The glasses communicate with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Once the infrared sensors on the glasses detect somebody else wearing a pair of Sound Perfume goggles nearby, a message containing your name, contact number and your unique sound and smell signatures is sent to that person. In response, the recipient’s phone communicates with his or her glasses, which in turn emit your signature sound and odor.

The system can also be paired with a mobile phone’s camera to save not only the location and time an image was taken, but also the sound and smell information of the person in the photo. So when viewing the photo later or walking past the location, the sound and smell of the person you shared the experience with is triggered. What is the point of all that? The additional stimulation is to assist in building a fond multi-sensory memory of your encounter.

A small scent emitter located behind the ears contains eight kinds of solid state perfume. Once a selected piece is heated to 46°C (115°F) with a wire, the right smell is released. A test performed on 52 people by a group of researchers from the National University of Singapore showed that Sound Perfume helped people make a positive impression on first encounter. The researchers, lead by Yongsoon Choi, presented the findings last month at the Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Their appearance alone means the chances of the Sound Perfume glasses going mainstream anytime soon are rather slim. However, the concept of employing a wider-than-usual set of senses to generate emotional response is already being developed commercially and merits some attention. Take, for example, the Smell-o-Vision device designed to sit at the back of your TV set ready to emit ten thousand different smells to go in unison with whatever you are currently watching. The Project Sense concept goes even further, promising a "more emotional connection between users and experiences" thanks to a device providing haptic, thermal and olfactory sensations for gamers, movie watchers and online shoppers.

While using music to make face-to-face encounters more pleasurable is well documented, using artificially generated smells for eliciting an emotional response is not yet a common practice. Despite the already mentioned attempts at commercializing the idea, the area of social olfaction remains an almost untouched scientific ground. A serious investigation is called for, especially in the light of recent findings published in the Nature Communications journal.

A group of researchers associated with the Spanish Natural Science Museum found that the sense of smell may have been much more important in the history of our species than previously believed. So much so, that it may have played a vital role in giving us an evolutionary advantage over other related species, such as Neanderthals.

Until recently, it has been commonly believed that our olfactory capabilities were gradually dampened in the course of evolution. However, new data seems to suggest the sense of smell in Homo sapiens is developed better than in earlier humans. Our olfactory abilities may have contributed to such factors as kinship recognition, better family relations, group cohesion and social learning. Each of these contributed to the fact that we are now the only surviving human species. A species that may not be fully aware of all the blessings it received from mother nature.

No matter how silly the Sound Perfume glasses concept may look at first glance, the people behind this project deserve some credit for trying to bring us a tiny step closer to a better understanding of ourselves. Do they succeed? Watch the video below and decide for yourselves.

I’m Watch is a smartphone-compatible wristwatch, designed to work with iOS- and Android-based cell phones

First unveiled online a few months ago, I’m Watch is a smartphone-compatible wristwatch, designed to work with Android-based cell phones – although it’s reportedly also compatible with iOS devices. It is being developed by an Italian producer, and is currently available for pre-order. Initially the price tag was very high, but it is now being offered in a cheaper, colored version called I’m Color. The watch is scheduled to be released this October.

he I’m Watch website showcases two versions of the product. I’m Jewel is a luxury version, designed with precious materials (titanium, gold) and jewels (diamonds), with prices ranging from EUR599 to EUR11,999 (US$840 – $16,833). The I’m Color collection is priced at EUR249 (US$349), however, you’d need to pay 20 percent of the price in advance to have your order secured. The current offer will last until July 18, according to the website.

The company behind I’m Watch is Milan-based Blue Sky s.r.l. Some of the features of the device include the following:

• iPhone 4 and Android smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth
• It will allow users to make calls and receive calls, text messages, and e-mails
• Users will be able to use its speakerphone for hands-free phone calls
• Via its touchscreen, users will be able to view Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare notifications, as well as a photo gallery
• Exclusive apps will be available for download via the "I’m Store" and music via "I’music"
• Specs include: 1.54” 240×240 pixel color TFT display, 4GB of built-in storage, 64MB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support, Li-Po 600 mAh battery

The I’m Watch seems to still be some distance from completion, and its description is rather brief at the moment. Shipping is nonetheless set to begin October 31.

Light bridges the communication gap between man and machine.

Bionic Limbs With Artificial Nerves

The Six Million Dollar Man’s robotic arm worked as seamlessly as his natural one. But in the real world, robotic limbs have limited motions and the user can’t feel what he or she is “touching.” a new approach using optical fibers implanted around nerves could transmit more data and let prosthetics speak to the brain.

Previously, scientists surgically connected electrodes to the nervous system, but they seemed to harm the body’s tissues, making the implant fail within months. In 2005, scientists discovered that they could stimulate a neuron to send a message by shining infrared light on it. Last September, DARPA, the Pentagon’s R&D branch, awarded $4 million to a project led by Southern Methodist University engineers to attempt to connect nerves to artificial limbs using fiber optics.

The team suspects that flexible glass or polymer fiber optics will be more flesh-friendly than rigid electrodes. In addition, optical fibers transmit several signals at once, carrying 10 times as much data as their electrical counterparts. “Our goal is to do for neural interfaces what fiber optics did for the telecom industry,” says electrical engineer Marc Christensen, who is leading the SMU group. Transmitting more information faster should give bionic limbs more lifelike movements.

This month, the team will implant optical fibers to stimulate a rat’s rear leg. If it works, Christensen says, in about a decade, robotic arms could be as graceful as Steve Austin’s six-million-dollar one.

How Artificial Nerves Work

Artificial Nerves: Using fiber optics, these nerves control a new generation of bionic limbs.

