Imagination Factory

Louis Vuitton The flirtations between technology and high fashion have never been very comfortable, the former's mass-market ethos clashing with the latter's exclusivity. That fact hasn't deterred  Louis Vuitton  from launching its own premium Android Wear device, the Tambour Horizon, produced with help from Qualcomm and Google. Speaking of mass-market, the Horizon uses the same Snapdragon Wear 2100 gear you'll find in watches from  LG ,  Gameband ,  Armani ,  Guess  and  Montblanc . The hardware is reasonably familiar, too, with a 42mm case standing 12.5mm off your wrist and packing a 1.2-inch AMOLED, 390 x 390 touchscreen. Rounding out the spec list is a 300mAh battery that's paired with 521MB RAM and 4GB storage. One notable admission is the lack of an optical heart rate monitor from the underside of the case, but perhaps exertion, or caring about one's health, is not something the bourgeoise do. The Horizon runs Android We...

    Sponsored Links by Taboola Are You Living Well? The Financialist’s Lifestyle Guide Will Show You How The Financialist by Credit Suisse Why Entrepreneurs Are Essential To The Global Economy Financial Times Essential News and Analysis for Worldly Investors: Read The Financialist The Financialist by Credit Suisse Just moments ago, I was flying like a hawk. It wasn't a dream, or even virtual reality. It was a real, immersive experience fully under my control. Moments later, I'm very much on the ground, poking at some dense, tangled shrubbery with a stick. I had been operating a tiny camera-equipped mini-quadcopter, via video goggles that beam the drone's eye-view right into your peepers. It's known as "first-person view" (FPV) flying, and it's an incredibly fun out-of-body experience. Imagine being shrunk to the size of an ant and sitting in a virtual cockpit and you'l...

Of all the reasons  exoskeletons  aren't widespread, weight is one of the biggest. Even the  slickest designs  still tend to need bulky machinery. Not at Carnegie Mellon University, however -- its researchers have  developed  an exoskeleton clutch mechanism that barely weighs anything. Their Electroadhesive Clutch, as the name suggests, relies on  electrostatic adhesion  between specially coated electrode sheets to control spring movement. At 0.05 ounces per pair, it's 30 times lighter than existing clutches, and uses up to 750 times less power. Even if you had hundreds of clutches, the robotic assistance would take a huge strain off your body. And did we mention that there's three times as much torque density? The technology has the potential to help the disabled and rehabilitating get some mobility without having to deal with a large, heavy reminder of their conditions. However, it could also be helpful for robots, where ev...

Sometimes, abandoned medical technology gets a shot at redemption. MIT, Living Proof and Olivo Labs have  discovered  that Strateris, an elastic "second skin" treatment that was only briefly on the market, could be very useful for softening the blow of serious skin conditions like eczema or  psoriasis . The material, which you apply in two steps through creams or gels, traps moisture extremely well -- perfect for very itchy skin. It doesn't have the drawbacks of the usual topical solutions, either. It can last for at least a full day, won't smudge off and can stretch over 250 percent before returning to its original state. It could have more cosmetic purposes as well. While Strateris was originally limited to taking care of skin under the eye, it could also be used to tighten wrinkles and disguise wounds across the body. This second skin has limits -- it's currently expensive, and won't work with makeup. If it goes back into service, thou...

Smartwatches walk a fine line between functionality and fashion, but new SkinTrack technology from Carnegie Mellon University's Future Interfaces Group makes the size of the screen a moot point. The SkinTrack system consists of a ring that emits a continuous high-frequency AC signal and a sensing wristband that goes under the watch. The wristband tracks the finger wearing the ring and senses whether the digit is hovering or actually making contact with your arm or hand, turning your skin into an extension of the touchscreen. The tech is so precise that you're able to use the back of your hand to dial a phone number, draw letters for navigation shortcuts, scroll through apps, play Angry Birds or select an item from a list. Researchers at the Future Interfaces Group say the tech is 99 percent accurate when it comes to touch. "As our approach is compact, non-invasive, low-cost and low-powered, we envision the technology being integrated into future smartwatches, support...

The University of Tokyo, Someya Group Organic Transistor Lab Eventually,  wearable displays  might be so thin that they effectively blend into your skin. University of Tokyo researchers have  developed  an optoelectronic skin whose polymer LEDs and organic photodetectors are so thin (3 micrometers) that they practically blend in with your body. If it weren't for the thin film needed to attach the display in the first place, it'd look like a tattoo. The technology more efficient than previous attempts at these skins, running several days at a time, and it's durable enough that it won't break as you flex your limbs. As you might have gathered, the current hardware is a bit crude. The prototype you see above doesn't do more than tell you your blood oxygen concentration levels. However, the scientists are dreaming big. They see a day where runners could have fitness data on their hands, or workers could put diagrams on their wrists. In that sense, ...