Ecouterre » Wearable Technology

Fairy-Tale-Inspired Interactive “Weather” Gowns Made From Sun, Moon, Sky

Bridgette Meinhold — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:11 +0000

For Montreal-based designer Valerie Lamontagne, the spark of creativity can come from the most unlikely of sources. In the case of her climate-reactive dresses, Lamontagne found inspiration in “Peau d’Âne,” a French fairy tale that begins with a king’s vow to remarry only when he finds a woman who equals his late queen’s beauty and virtue. Pressed to find a new wife, he concludes that his daughter alone qualifies. (Quel scandale!) The princess delays the wedding by demanding impossible prenuptial gifts, including three dresses made from moonbeams, sunlight, and the sky. Lamontagne recreates these fantastic gowns but with a high-tech twist: Each dress reacts—in real time—to changing weather conditions.

Read the rest of Fairy-Tale-Inspired Interactive “Weather” Gowns Made From Sun, Moon, Sky

Generate Your Own Electricity With the Dandelion Wearable Windmill

Brit Liggett — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:00:50 +0000

As far as wearable technologies go, the Dandelion portable windmill is more than a load of hot air. Designed by Mary Huang and Jennifer Kay—and constructed using 99 percent reclaimed materials—this quirky structure is as practical as it is elegant: It creates its own energy while you’re walking or standing outside on a gusty day.

Read the rest of Generate Your Own Electricity With the Dandelion Wearable Windmill

“Singing” Silk Sari Comes Embedded With MP3 Player, Microspeakers

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:17 +0000

Tradition, meet technology. One Indian designer has taken the sari (or saree), the time-honored garment of South Asian women, into the digital age with the creation of the world’s first “singing sari.” The “Swaramadhuri,” which literally translates as “singing silk sari,” as envisioned by P. Mohan, comes equipped with eight embedded microspeakers on its border. On the loose edge of the fabric, which is usually draped over one shoulder, sits a small 2GB MP3 player that can play up to 200 songs continuously for four hours.

+ The Hindu

[Via UberGizmo]

Emotion-Sensing Dress Emits Mood-Enhancing Aromas, Pheromones

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:00:08 +0000

Too shy to show your object of affection how much you care? Let your dress do the talking—or sniffing, as it were. Jennifer Tillotson’s Smart Second Skin Dress interacts with its wearer’s changing moods by releasing atomized bursts of fragrance—or more precisely, a “rainbow symphony of aromas”—in response to different emotional triggers. This personal “scent bubble,” which purports to regulate your emotional and physiological state, is designed to promote relaxation, alleviate depression, boost self-esteem, or simply telegraph your amorous intensions.

Read the rest of Emotion-Sensing Dress Emits Mood-Enhancing Aromas, Pheromones

Singer Imogen Heap’s “Twitter Dress” Takes Fans to the Grammys

Yuka Yoneda — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:00:42 +0000

Photo by Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Love Twitter? You might be a Twitterholic if you’re compelled to tweet #everystepyoutake. Like @theGrammys.…from your dress. Case in point: British singer Imogen Heap, who showed up at the music awards in a crazy-amazing “Twitdress,” complete with a giant flashing necklace that scrolled real-time tweets from her fans.

Read the rest of Singer Imogen Heap’s “Twitter Dress” Takes Fans to the Grammys

“Augmented Reality” Sneakers by Adidas Unlock 3-D Virtual World

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:00:42 +0000

For the shoemakers at Adidas, plain ol’ reality is a snooze-inducing yawnfest. Its Augmented Reality Shoe Game Pack, a collection of five “experiential” men’s sneakers due in select Champs Sports and Eastbay stores this month, is designed to kick things up a notch by placing a three-dimensional virtual world at your finger…uh…toe tips.

Read the rest of “Augmented Reality” Sneakers by Adidas Unlock 3-D Virtual World

Shoes That Tweet (Yes, Really!)

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:00:52 +0000

You’ve MySpaced, Facebooked, Plurked, and Tumblred. Tweeting your life in 140 characters or less was only the next logical move. But if all this public posturing still rates as undersharing, take heart: You can now microblog with every step you take. Ricardo Nascimento, an artist and multimedia producer from Brazil, has created the Rambler, a pair of sensor-equipped sneakers that tracks movement and then blabs about it on Twitter.

Read the rest of Shoes That Tweet (Yes, Really!)

Asus Unveils Waveface Ultra, A Web-Connected Smartphone Bracelet

Jasmin Malik Chua — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:00:18 +0000

If information is your drug, consider Asus an enabler of the worst kind. The electronics maker unveiled a family of conceptual, data-gathering devices at the Consumers Electronic Show on Tuesday, including the Waveface Ultra, an Internet-ready smartphone you can snap around your wrist like a bracelet or watch. And if a flexible OLED wristband that streams information 24/7 isn’t cool enough for you, get this: You control it by gesturing with your fingers. Click below the fold for a video demo that will have you rattling your kids’ piggy banks for change.

Read the rest of Asus Unveils Waveface Ultra, A Web-Connected Smartphone Bracelet

High-Tech Jacket Turns Video Gameplay into a Massage For a Friend

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:00:46 +0000

Oh your aching back—if only your significant other would throw the same zeal into working out those knots as he (or she) does dodging AK-47s in the latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto. (How many cars are there left to steal, anyway?) Avoid potential domestic altercations with the Massage Me, an electronics-embedded jacket that turns your back into a game controller.

Read the rest of High-Tech Jacket Turns Video Gameplay into a Massage For a Friend

Top 7 Wearable Technology Concepts of 2009 (Vote for the Coolest!)

Jasmin Malik Chua — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:41:44 +0000

Personal Jetsons-esque jet packs not withstanding, you only need to take a gander at these brilliant examples of wearable technology for proof that the future has arrived. Although pie-in-the-sky concepts like kinetically powered music players and solar-powered beanies abounded this year, we teased out the best ideas that had working prototypes already in place. (Some, like Zegna’s solar-powered jacket and Sonic Fabric’s cassette-tape fedoras are even available for purchase.) Have an inkling of what the next big thing is likely to be? Cast your vote below!

Read the rest of Top 7 Wearable Technology Concepts of 2009 (Vote for the Coolest!)