wellness
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Genes, germs and bacon: A look inside my own DNA
There are times in your life when bad news smashes into your gut like a sledgehammer into the solar plexus. "You've got those double dots next to your CYP1A2*F, which means that we class you as a fast metabolizer." But the man on the other end of the phone was not complimenting me. Rather, he was explaining that my body can't cope with the chemicals produced by smoked or chargrilled meat. It meant that, despite my love of meat, I would have to limit myself to "just one or two servings of grilled or smoked meat per week," and even that was excessive. The news got worse when I was told that, for a similar reason, I should also avoid fried bacon -- which I eat every morning to pep up my protein-and-fat rich breakfast of eggs. My genetic makeup, the bastard, has rendered me incapable of enjoying bacon, which is a hard way to be introduced into the world of DNA fitness testing.
Art school grads use tech to tackle big issues
Brooklyn's Pratt Institute might be well known for its engineering and arts courses, but for students in its industrial design program, it's about more than making something pretty and earning a degree. The ethos of the curriculum includes "trying to solve problems of poverty, hunger, energy, health, and other troubling issues of the disadvantaged world population by design." Indeed, that philosophy was on full display at this year's graduate student showcase.
Your next Apple Watch band could warn you of a stroke
Sure, you've been rocking that metal link band for your Apple Watch since you got it, and it's fine for fashion and all, but what about its function? There's no way it could measure your heart's electrical activity. That's where the AliveCor's medical-grade Kardia band fits in. AliveCor claims the band is the first of its kind and, considering the company's heritage, the strap seems like a natural progression from its electrocardiogram phone cases.
Withings unveils a sleep-savvy clock and more Android support
Like the idea of Withings' Aura improving your sleep cycles, but don't need a $300 gadget tracking every last nuance of your slumber? You're in luck. Withings is rolling out a lower-cost device, the $190 Connected Alarm Clock, that keeps the sleep-regulating light and sound patterns while ditching the biometric sensor. And speaking of audio, both the clock and the Sleep System are getting a Spotify tie-in -- you can now use the streaming service's music catalog to fall asleep or wake up, complete with suggested playlists based on both their effectiveness and your genre tastes.
The 'Nuyu' wants to be your digital workout buddy
Health o Meter announced on Tuesday the launch of its new Nuyu line of health tracking devices and an associated mobile app. The system relies equally on the Nuyu Activity Monitor, which tracks steps, calories, distance and sleep; and connects with its counterpart Nuyu app via Bluetooth. The $48 Monitor can be worn on the wrist (with one of 8 available strap colors) or belt -- even tied to shoelaces. It displays your constantly-updated stats on a large OLED screen which is depth rated to 30 meters and runs for up to four months on a single battery. The app itself is free and available for both Android and iOS, though the data is only compatible with Apple's Health Kit.
ASUS VivoWatch review: a fitness watch with style and shortcomings
My wife often says I'm fat, but that's hardly a motivation for me to resume my exercise routine. Then the ASUS VivoWatch landed on my desk, so I had no choice but to get back on the treadmill for your amusement. To keep things short, it turns out that this fitness-centric smartwatch does have a couple of compelling features that made me interested in getting fit again -- more so than the other basic (as in no heart rate monitoring) fitness trackers that I've long left in the drawer. Also, the VivoWatch can pair with both iOS plus Android, and costs just under $150 in Taiwan, meaning it'll be going head to head with the similarly priced Fitbit Charge HR around the world. So is ASUS' first fitness device worth trying? Or should you stick to some more mature offerings? Let's take a look.
ASUS' fitness-centric VivoWatch has a 10-day battery
In our review, we became quite fond of ASUS' rather handsome ZenWatch except, perhaps, for its two-day battery that most Android Wear watches are getting these days. Apparently the company heard us loud and clear, and it's now prepping the launch of its VivoWatch to offer a more compelling 10-day battery life. While details are scarce at the moment, ASUS has so far revealed that its new fitness-centric wearable has a tough stainless steel body, an IP67 rating against dust and water, heart-rate monitoring and sleep tracking. Judging by the above picture, this new device -- which will likely not run on Android Wear -- appears to feature a power-saving black-and-white display, along with some sort of colored light indicator bar below it.
Deepak Chopra: the spiritualist as technologist
Deepak Chopra has an app. And that's about the least of the famed spiritual guru/physician/alternative-medicine advocate/friend of Oprah's technological ambitions.
Switched On: The next steps for digital wellness, part one
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Some of today's leading wearable devices are, at their core, little more than souped-up pedometers. Their once-dim monochrome LCD screens have migrated from atoms to bits that connect to the internet, allowing them to display information in a more engaging way and track it over time. They have been a big win for output, but with essentially the same input. Indiegogo in particular has been a fertile launchpad for alternative wearables for the fitness enthusiast. One has been the Push band, which measures things such as force, power and velocity for activities like weightlifting. And the impact of that might be measured by the Skulpt Aim, which tracks muscle health. Another alternative to run monitors in development is the Atlas, which includes a digital footprint of 30 different exercises for more intelligent exercise analysis.
