well they're performing while driving it.
One other feature that makes the Nismo stand out a bit more from the smartwatch pack is a messaging system that offer various tips based on the information it receives. Depending on the weather forecast, it might advise you to be aware of ice on the road, or if it detects a high pulse rate, it could warn you to slow down.
Nissan designed the watch to resemble the "O" in the Nismo logo with the aim of conveying the same cutting-edge sensibilities as its performance cars and will produce it in black and white colors in addition to the black and red model that's been shown. Even the packaging will be made from the same rubber found on racing tires.
Since this is only a concept at the moment, Nissan hasn't revealed any potential release dates or prices for the Nismo Watch just yet. However, the company has stated it plans to develop more wearable technology for its customers and already has a few specific devices in mind. Future gadgets could involve an ECG (Electrocardiogram) that measures heart rhythms to check for fatigue, an EEG (Electroencephalogram) that monitors brainwaves to detect a driver's concentration, and a skin temperature sensor that also checks a driver's hydration.
In the meantime, check out the video below for Nissan's take on how drivers could interact with the Nismo Watch.
