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Researchers create high-speed electronics for your skin
Make no mistake, today's wearables are clever pieces of kit. But they can be bulky and restricted by the devices they must be tethered to. This has led engineers to create thinner and more powerful pieces of wearable technology that can be applied directly to the skin. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led by Zhenqiang "Jack" Ma, have developed "the world's fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits," that could let hospitals apply a temporary tattoo and remove the need for wires and clips.
Elastic 'second skin' could treat extreme conditions
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.
Navigate your smartwatch by touching your skin
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.
Extra-thin LEDs put a screen on your skin
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.
Artificial skin grows hair and sweat glands
You've probably seen artificial skin before, but never has it been quite so... accurate. Japanese researchers have grown skin tissue that not only includes hair follicles, but all the glands that come with it -- including oil and sweat glands. The trick was to take cells from mouse gums, turn them into stem cell-like forms that generate skin, and implant those into mice with immune system deficiencies (which lets the new skin grow unimpeded). The resulting skin was a little creepy -- just look at the wart-like growth above -- but it was healthy, behaved normally and made connections with natural tissue.
Way is the smart skin sensor nobody needs
For a lot of people, devoting their life in a quest to look forever young is probably a bit too much effort, which is why a device like Way exists. Way is a semi-wearable sensor that monitors the moisture levels in your skin and reports that information to your smartphone. In addition, the donut-shaped gizmo sniffs out the local humidity and UV levels, giving you up-to-the-minute information on looking after your skin.
Stretchable square of rubber doubles as a keyboard
There's a whole branch of science that's dedicated to turning flexible surfaces into sensors that can be used as an artificial substitute for skin. These materials could then be used to give robots a sense of touch, or even to restore feeling for people with artificial prostheses. Researchers at the University of Auckland have taken the concept in a slightly different direction after building a square of soft, stretchable rubber that pulls double-duty as a keyboard. It's hoped that the technology can be used to create foldable, rollable input devices, which reminds us of Nokia's twisty-stretchy phone concept from way back when.
Stanford researchers make artificial skin that senses touch
A team from Stanford University might have made a breakthrough that could change the lives of people with missing limbs. Researchers have developed an artificial substitute for skin that is capable of sensing when it is being touched and sending that data to the nervous system. It's hoped that technology like this could be used to build futuristic prostheses that could be wired into the nervous systems of amputees. In addition, not only will these people be able to know if they're touching something, they'll also know how much pressure is being used.
Squid skin could help make color-changing gadgets
Not happy with the color of your clothes and devices? Eventually, you might get to change those hues on a whim. UC Santa Barbara researchers have discovered that the color-changing California market squid (aka opalescent inshore squid) manages its optical magic thanks to the presences of protein sequences that let it create specific light reflections. If scientists can recreate those proteins in artificial structures, it'd be easy to change colors at a moment's notice. This could be useful for camouflage and near-invisibility, but scientists note that the squid's colors are as vivid as "paintings by Monet" -- to us, that suggests wearables that can stand out when you want them to, or blend in when you'd rather go low-key.
The new Unreal Engine will bring eerily realistic skin to your games
It hasn't been hard to produce realistic-looking skin in computer-generated movies, but it's much harder to do that in the context of a game running live on your console or PC. That trip to the uncanny valley is going to be much easier in the near future, though, thanks to the impending arrival of Unreal Engine 4.5. The gaming framework adds subsurface light scattering effects that give digital skin a more natural look. Instead of the harsh visuals you normally get (see the pale, excessively-shadowed face at left), you'll see softer, decidedly fleshier surfaces (middle and right). The scattering should also help out with leaves, candle wax and other materials that are rarely drawn well in your favorite action games.
Engineers develop damage-detecting 'skin' for airplanes
Modern aircraft require lots of ground checks to ensure they're safe to fly, but researchers at BAE Systems believe they've found new hi-tech way to minimize that down time. Using tens of thousands of micro-sensors, the aerospace giant has developed a new type of "smart skin" that can detect damage and report back health statistics to its operator. BAE says the experimental coating might sense wind speed, temperature, movement and strain in the same way that human skin detects and sends impulses back to the brain, reducing the need for personnel to make physical inspections on the ground. On top of that, maintenance crews could also replace parts before they become unsafe or inefficient. While its new smart skin is still very much in development, BAE reckons it can shrink its self-powered sensors down to the size of a grain of rice and then spray them onto new or existing aircraft like paint. Planes with feelings, it appears, won't just be limited to animated Disney films.
3D printing shows why sharks are so deadly efficient
A shark's fearsome teeth don't end in its mouth, as its skin is also made up of millions of sharp, microscopic "denticles." That roughness helps sharks slip through the water more efficiently by reducing drag, but how exactly? To better understand, Harvard researchers studied a Mako shark's skin, then figured out how to 3D print a simulated version onto a flexible substrate (see below). As expected, the faux sharkskin reduced drag significantly at slower speeds, but surprisingly increased drag in faster currents. After adding a simulated swimming motion, however, efficiency improved dramatically -- showing that denticles only work in concert with a shark's sinuous movement. All that helps them swim seven percent faster and burn six percent less energy than if their skin was smooth. That might not seem like a lot, but let's see you hunt down and kill a seal with your bare teeth. (A decoy seal is pictured above.) [Image credit: Discovery Channel]
Fitbit has received nearly 10,000 reports of skin irritation from Force owners
Fitbit kicked off a refund program last month after learning its Force activity tracker caused skin irritation in a "small percentage" of users, and now we're finally getting a better sense of the situation. According to the official recall notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the company received around 9,900 reports of skin irritation and around 250 reports of blistering. The notice also points out that the recall affects about 1 million of the wearables in the United States and about 28,000 more in Canada. So what happens next? Well, the CPSC's stance is clear: contact the company and take the money.