HAPILABS launches HAPIfork Kickstarter campaign, we go hands-on and in-mouth
While the tech press was obsessively covering the onslaught of Ultra HD TVs and uncovering unlicensed celebrity headphones at CES 2013, the mainstream media were fawning over a fork. Now HAPIfork, the "smart" utensil with an altruistic mission and a healthy helping of tech baked in, is taking to Kickstarter for funding -- albeit two months later than originally reported. Starting today, the first 2,500 backers can get their hands on the Bluetooth-equipped fork for $89, with subsequent backers pitching in $99 for a device. Those who want to get in even earlier on the action can give $300 for a chance to be part of the beta program. The overall goal -- aside from getting you to masticate at a reasonable clip -- is set for $100,000 with fundraising ending May 31st. Devices are expected to ship to backers in Q3 and hit unspecified retail locations in the US and EU in Q4 this year. We got our hands (and mouths) on a prototype that HAPILABS president Andrew Carton referred to as 95 percent final. To find out how our lunch with the vibrating fork (and the Ahi Tuna) went down, check out our impressions after the break.
Samsung launches new services for the Galaxy S III: Music Hub, S Health and more
Samsung has just taken the wraps off of its highly anticipated Galaxy S III and, in a move similar to Nokia's efforts with the Lumia line, decided to package extra services and features to further differentiate itself from the competition. Mentioned onstage were the S Health "personal wellness app" and an enhanced Music Hub cloud service with access to over 17 million tracks and an iTunes Match-sounding "Scan and Match" feature. Music Hub will launch in seven countries, while the matching feature is supported in six of those. There's also a hub for Games that promises quick tie ins to social gaming and a Video Hub with TV and movies. One other new feature is support for MirrorLink enabled headunits that should bring access to all of these things even while you're driving your car. Finally, there's NFC-based mobile payment support that should get some use among visitors to the Olympic games this summer.
Oregon Scientific's App In Sports watches sync with your phone, grab apps from it
One of the many new products we spotted at Oregon Scientific's CES booth was the App In Sports range of watches. As the name suggests, these wearables can link up to your Android phone (via ANT+ wireless connection) to grab up to three app profiles, and the range of profiles available depend on the model of the watches due to their different sensors: for the RA900 (Expedition) you get cardio, weather, hiking and sleep; whereas the SE900 offers coach, running, workout and sleep. More profiles will be made available, though it's not clear whether they'll make it before or after the watches launch in a few months time. Either way, users will need to install the matching Android apps according to their watch models, but both apps can sync with the watches for exercise summary data (including heart rate, exercise time, distance and speed). Demo video after the break.
Motorola considering Nike+ SportWatch contender?
It looks like Motorola might be prepping to give the Nike+ SportWatch a run for its money. An intrepid tipster sent along a screenshot from a recent survey showing off what looks like a tricked out nano watch. Described as an "all-in-one fitness and music personal fitness device" (redundant much?) that packs a GPS for "accurate performance tracking," the as of yet unnamed gadget also sports a "smart music player" that compiles a list of songs based on the tunes that help you sweat your best. It also lets you wirelessly sync to your PC for workout analysis, and apparently does the same for Android devices. Among the possible names listed in the survey is the MotoActive, hinting at, but certainly not pinning down, Motorola branding. Of course this is just an online survey, so we wouldn't get too excited about your new running mate just yet. [Thanks, Anon]
Kinect hack enables psychedelic acupressure, far-out graphics (video)
We've seen the Kinect do some pretty wild stuff, but this "Kinected Massage" thing might just take the cake. Jason Stephens, massage therapist and grad student, has employed the ever-expanding power of Microsoft's Kinect in combination with a video projector to create "flow fields" that follow his hands on a client's body while he performs a massage. Stephens describes the process as a "technologically mediated healing modality," and while we're not sure that the Kinect actually contributes much to the relaxation process, it does make for some pretty trippy graphics. Hop on past the break and expand your mind, man.
