Positive Technology Journal

A Finnish IST International Security Technology has developed a well-being wristband called Vivago™, which analyses and transmits information on the user's level of activity and notifies if any deviations from normal occur. The wristband is intended to allow elderly or chronically ill person to continue independent living securely at home.

When using the wristband for the first time, it measures the user's normal level of activity. Later on, if the wristband observes anything that deviates from the normal level of activity, it automatically sends a notification to the recipient of alarms, which may be a community nursing centre.

Wow. This is really cool stuff. The Accupix MP glass MPG-230A Video Glasses and portable player are maybe the best example of next-generation virtual reality systems. This technology enables the vision of "mobile presence": your body is in a physical space, but your mind is somewhere else. Imagine you're on the tube, bored and frustrated. Wou desperetely desire to escape from there, and experience five minute of peaceful relax. You have just to wear your portable immersive headset, and bon voyage.

There are many Positive applications that we can imagine using this technology, ranging from "traditional" virtual-reality based treatment to mobile telemedicine applications.

The system is also quite affordable (649$) as compared to traditional HMD.

If you want to know more, read the technical review by Ken Wold for I4U:

Overview Fun, cool, private, advanced, high-tech, mobile, futuristic and state-of-the-art. These are just a few words to describe this hip and, what I call, cortex stimulating theater injectors. It’s the Matrix without the pain. Hey, DARPA, you might want to give Accupix a call for ideas! Guess what? You need a pair of these to keep out the rest of the world and immerse yourself in your own. View games, DVD, movies, PMP/PVR, VCR, TV and other sources of audio/video on your 30” theater right in front of those ole’ peepers while feeling like you’re relaxing in your favorite chair at six feet (2m). You can be selfish, for once, and not let anyone see what you’re watching (tell your boss you’re viewing your latest PowerPoint presentation of other work). Always wished you could just watch/listen to those R and XXX movies, raunchy comedy broadcasts and photos without feeling embarrassed in addition to your favorite shows, music and/or data/computer files? Well, strap these bad boys on and never worry about those around bothering you or seeing what flashing in front of those eyes of yours. Think you might be viewed as a “geek” with them on? Think again. You’ll be the attention-getter wherever you go. I don’t think of myself as a techno geek and with the video glasses on, I feel just fine thank you. The only thing I see and feel around me are those vibes of jealousy and wishing they had these themselves. It’s great, sometimes, to just totally tune out the world and, wow, what a world to go into for that escape.

From Gizmodo

I4U has a few details on an impressively lightweight LCD screen from Scalar Corp. that can be mounted on ordinary glasses that weighes a scant seven grams. The screen offers a simulated 14-inch screen with 180,000 pixels (roughly television resolution). It's not terribly expensive, either, at just $460 or so.

Tognetti and his collaborators at The Interdepartmental Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, have recently developed a wearable kinesthetic system for capturing upper limb movements in post-stroke rehabilitation. In this system (see picture below), a lycra shirt has been equipped with a sensing apparatus. Sensors have been spread on the fabric by employing an electrically conductive elastomer.

This material does not change the mechanical characteristics of the fabric preserving the wearability and it confers to the fabric piezoresistive properties related to mechanical solicitations.

Read the full article recently published on the Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation

From Eyetop web-site

The EYETOP DVD personal video entertainment system gives you the freedom to watch your favorite DVD’s while you are commuting, waiting for a plane, or just relaxing in your easy chair. The high quality private image is like having your own personal home theatre…on the go. Imagine watching a favorite video while at the same time being able to move about….a walkabout video system!

Relaxing at home, commuting, flying, or even in a car*: you can now watch your favorite movie anytime! Just wear and watch! Eyetop DVD is the first video player that you can use as a simply as your favorite portable audio player: lightweight, fully portable and easily storable. Just choose your favorite movie, put your eyetop glasses on anywhere, and enjoy!

The system is preconnected and assembled in a ready to use format, just add batteries and presto….your own private video entertainment system.

Eyetop DVD, is first of all a DVD player as small as a CD player. Compact and powerful, it can read almost any disc format, DVD+ & - R & RW, MP3 and CDs and even Kodak photo cds. . With 4 hours of use, you can watch 2 movies without recharging the battery!

The EYETOP video glasses and DVD player may also be used separately. The EYETOP video glasses will accept any standard video input from a camcorder, video game, VCR or whatever. Just think how much more exciting video gaming can become wearing EYETOP video glasses. You can also plug the DVD player directly to the video composite input of your TV set (yellow plug) and turn it into a miniature table top multiformat DVD player.

The video image in the EYETOP video glasses is quickly optimized by easy vertical and horizontal adjustments. And there is a focus control for crystal clear sharp imagery. The individual electronic control unit allows additional adjustments to color, saturation, contrast and hue, just like your big screen TV.

Eyetop DVD also has a miniaturized active matrice LCD screen and earbuds embedded in an eyewear that fits all!
Fully adjustable thanks to its 2 ergonomic settings (vertical and horizontal screen adjustment) and its 4 image settings. Discover a high definition colored screen with a size equivalent to the one of a laptop in front of you!

Enjoy your movie on this integrated screen (eyetop patented technology) and earbuds while keeping an eye on things around you.You do not need to store it when standing or walking from point to point. You can have a personal home theatre experience anywhere.

Wearable displays allow the user to visually interface with the
omnipresent digital world whilst navigating their physical
environment. It's no exaggeration to say that the SCOPO could
very well be to the eye what the I-Pod was to the ear.

Wearable computing has been bandied about for many years
and many peripheral devices are trickling onto the market that
miniaturise the desktop model of interfacing (see Gizmo articles
http://gizmo.com.au/public/News/news.asp?articleid=3173,
http://gizmo.com.au/public/News/news.asp?articleid=3042, ).

The SCOPO, however, doesn't obstruct your field of vision like
some prototype displays. Instead it uses a small LCD screen that
hangs over your eye and fills your vision, providing the illusion of
a ten inch screen from a miniature surface. The headset has
optional headphones and a small belt carried unit that contains
the silicon that creates the images on the screen.

When plugged into a cell phone, PDA or laptop with video
functionality, you can stream directly to your field of vision or vice
versa, recording footage on the fly. The SCOPO belt unit does
not contain a hard drive for storing video or computing itself.

The SCOPO is expected to cost only US $400 and the initial
takeup is expected to focus on industrial and telecommunications
companies, as well as the personal user.

As a portable and affordable digital interface for your existing
PDA or mobile computer, the SCOPO promises real time data
feeds and information that can enhance your life whilst on the
move.

That gives you access to the full gamut of online resources,
whether GPS navigational maps, yellow and white pages data,
restaurant reviews and entertainment listings, or any text, voice
and image manipulation.

It also facilitates immediacy in that you can access your software
and data as you think about it, without having to reach for your
device. In fact, the easy access headset design allows the
SCOPO to be worn as a full time interface without interfering with
your daily activities.

With an industry leader like Mitsubushi releasing a cheap and
practical wearable display, substantial market penetration should
follow as well as new cultural trends. The street finds it's own
uses for things, and with the interaction of wearable displays with
wireless internet and other emergent technologies, the digital and
biological worlds are truly beginning to merge.