So maybe your stress level isn't sky high just yet, but even after an extended weekend, all it takes is that one email to get you right back where you were last Wednesday. As if you really needed something to tell you that (and if you don't have time to wait for Sweety to become a reality), a host of researchers have created a sensor-laden vest that will be able to inform wearers just how stressed they are. Developed as part of the EU's CONTEXT project, this sure-to-be-hip vest packs ultra-sensitive electrodes which register changes in muscle tension as individuals get more and more stressed, and in theory, letting someone know what's happening will allow them to simmer down before they further jeopardize their health (and the livelihood of colleagues, if you dig). Eh, we still prefer the Dr. Whippy method, honestly.

[Via Talk2MyShirt, thanks Tony]

Are you a hardcore gamer? No, seriously -- a hardcore gamer. If so, you should have no qualms throwing down $169 for TN Games' FPS Vest now that it's available for order. The entire bundle includes an "impact-generating" wearable, an air compressor, USB cable, power supply and copies of 3rd Space Incursion and Call of Duty 2 for PC. Just don't wander too far outside of your house with this thing on, alright?

[Via CNET]

We're going to stop teasing TR Games about their motto – "get pounded on your own terms" – just long enough to give you all some info on its 3rd Space G-Force/Racing Vest and HXT helmet, first announced last week. The less puerile amongst you may also not be interested in donning a fashionably dubious vest or helmet while playing your video games, but for the rest of you/us, check out these specs: 6 large force cells are placed in the vest, with 2 in the back, 2 in the chest, and 2 more along the compression straps, all engineered to deliver that totally pleasurable experience of being hurtled at high velocity; the helmet has four cells for "head shots" with air jets over each ear for "near misses." Weird. Developers will need to build in support for the vest and helmet into their products using a freely available SDK but, something tells us, adoption will be sparse. We'll know more when the GFR Vest is released, in red and white, in mid-2008. There's no date for the helmet and no price for either, but you can check out a pic of the HXT after the break.

Over at the E for All Expo, doctor Mark Ombrellaro is demonstrating a medical feedback vest altered so that it works with video games. When an in-game character gets hit or shot, the gamer wearing the vest feels "pneumatic thumps" to their torso. Originally designed for remote medical inspections for prisoners and the elderly, the "3rd Space" vest will cost $189 when it launches in November, and will include an unspecified version of Call of Duty, along with a custom title. TN Games, the company that is suiting up the vest for gamers, plans on launching a version of the vest to simulate G-Forces for flight sims and racers later on next year.

Air conditioned clothing is far from new, but thanks to Entrak, now the civilians in the crowd can don their own AC-equipped vest -- if you don't mind getting stared at while out in public, that is. The aptly-named ventilationVest is dubbed a "personal climate system" wrapped inside of an otherwise vanilla polyester vest, and reportedly utilizes "two battery-powered ventilation units concealed in its side pockets to circulate air" through a permeable liner. Additionally, the vest weighs just under three-pounds with all the gadgetry strapped in, and can purportedly keep a fresh breeze flowin' for a whopping eight hours sans a recharge. Unfortunately, there's no word on how much this fan-filled article will run you, and yes, it looks like that clashtastic blue will be your only color choice when ordering.

[Via MedLaunches]

Air-conditioned vests have certainly graced the bodies of armed men and women before, but an elusive new breed is being tested in the multi-million dollar Spinnaker Building at the University of Portsmouth to ensure that it'll keep soldiers cool from the brutal conditions in Iraq. Scientists at the school weren't at will to disclose all the nitty gritty details about the classified gear, but we do know that these bad boys utilize "a combination of air, liquid, and new applications of old technologies such as converting paraffin wax into liquid in chambers within the vests to absorb heat from the body." The gist of the testing is to create a suit that actually improves one's ability to make sound judgments while in the field and under extreme conditions, and it was also mentioned that a mysterious US defense contractor is hoping to tweak these and have 'em out "within one to two years." Now, if only these things were available en masse for our poor laps, we'd really be in business.

[Via Gizmag]

Although glitzy, stat-filled jerseys are certainly sufficient ways to get information off your chest (ahem), a new vibrating vest could give "body language" an entirely new meaning. Joining the air-conditioned and insulating renditions, this snazzy vest features a "tactile display" on the back, which is created by 16 small vibrating motors that are connected to an internal wireless control unit. The jacket "writes symbols and messages on its wearer's back," and while the actual writing resembles Braille more than text, it can supposedly be used to "send important commands to soldiers or firefighters, warning them of imminent danger when ordinary radios cannot be used." Commands are beamed to the vests via a wirelessly-enabled computer, and can stealthily inform platoons to stop, look in a specific direction, run, or slow down. The US Army is partially funding the research, as it hopes to investigate different ways to communicate when hand signals and / or radio transmissions aren't effective. During initial testing, results have shown nearly flawless interpretation by participants, and while we're not exactly sure when we can expect rumble-equipped gear to grace our armed forces, the problem of "excess noise from the motors" has to be quelled before hitting the battlefield.

[Via BoingBoing]