A few days ago we had the story of the Hood.e running, a concept design that demonstrated the integration of speakers into a Hoodie. The creator Tim Dubitsky is looking now for commercialization partners.

To my surprise and some search on the WWW, I did find a Hoodie with Stereo Speaker system integrated into the hood, available for you to order and rock away.

Stressed and Depressed Ltd, a new UK fashion label specializing in the street-wear market, is behind this amazing piece of Wearable Electronic.

This Hoodie is using NXT’s SurfaceSound technology designed into a Stereo Speaker Insert module which can be easily clipped directly into the hood of any Stressed and Depressed hooded garment.

The speaker insert is a stereo speaker system which is made from 2mm EVA foam panel speakers connect to a 3 watt amplifier which is powered by 3 AAA batteries. Via a 3.5mm headphone plug any iPod or other MP3 player will work with this Hoodie.

As I mentioned in the Hood.e article, making a detachable speaker module would eliminate the problem with a washing machine proof speaker system. Stressed and Depressed has solved this elegantly with the detachable unit and added the NXT technology to keep the speaker part soft.

An added bonus of a modular system is the technology (hoodie sound) can be moved from one garment to another as long as it is ‘made for hoodie sound’.

The sweater itself is made from 100% cotton and available in black or white zip-up or pullover designs. The hooded sweaters with stereo speaker retail for £55.- ($ 107.50) by Stressed and Depressed but shipment to mainland UK only.

I like the guys from Stressed and Depressed, putting this unique and for sure a lot of comment catching product on the market.

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If you are working on a cool DIY Wearable Electronic project and want to add some bling to it, check out the latest Wearable Electronic DIY module from Aniomagic called the ‘mimeolight‘.

This module must be one of the easiest ways to add some magic light effects to your electronic craft projects with customizable blinking patterns.

Aim a flashlight or wave your hands in front of it and it will record and repeat those patterns.

To get mimeolight’s attention flash a light source 3 times within a second over it and it will blinking 4 times rapidly showing you that it got your attention. Flash your pattern and when you are done let it do it’s magic by playing back your pattern. That’s all there is to it.

The idea for the mimeolight was inspired by Alex Weber’s Programmable LED Instructables project and by research at the Craft Technology Lab.

Get a couple of them and play around, each costs just $10.- available by Aniomagic where you can find other Wearable Electronic DIY materials as well.

The only thing you need to do is sew it to a 3 or 5 volt power source (like a button cell battery) and you got a unique and interactive bracelet or T-Shirt decoration or a bit of a personal touch on your bag or - there are no limits to your creativity.

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Noon Solar starts selling the Spring/Summer 2008 solar bag collection. The first model launched is the Logan satchel which comes in three different finishings: the all leather Black Logan for $ 476.- the Midnight/Slate Logan and at the bottom the Chocolate/Olive Logan. The last two models go for $ 452.- each.

Noon Solar is not just making Solar bags, their solar bags are made of materials that can either bio-degrade naturally or be reclaimed and re-used. This ‘cradle to cradle’ philosophy, rather than the common ‘cradle to grave’ product lifespan helps minimizing the growth of our already overflowing landfills.

The use of an high end solar-to-electricity conversion module which shows the loading status of the battery, a very helpful feature to manage your power hungry gadgets, stores the sun energy for rainy or cloudy days.

Additionally the power module can be charged via mains to have power in your bag in case the sun is hiding too long. A handy power source when out and away from the power grid.

How do you get your hands on one of those cool but hot Logan satchels? Send an e-mail to: info@noonsolar.com that includes your name, shipping address and type of cell phone you own. Each bag will be shipped with the corresponding cell phone connector identified in the e-mail. On top of that, you get an ipod/iphone adapter.

Noon Solar will send you a PayPal invoice that can be settled via PayPal or with with a credit card (no need to be a PayPal member). Alternatively you can give them a call at 773-225-6141 and give the credit card number over the phone.

The ‘Willow tote‘ solar bag for the ladies will be available for sale in a week or two according to Noon Solar. We will let you know when the Willow tote hits the store.

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You might know the term ‘talk to my hand’ used in situations like “you’d be as well talk to my hand ‘cos I ain’t gonna listen to you anyway“.

A group of engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University gave this term a twist and created a hand that talks.

The students Bhargav Bhat, Hemant Sikaria, Jorge L. Meza and Wesley Jin demonstrated their project ‘HandTalk‘ a sensor equipped glove that translates finger and hand gestures into spoken words.

The motivation for this concept is to enable the communication between deaf persons and persons that do not have knowledge of the Sign language.

This is the first demonstrator model to show the functionality based on a limited vocabulary of 32 words which is not bad for a version number of v0.1

The HandTalk works like this: sensors in the glove pick up gestures and transmit the data wirelessly via Bluetooth to a cell phone which runs a Text to Speech software. The sensor data are converted first into text and then to voice output. A person not knowledgeable in Sign language can listen via the cell phone what the other person is saying in Sign language form.