Wii U Famicom skin dresses your WiiPad in red and gold
Datel Japan will start selling the aluminum WiiPad Famicom faceplate pictured above at the end of July for ¥1,980, roughly $20. If you're looking to play some old NES games while your WiiPad looks the part, Nintendo officially launched the Virtual Console on Wii U at the end of April. The initial launch list is pretty slim, but Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory's beloved SNES RPG, Earthbound, is on the way.
Leaked HTC Sense 5 screenshots suggest a leaner, cleaner skin
Did yesterday's uncertain glimpse at a new HTC phone leave you wanting? Then grab a tray and find a seat, because the right-hand image above comes from XDA developer mdeejay, who claims to have a working port of the forthcoming Sense 5 skin. On the left, we've stuck up a Sense 4+ lockscreen to highlight how the new UI feels much leaner, cleaner and flatter -- following much the same trend as Android itself. The 3D ring pull is gone, for starters, and the time and weather widgets also have a calmer and less skeuomorphic feel, with what looks like a thinner font (Roboto condensed?). These same widgets carry over to the apps screen, shown after the break (Sense 5 on the right), which in turn shows off fresh icons that persist with the minimalist flavor. Head over to the XDA link below for the full screenshot buffet.
Female avatars are likely to be more exposed than their male counterparts
You really needed to be told this, right? You may not have been sure whether a lady-type avatar was more likely to be closer to naked than a manly-type avatar. If you were dying to know and really had no idea, there's an actual study now to get you all informed. Anna M. Lomanowska and Matthieu J. Guitton went into Second Life and examined 404 (192 male and 212 female) avatars of the humanoid-but-not-furry type. They found that 57% of lady-type avatars had less than half of their skin covered, compared to only 10% of masculine-type avatars being similarly exposed. Lomanowska and Guitton were not privy to the actual sex of the folks controlling the avatars. Do you feel enlightened?
Oppo Ulike 2 goes on sale in China with 5MP front-facing camera and free toothpicks
Last month, tucked in alongside news of the 1080p Find5, we got word of another, less macho Oppo phone coming to China -- the Ulike 2. This Ice Cream Sandwich-based handset went on sale today for the equivalent of $370, and you don't have to be in love with its ladyphone ways to acknowledge that it at least tries something different. Its front-facing camera rocks a full 5-megapixel resolution, putting the HTC One X+'s vanity cam to shame, while a countdown timer and a bunch of beautification filters (including face slimming and skin whitening) try to make all that extra detail work in your favor. The other specs are mediocre at best, including the 960 x 540, 4.5-inch LCD and 16GB of non-expandable storage, but Oppo is hardly alone in its views on what women want.
MediaPortal 1.3 hits beta, scores new Titan UI, preliminary Windows 8 support
After simmering in its second alpha stage for roughly two weeks, MediaPortal 1.3 has hit the beta phase with a trio of newly-minted looks. The Titan skin spruces up the open source media player's interface with fresh visuals designed for folks with 1080p 16:9 displays. If you're worried about the new look harshing your plugin mellow, the Titan Extended option already plays nice with a handful of add-ons: OnlineVideos, MovingPictures, MP-TvSeries, My Films, Fanart Handler, Latest Media Handler, Trakt, InfoService and the Extensions plugin. Those who'd rather not make the leap to the brand-spanking-new skin can take advantage of refreshed Default and DefaultWide themes instead. In addition to the new coat of paint, the Beta adds preliminary support for Windows 8, which is scheduled to mature in the final version. Thanks to Last.fm's about face on free API access, the music service's plugin has been nixed, but it might return for Last.fm subscribers. For the full changelog and instructions on migrating to the latest test release, hit the bordering source link.
Huawei shows off early version of Emotion UI for Android, packs a 'stock' skin too (hands-on)
Huawei didn't have any new hardware to show during its packed press conference, but it did have an early version of its Emotion UI skin for Android devices. Aiming to make its smartphone experience a little gentler for first-timers, while offering up a slightly different flavor of Google's OS, Huawei's been polling its customers, running user experience salons and meeting regular groups of between 40 - 70 consumers to understand what was working -- and what was definitely not. To this end, the company's "driven [itself] crazy" by keeping to a tight schedule and releasing iterative updates every two weeks (at least for beta) and monthly for stable builds. %Gallery-163873%
Harvard scientists grow human cells onto nanowire scaffold to form 'cyborg' skin
Growing human tissue is old hat, but being able to measure activity inside flesh is harder -- any electrical probing tends to damage the cells. But a new breakthrough from Harvard researchers has produced the first "cyborg" tissue, created by embedding functional, biocompatible nanowires into lab-grown flesh. In a process similar to making microchips, the wires and a surrounding organic mesh are etched onto a substrate, which is then dissolved, leaving a flexible mesh. Groups of those meshes are formed into a 3D shape, then seeded with cell cultures, which grow to fill in the lattice to create the final system. Scientists were able to detect signals from heart and nerve cell electro-flesh made this way, allowing them to measure changes in response to certain drugs. In the near-term, that could allow pharmaceutical researchers to better study drug interaction, and one day such tissue might be implanted in a live person, allowing treatment or diagnosis. So, would that make you a cyborg or just bionic? We'll let others sort that one out.