Health care and aeronautics industries agree that FCC should set aside bandwidth for dedicated remote patient monitoring system
Mobile body area network (MBAN) technology has the potential to be a boon to the healthcare system of the future by enabling remote patient monitoring through disposable wireless devices -- meaning fewer doctor visits for everyone and great news for latrophobes. Until now, MBAN was opposed by the Aerospace & Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council (AFTRCC) because it utilizes the same radio bands that aircraft manufacturers do when they're testing new planes. AFTRCC didn't want all that medical chatter "polluting their spectrum" but decided to get on board with MBAN when the health care industry promised to create a way to stop signals that disrupt aeronautical traffic. MBAN is a part of the FCC's National Broadband Plan and purports to use short-length radio waves (not unlike Bluetooth) in the 2300 and 2400 MHz range to transmit physiological info to treating physicians -- as opposed to other patient monitors that use web-based communications. MBAN would initially be used in hospitals but could later find its way into residential use by employing home entertainment systems (Wii Fit integration, here we come!) to collect and transmit data. With the FCC expected to decide on the final rules for MBAN later this year, the Intel Health Guide may have some company in the at-home patient monitoring business. We can only hope that the next time the aeronautic and health care industries combine forces, it will take the form of jetpack-wearing doctors making house calls.
Comprehensive Intel Health Guide seeks to provide in-home health monitoring
In-home medical monitoring systems are far from new, but everyone takes notice when a firm like Intel formally announces that it's diving in headfirst. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Intel is gearing up to launch a series of trials with health-care organizations in order to "show whether the new tools bring improved results in treating conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease." More specifically, the Intel Health Guide -- which includes a "simplified computer and software system that are designed to help elderly people and other patients monitor and manage their conditions at home" -- will connect to medical equipment and then transmit that information with specified individuals (namely health professionals) over the 'net. Admittedly, the initiative is far from being implemented in non-trial form, but it should be good to go by the time you start forgetting things and kvetching about the taste of your tap water.[Via PC World]
Philips shows off health and wellness concepts at Simplicity Event
Philips' regular Simplicity Events have never seen a shortage of futuriffic concept devices in the past, and this week's event in London looks to be no exception, with it focusing on health and wellness in particular. Among the concepts on display is a 'Celebrating Pregnancy' scenario which, among other things, consists of a so-called "Presentation Bump" that allows for "4-D Baby Visualization", and a seat with an integrated scanning belt that enables "fast, hygienic scanning." Other concepts include an 'Ambient Healing Space' for patients recovering in the hospital, which includes a body sensing blanket that replaces other monitoring devices, along with a HeartStart portable heart monitor and resuscitation device, a whole 'Care for Guests' scenario, and even a newfangled espresso machine and a juicer/blender. Click on through to the gallery below for a closer look at each of those, plus a few other things Philips foresees in your future.[Via Pocket-lint] %Gallery-8985%
Sanyo massage chairs also detect lies?
Sure, there's quite a few ways to sniff out fibs for those who just can't "read" body language all that well, and there's certainly a entire market saturated with massage chairs that supposedly coax your muscles in return for a hefty sum of cash, but it looks like Sanyo's lineup of massage seats just might sport a hidden agenda. According to Sanyo's ever-descriptive website, its array of massage chairs sport "physical shape sensors, power recline, and GK roller technology" among other things, but the standout feature is the "stiffness detection sensor" that "locates areas of physical stiffness and gauges fatigue by changes in skin temperature, perspiration, and pulse." Interestingly enough, those three measurements are the things lie detection tools are made up of my friend, so if you've got the 1337 skills to wire up a massage chair to some swank analytical software, you could potentially extract just about any truth you ever wanted while the culprit simply enjoys the ride.[Via CNET]
South Korea outfitting elderly, disabled with bioshirts
Proving that there's more to working in South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication than just building insect-like robot soldiers for surveillance and killing, the department has initiated a pilot program which was designed to prevent, and not cause, people's deaths. Specifically, the agency is outfitting 100 elderly and disabled folks in Daegu City with so-called bioshirts, which as we've seen before, monitor a patient's vital signs and wirelessly signal for help if anything is awry. Called the "U-Healthcare Service," the $1.4 million program is initially targeting senior citizens who live alone, as well as patients with chronic ailments, and also provides options for running self-diagnostics, enabling remote monitoring, and even rudimentary medical consultations. [Via Smart Mobs, image courtesy of Sensatex]
MyFoodPhone diet aid app comes to Sprint
Dieting just got a little easier (or a little harder to cheat at, depending on how you look at it) for Sprint customers with cameraphones, thanks to the company's exclusive rollout of that MyFoodPhone service we first spotted nearly a year ago. Although the cost is much lower this time around -- only $10 per month compared to the pricey $150/month it once was -- the service works essentially the same as before, by providing customers with video feedback based on photos they snap and upload of each and every meal or snack they consume. Besides the bi-weekly vids from nutritional advisers, subscribers also have access to an online food journal, where they can log the all-important dieter's stats of weight lost, exercise performed, and calories burned. Sprint is positioning MyFoodPhone as only one part of an overall health and fitness regimen where your Vision-enabled phone can be of assistance, joining other services such as BIMActive exercise tracking, skynetMD medical info, and Hitech Trainer guided workouts.[Via picturephoning]