I like the simplicity and the (very) cheap components these students used to create this amazing and truly interactive glove that could help to improve greatly the communication barrier between deaf persons and people not familiar with the Sign language.

A brilliant idea. Check out the excellent organized project documentation which is available online. A highly interesting and inspirational source of a wearable interactive glove.

[CMU via Post Gazette]

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BoomBoxes are something from the distant past (80s), BoomBags start to emerge in the market recently.

BoomJackets or in this case a Hoodie give the ‘Boom’ a new twist of listening to music without blocking the ears completely to stay aware about the surroundings when out on the streets.

The ‘Hood.e’ is a design concept of Tim Dubitsky who created it as a present for his nephew who walks a dangerous route to school that crosses busy thoroughfares.

As Tim observes correctly, earphones block out all sounds around us which can lead to dangerous situations and even accidents.

Tim Dubitsky didn’t release any information on how the speakers are integrated in the hoodie, if the speaker can go through washing machine or dry-cleaned cycles or if the speakers are detachable.

We put forward the design challenge to our creative readership to come up with a solution for a washing machine proof wearable speaker or a concept where the wearable speaker system can be detached during cleaning.

I can give you one hint: Nike had as part of their ACG range a CommJacket on the market for a short time (back in 2005) where the small speaker unit was attached via simple but effective snap buttons at the collar of the outdoor Jacket.

Creating wearable, detachable speaker is not as impossible as it might look at first.

Any other brainstorming ideas for a wearable speaker in clothing is very welcome in our comments

[source: core77 via Gizmodo]

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Footwear is getting another upgrade by offering multi dimensional interactivity to shoes for comfort and socializing in the real as well as the virtual world.

VectraSense Technologies, a spin-off company from MIT ‘the mother of Wearable Electronic’, launched the smartest shoe on the market called: ‘Verb for Shoe‘.

As a pioneer in the field of computerized footwear and creator of Verb for Shoe, Ronald Demon from VectraSense Technologies, said ‘We are not just selling some high tech gadget, but are providing an entire experience which includes technology.’

VectraSense does indeed have a lot of experience in computerized footwear as they brought the world its first computerized adjustable shoe back in 2000.

Since then VectraSense has worked out a cool looking 21st Century shoe that provides excellent wear comfort due to a computer controlled cushioning system. Two balloons in the shoe sole will inflate or deflate depending on the activity of the wearer. The on-shoe computer is constantly monitoring the activities, adjusting the cushion comfort on the fly in real time..

The interactivity of the Verb for Shoe does not stop here; it can interact with other wearer of Verb for Shoes to exchange personal data (if wanted). I can already imagine a social network community forming that is partly off-line and partly on-line active. More interactivity than social networks like Facebook or MySpace can offer.

The Verb for Shoe connects to a PC wirelessly so you can literally walk with them in the virtual world as well. Part of the experience VectraSense offers is to create an online platform where Verb for Sense wearer can link up and socialize in the virtual world as well as in the real world.

It’s an amazing shoe that is now available via Verb for Sense online store for a – hmmm - experience for money price of $ 699.99

For that money you get a combination of signature styling, craftsmanship, innovation, lushness and exclusivity of having the world’s first shoe leaving a mark (foot print) in the real as well as in the virtual world.

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We have seen gloves that control the iPod, that keep the fingers cozy warm in winter and that make phone calls. The next generation of gloves will have many more sensors integrated to control multiple wearable devices by lifting different fingers.

This is at least the vision of RallyPoint, a recent MIT startup, which wants to deliver innovative solutions that reliably enhance the safety and effectiveness of professional heroes: Soldiers, law enforcement officers, firemen, and rescue divers.

The glove called ‘Handwear Computer Input Device‘ (HCID), will be used as an input device for soldiers’ wearable computer systems. It has four push-button sensors sewn into its pinky finger, fourth finger, middle finger and index finger, as well as a fifth sensor on the middle finger that can act like a computer mouse.

Embedded in the backhand area are three accelerometers. The sensors are used to activate radio communications, view and navigate electronic maps, and send commands.

The glove’s functionality makes a lot of sense for the soldier in the battle field where silence is not only gold but also life saving. Being able to communicate with fellow soldiers via the wearable electronic system silently can safe lives.

Rescue personal and emergency staff will be another area to be explored for the usefulness of this concept.

Going down the time line I can see the computer game industry adopting the Handwear for even more realistic game experience after the successful adaption of the 3rd space gaming vest.

The Handwear Interactive Glove is yet another example of the emergence of a truly wearable electronic wardrobe. Gloves that control an iPod today will soon become a MacBook navigator

[via Technology Review]

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We have seen some hi-tech shoes lately so lets round of this week with another ‘technology meets shoe’ product, Alina Designs‘ LED lighted Dress Shoes.

