There’s been some cool advancements in sonar technology in the past few years, but nothing compares to this. Grathio Labs has readied its Tacit. This device could single handily revolutionize how the blind deal with their surroundings. Why? The Tacit is a hand-mounted sonar device.
The system works using ultrasonic sensors that are mounted to a device that the user simply holds in their hand. Dangerous objects are sent to the user via an Arduino-controlled controller and the end result is smooth sailing in the walking department. The device lets the user know if objects are close by squeezing around their hand, which seems more elegant than letting out a beep or something.
The whole thing is powered simply by a 9V battery. Of course, it’s a ways off from being available ..read more
Posted in: Eyewear, Grathio Labs, Sound
It aint over til the fat lady sings, a wiseman once said. That man may have to append that theory to “it aint over til the fat lady sings, rubs gel on her throat, then sings again.” That’s because scientists at Harvard and MIT are hard at work on a vocal cord gel that will be used to give stricken folks their voices back.
The synthetic gel, known as polyethylene glycol (PEG), is super flexible and actually acts a lot like real vocal cords. How does it work? Well, you have to, um, inject it, eek, into your damned vocal cords. Ok, that sounds like an unpleasant process but the results are very pleasant indeed. It restores the voice by mimicking the elasticity of vocal cords and helping restore vibration.
This is ..read more
Posted in: Safety, Sound
This one is for all of you harboring fantasies of one day becoming Daredevil. Hebrew University’s Yissum Research Development Company has developed a cane that creates a sonar image of your surroundings. This, obviously, will be a boon to blind people.
It works sort of like a flashlight, only it emits sonar pulses instead of light. The pulses then let you know what kind of objects are surrounding you and where they are. You wave it around and when it picks up an object or a surface in its beam it vibrates. Depending on the strength and consistency of the vibrations, you may be in a solitary space or surrounded by objects and people. Not a bad little gadget.
There’s also nothing stopping us sighted folks from getting one. After all, we ..read more
Posted in: Accessories, Sound
Headphones are great. Who doesn’t love music? But headphones usually lack the ability to talk to your bud inbetween songs. Not anymore, if Marshall has their way. The company’s updated line of their Major series of headphones features an in-line mic that lets you do your gab thing between cranking some major tuneage.
This is the same old Major headphone that turned heads last year, only this time it features a nicely done in-like microphone. This microphone also comes with an accompanying remote.
The whole shebang will set you back $119, which is about $20 more than the units used to cost. Just twenty bucks for an in-like microphone? Sign us up!
Posted in: Marshall, Sound
Hats are cool. Hats are nice. Hats not usually MIDI-enabled. Designers Anna Obikane and Sunny Oh are changing that, however. The duo have created a MIDI-based hat that can let you jam with the best of them.
The hats were created with wool felt. The duo then embedded each hat with pressure sensors to control sound clips and a series of fuzzy balls that handled volume. The Lilypad Arduino microcontroller board handles the electronics and the rest is up to the user’s imagination.
This is, of course, just a concept design for now. Want to see the hat in action? Click here.
Posted in: Hats, Sound
Headsets. Some deliver music. Some deliver safety from motorcycle accidents. Some purport to one day curing cancer. Wait, what? That is the technology behind Perfusion Technology’s new headset concept. The start up says ultrasound, which can be delivered by the headset, can be an effective way to break through the brain/blood barrier. This is some heady doctory stuff. Can it work?
Maybe. This headset is designed to deliver low-intensity ultrasound therapy to the entire brain over the course of extended treatment periods. Doctors and scientists this could come to change the way we look at ultrasound as a means of delivering a variety of medical treatments.
Of course, this tech is new. As such, it needs some heavy duty testing before it will be delivered into the world like a proud, energetic ..read more
Posted in: Concept Design, Hats, Sound, perfusion technology
The war-gadget arsenal continues to grow and grow. The latest entry in the government’s attempt to seamlessly merge video games and the horrors of war is the Individual Gunshot Detector, brought to in a joint effort by the US Army and a company called QinetiQ.
What does it do? Well it comes packed in with an acoustic monitor, that is especially tuned to the sound of approaching bullets. It comes with a wearable display that lets the soldier know where the bullets emanated from, and thus, how to avoid them. Gee, that actually sounds pretty cool. Let’s consider the paintball and even football implications. Receivers could wear them and go toward the sound!
13,000 of these units are being shipped to Afghanistan this month, with an additional lot of 1,500 to be sent there ..read more
Posted in: Environmental Monitoring, Sound
Lullabelly is a soft speaker laden band that pumps your favorite tunes right to your unborn child. Connect your 3.5mm jack to any music source you desire and let the 60 to 80 decibels shower your baby. Hey if you want to join in there are extra ports for the earbuds too.
Similar items have come out in the past like the Bellysonic belt. So if you want to share your terrible playlist with a defenseless baby, here is your chance. Rock on.
Posted in: Belts, Lullabelly, Sound, Techno Fashion
Well if you want to feel like you are Tom Hanks in the movie Big, here is your chance but with your hands! Another fascinatingly bizzare device, these Piano Hand Gloves play piano notes when tapped on to a hard surface. For $49.99 your fingertips can make music. Awesome.
Posted in: Button/Switch, Gloves, Sound
Nike just launched its Nike+ SportBand. This band shows you your distance, pace, running time, and calories burned when mated with a Nike+ running shoe. Unlike GPS based units this one can be used indoor also.This latest version is water resistant, easier to read display and comes in many colors. This device also links to iPod Nano, Touch or iPhone to hear your data as you run. This is nifty for a mere $59.00.
Posted in: Armbands, Display, Nike, Sound, Sports, Sportswear, Vitals Monitoring, Wearable Computing, iPhone Integration, iPod Integration
