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Sports

TUNE Is The Insole That Promises To Make You A Better Runner

July 16, 2015

Kinematix Tune Gate Tracker

Running is an easy way to stay fit; all you need are a pair of shoes and space to run. The problem is that most of us are never taught how to run. If you have ever run a large race you can see that this results in varied, and often usual, running gates. Not only can this cause tremendous inefficiencies in one’s stride,it can also lead to serious injuries. Proactive runners seek out coaches and physical therapy practices to analyze and help correct these issues. But if you are the type of person that is lucky to just get out for a run, these solutions might be a bit involved; wouldn’t it be great if there was something as easy as Nike+ but for your gate. A Portuguese company called Kinematix is launching a product called TUNE which promises to be just that.

The $220 system is comprised of two sensor-laden insoles, each with a small module that clips to the side of the shoe. These insoles connect with your phone via Bluetooth and work with its GPS to track a score of metrics. The associated app then analyses the data and recommends various exercises and workouts to correct issues with your stride. TUNE is designed to be worn every time you run to keep a constant record of your gate and how it changes over time. Among the data gathered are: ground-contact time, heel-contact time, strike pattern, symmetry, cadence, step length, speed, and trajectory. The Kickstarter page does a great job discussing what they are trying to solve but is surprisingly light on details of how the system will present the data or how it will help you improve. If the final product is able to provide meaningful information and foster healthy changes then it has potential, but I still would be hesitant to go too far down the path without a professional.

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by Doug Parker
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MyExposome Chemical Absorbing Bracelet
Environment

MyExposome Bracelet Absorbs Chemicals Around You

July 15, 2015

MyExposome Chemical Absorbing Bracelet

Ever wonder what sort of chemicals you are surrounding your body with day in and day out. Personally, living in a city, I try to block thoughts like that from my mind, but there is a lot of important information that could be gained from the knowledge. While many of diseases are genetic, most of them are believed to also be influenced by other factors. These include diet, exercise, and exposure to chemicals. An understanding of what chemicals are most universally present around us would allow a focussed analysis of which of them might be harmful. This is where MyExposome comes into play. The rubber-like wristbands are worn for one week and absorb any chemicals you (and it) come in contact with. At the end of the week, the bracelet is mailed back to the company where is analyzed. So far the company has performed a pilot program with 28 people. Out of the 1,400 chemicals that can be tested for (out of an astonishing 84,000 manufactured in the US), only 57 chemicals were found among the bracelets in the pilot program. Also interesting, almost everyone was exposed to at least one pesticide and one flame retardant.

The company is currently on Kickstarter, aiming to get the bracelet in more hands and to help cover the costs of testing. With a price of almost $1,000 the testing must be incredibly expensive! While the concept is excellent, the price model isn’t there. One has to wonder if they were unable to get funding or grants through other channels. Hopefully the processing costs can be driven down enough to allow for a broader sample in the future!

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by Doug Parker
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Sports

Light Up Bike Helmet Has Automatic Brake Lights

July 15, 2015

Lumps Light Up Helmet Brake Light

File this under “can’t believe this didn’t exist yet.” The incredibly clever Lumos bicycle helmet is covered with over 60 integrated LEDs. Several of these LEDs on the front and back of the helmet constantly blink to alert drivers of your presence. While this is nothing new, the magic happens when you brake: an accelerometer in the helmet senses the deceleration and turns on a brake light across the rear of the helmet. When you are done slowing down, the brake light turns off. Lumos is also equipped with turn signal lights. A small wireless toggle attaches to your bike’s handle bars. Simply hold left or right on the toggle and the appropriate turn signal lights up. Most importantly the helmet meets safety standards and impact tests (US: CPSC 16 CFR Part 1203, Europe: EN1078).

Lumos is being sold via Kickstarter (so the usually warnings apply) for $99 and is scheduled to ship in May of 2016. While not as gee-wizzy as some other bike lights, such as Revolights, Lumos is half the price and the inclusion of brake light and turn signals could be lifesaving. Would love to see the turn signal be more portable so it could be used with bike sharing services. Head past the break for a video describing the product:  

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

High Tech Friendship Bracelets Teach Girls To Program

June 27, 2015

Jewelbots Friendship Bracelet wrist

UPDATE: The Jewelbot’s Kickstarter is now live.