For women, shoes like handbags are something you can never have enough. They are bought based on emotions and only as a second thought on practicality. Let’s face it ladies - that’s the truth and the truth only.

Alina Design has made LED illuminated shoes that hit exactly this sweet spot, the emotional side of buying a pair of shoes.

Each shoe has 3 LED’s red/green/blue which can be mixed to create any color shade imaginable. The LED’s are so powerful, they light up easily the floor near the shoes. One AAA battery will illuminate the heel for about 12 hours. A tiny computer controls the LEDs in each shoe to give 5 basic modes of LED cycling plus “secret” modes and “holiday” modes that the user may figure out based on some hints.

Besides the high-tech heel, the LED shoe’s upper part is fairly standard using real leather in some shoes or intricate woven transparent synthetic in others.

The Alina LED shoes are truly Hi-Tech using Chromasic™, a technology invented by Color Kinetics, which is the ‘brain’ of next generation LED lighting systems making a host of previously unimaginable applications possible. Another technology used in the heels is Smartjuice® also from Color Kinetics which is a technology that multiplexes power and data over a 2 wire circuit. That’s enough tech-speak and a lot of technology in our heels nowadays.

Alina Designs is selling this Hi-Tech shoes via their online shop starting at $85.00 and go up to $125.00. To my surprise (or actually not that much of a surprise) all except the STARRY NIGHT (left model) is out of stock. I visited the online store two days ago and found four out of six models where available. It seems the LED Shoe is a big hit.

Put your feet in the spotlight they deserve

[via trendhunter]

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I am ‘borrowing’ part of my headline from an initiative of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City which run last year an exhibition called: ‘Design for the other 90%‘.

This exhibition touched on the fact that most cutting edge technological developments are accessible to only 10% of the world population while the other 90% does not have the means to operate them because there is no electricity available in remote areas.

Addressing this issue, a team at KVA MATx under the lead of Sheila Kennedy , Principal at KVA MATx has developed a concept using textiles with integrated flexible solar panels to convert sunlight into electrical energy, providing a completely self-contained source of renewable power and light, the Portable Light.

At the time the Portable Light concept has been developed it was ‘revolutionary’ as the use of flexible solar panels was very new.

Flexible solar panels can be integrated into ‘everyday products’ like bags or blankets minimizing the materials needed to create a portable power generator. The electricity is stored in the integrated battery which drives two high brightness LEDs giving people in remote areas reading and working light after sunset or allow them to charge other essential electronic devices.

A brilliant idea that could indeed bring the other 90% of the world population delight into their homes.

Two years later, flexible solar cells in bags and even in clothing became reality as the many wearable solar products featured on talk2myShirt show.

Only, the relative high cost of flexible solar panels will make solar bags accessible to the 10% part of the population and I am afraid not to the 90% which very likely will not have the money required to buy solar bags.

Sure, a torch and a pair of batteries would be cheaper but the materials used to produce the torch are less sustainable than textiles. The batteries have to be replaced frequently and will fill up the landscape, polluting the environment.

The idea of using ‘everyday’ products like bags and upgrade them to a Solar Power generator with illumination is great. Accessible to some right now for remote camping places but not yet to the ‘Other 90%’.

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We have seen T-Shirts that sniff out Wi-Fi signals and show them on the chest. Although this might be too much geek for some it does have appeal to others (I may count myself to the ‘others’ category).

There is the other option of a more discrete Wi-Fi sniffing integrated in bags as alternative to taking out the computer only to check if a useful and strong enough signal is available.

And now we have the Wi-Fi sniffing sneaker like this upgraded Nike Dunk which is pushing the fashion boundaries very far. Never mind the style of the Nike’s, this concept sneaker has been done in 2006 so they are out of fashion by now.

The remaining question still is: does such a concept appeal to some? To anyone? Or is this creative work just demonstrating what could be done?

If a shoe would record my daily walking jogging or running profile and upload via Wi-Fi to my online tracking system, I could see the point.

If a Wi-Fi sneaker could interact with a computer game a la Wii, I do see the point for having one.

To be fair, I like the integration of the Wi-Fi indication in the sneaker. Neatly done without changing the shoes wearability nor disturbing its appearances.

The designer Stefan Dukaczewik calls his concept sneaker ASRD - ‘A Step in the Right Direction’. The ASRD sneaker is equipped with an integrated 802.11 detection unit embedded under the flap of the left shoe.

Once the pressure sensitive insole is activated, the unit scans the surrounding area for Wi-Fi signals and displays the result through LEDs.

The three LEDs on the flap enclosure represent the signal strength of any Wi-Fi signal within a 50 meter area. A blinking LED represents no signal, while a lighting LED shows that there is a signal present.

If one day those Wi-Fi sneakers become available make sure you keep them clean and avoid muddy streets or you won’t see the signal indication

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