Providing kids with the resources and knowledge to learn to code and program is becoming viewed as more and more important, with specific emphasis being placed towards young girls. To help provide them with an easy gateway, Jewelbots has announced a high tech friendship bracelet. The Jewelbot bracelet uses Bluetooth to communicate with other Jewelbots and even the user’s phone. By simply customizing the bracelet with an assortment of if/then statements the behavior of the integrated vibration and LED can be tailored to each user.

For girls who become comfortable with the if/then statements and want to delve deeper into programming, they can use the Arduino IDE to modify the bracelet’s open source software and enable it to further interact with the phone to accomplish anything they can imagine. In an interview with FastCompany, Jewelbots’ cofounder Brooke Moreland said “We’re really trying to change the way that girls view themselves, as far as being technologically savvy.” Head past the break for a video about Jewelbots:  

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by Doug Parker
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Manufacturing

Electroloom Debuting 3D Printer For Clothes

May 20, 2015

Electroloom 3D Printer For Clothing

Electroloom is perhaps the closest thing we have seen yet to a true 3D printer for clothes. The concept is simple, insert a thin metal template into the printer and then it is showered with an electrically changed mixture of liquid polyester and cotton to produce a strong, soft, seamless garment. Currently on Kickstarter, Electroloom is not quite ready for consumers. Instead the company is borrowing the Oculus Rift model and using Kickstarter as a platform to get the device into the hands of developers and engineers, helping the company further refine the technology. The team at Electroloom thought of using an electrospinning process for creating garment from work they were doing with bioprinting blood vessels. One of the preliminary steps in printing blood vessels requires a scaffolding to be built via electrospinning. The technology needed to be re-conceptualized though to create something as large as an item of clothing. It will be interesting to see where this technology could lead. 3D printing of clothing has the potential to completely reshape an entire industry and democratize fashion. In addition to allowing anyone in the world to distribute and access garment designs, it would also help address worsening ecological and labor issues related to the manufacturing of clothing.  Without a doubt, the team at Electroloom has succeeded in creating a device that fabricates fabric based clothing on demand, though the results are still rough. It will be interesting to see how it develops! Check out the Kickstarter video after the break:  

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by Doug Parker
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Clothing

Elizabeth & Clarke Launch “Unstainable” Shirt

May 13, 2015

Elizabeth & Clarke Unstainable Shirt

It is one of the great mysteries of the world; put on a white shirt and you are guaranteed a stain will find its way onto it before the end of the day. Budget women’s fashion brand Elizabeth & Clarke has a solution with their simply named The Unstainable™ White Shirt. The shirt is currently on Kickstarter and has well exceeded its goal of $30,000. It is no big secret that hydrophobic materials are the key to making textiles resistant to liquid. The coatings work by disrupting the hydrogen bond that binds together water molecules. In order for the water molecule to maintain its structural integrity, it has to push away from the material. Thus, waterproofing is achieved. The problem is hydrophobic materials and coatings typically don’t breath and are not soft against the skin. Elizabeth & Clarke has spent 6 months researching and trialling different combinations of coatings and materials to allow silks and cottons to still feel like silks and cottons.

According to Melanie Moore, co-founder of Elizabeth & Clark, The Unstainable™ White Shirt is as soft as a pair of comfy PJs. The key to maintaining the suppleness of the fabric is liquid-repelling fibers 100,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. These fibers are applied to the textile of choice through a bathing and curing process, allowing the fabric to maintain its original breathability. The shirts maintain their hydrophobic qualities for at least two years and actually improve with ironing. They are currently available to purchase through Kickstarter: $25 for a tee and $50 for a blouse. See a very heavily produced video from Elizabeth & Clarke about the garment after the break.  

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by Doug Parker
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Crowdsource, Fashion

Trusst Uses 3D Printers To Design A New Type Of Bra

May 8, 2015

Trusst Lingerie Bra 3D Printed Support

Trusst Lingerie has designed a new type of bra aimed at offering better support to bustier women. The technology behind the bra comes from the engineering world; the two women behind the project looked at the trusses that support bridges from underneath and sought to apply the same concept to a bra. Their design relies on the ribcage for support instead of the shoulders. The company, currently Kickstarting their first production run, relied heavily on MakerBot 3D printers to prototype and design the support for the undergarment. The entire support structure was modeled on a computer and then printed. Using the 3D printer, they were able to quickly and inexpensively tweak the design and test it with a wide variety of body shapes. It is exciting to see the fashion industry find new, out-of-the-box, and unexpected uses for 3D printers, creating items that would not have been possible only a few years ago.

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by Doug Parker
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