Sensing The Limb

When someone’s prosthetic hand touches a ball, for example, it would trigger an optical fiber in the arm to pulse a pattern of infrared light like Morse code. These light messages stimulate a sensory nerve to fire in a similar pattern, instructing the brain that the hand is feeling a round object.

Moving The Limb

Thinking about squeezing the ball sends electrical impulses from the brain to a motor nerve. When it reaches the optical fiber implanted in the nerve, the signal deforms thousands of the fiber’s spheres. This changes the pattern of light in the fiber, which instructs the prosthetic hand to grip the ball.

Researchers at Fujitsu have made huge steps toward developing effective magnetic resonance-based wireless charging systems for mobile devices.

We’re all aware of how annoying a tangled mass of electrical wires can be. Fortunately, a research effort from Fujitsu is tackling the problem at its very source. During a conference held in the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers at Osaka Prefecture University, the Japanese electronics giant announced a major step in developing a wireless recharging technology that can work simultaneously with multiple portable devices.

Researchers have been struggling with wireless electricity for some time now, and have come up with a number of different possible solutions, most of which are only at a prototype stage because of technological hurdles that can’t be circumvented. As far as wireless charging goes, the two most popular solutions are electromagnetic induction and magnetic resonance.

Electromagnetic induction works by creating a magnetic flux between a power-transmitting and a power-receiving coil. While this is a promising technology for some applications, and particularly for recharging electric cars, it also seems to lack some flexibility since it only works over short distances, and the power transmitter and power receiver need to be in alignment for the system to work properly.

By contrast, the magnetic resonance method appears much more versatile, as it can transport electricity from a single transmitter to multiple receiving devices over a range of several meters and regardless of the relative position of the two ends.

While better in theory, the development of magnetic resonance has been hindered by practical design issues: a number of factors — parasitic capacitance, external magnetic fields, even the batteries in the device to be charged can influence the magnetic fields and drastically decrease the charging efficiency. Furthermore, the smaller the devices, the more they are subject to external influences, making this technology particularly hard to incorporate into mobile phones.

All these issues can be sorted out by properly designing the charging system, but the process takes time. In fact, the development of wireless charging for portable electronics has so far been hindered mainly by problems associated with design and analysis of the systems themselves.

What the Fujitsu researchers developed is essentially a sophisticated simulator that takes into consideration the coil model and the magnetic resonance conditions. This tool can guide manufacturers’ decisions in setting the parameters of the wireless chargers in such a way to maximize the charging efficiency for multiple transmitters and receivers even for devices, such as mobile phones, that used to be problematic because of their small size.

The tool, which reportedly reduces design time by a whopping factor of 150, was used to design a compact power receiver and to manufacture prototype mobile phones with built-in wireless charging. The mobile phones can get charged from anywhere within the transmitter’s range, reaching 85 pecent efficiency.

Fujitsu said it will use this technology to develop wireless charging systems for mobile phones and other portable devices, which should hit the shelves in 2012. The company is also looking to apply the technology for power transmission between computer chips and to provide mobile charging systems for electric cars.

How does the device know when you’re falling asleep? It measures the angle at which your head is positioned, and once it drops below a specified angle (which can be preset using a dial on the earpiece) it delivers either an audible alarm or a vibration to wake you up. It weighs in at only 15 grams, and is attached to the ear with a special silicon rubber loop.

Clearly the Nap Vieeb Plus II would be a great gadget for a wide range of users. I know I certainly could have used this in college having fell asleep on my keyboard more than a few times the night before a big paper was due. Having this kind of earpiece would have definitely helped.

According to The Nikkei Marketing Journal, the company’s president Kozo Samizo created the Nap Vieeb Plus II having himself dozed off at the wheel resulting in an accident.

You can purchase the Nap Vieeb from the company’s website for 2500 yen (about $27), but unfortunately it’s in Japanese only. There is however some English contact information on its web store page that might be of use for inquiries.

The Universal Gadget Wrist Charger provides extra power on the go

The Universal Gadget Wrist Charger looks like it would be even more useful than the magical bullet-deflecting bracelets worn by Wonder Woman – for charging gadgets anyway. This device provides a convenient way to carry around some extra energy reserves to power the growing number of portable gadgets residing on your person these days.

Containing a 1500 mAh, 5.5V lithium ion battery the Wrist Charger features a mini USB port and connectors for a range of mobile devices including iPhone, Nokia I (3.5mm), Nokia II (2mm), LG, Motoroloa, HTC, Dopod, Samsung i900 and Sony Ericsson mobile phones, as well as portable gaming consoles such as the Sny PSP, NDS Lite and Nintendo DSi.

Four LED indicators show how much power remains on the device and because the charger is located on your wrist you’re free to use your device while it’s charging.

The Wrist Charger weighs 82g (2.89oz) and can be charged via USB or an electrical outlet. It is available from ThinkGeek for US$34.99.

The Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch is perfect if you’re planning a leisurely Sunday afternoon walk – in space

Today watches are built to withstand varying degrees of water pressure and shocks and scrapes of all sorts. But a new watch from Seiko has been built to withstand the harsh environments found when the wearer is enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon spacewalk. Touted as the first watch ever designed for use in outer space might restrict the target market for the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch somewhat, which is probably why Seiko will release a limited edition of only 100.

The original Spring Drive Spacewalk was built specifically for Richard Garriot, who became the seventh private space tourist by spending 12 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2008. Two Spring Drive Spacewalk watches Richard took on his flight performed flawlessly, but they were really put to the test in December 2008 when they were worn by a Russian cosmonaut throughout a 5-hour-38-minute Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA), or spacewalk.

The watches were worn on the outside of the space suit and were able to withstand the extreme temperatures, pressures and radiation conditions involved in the spacewalk. On their return to Earth the watches were studied and tested at Seiko Epson’s facility and their perfect performance during the EVA was independently verified.

Without special treatment battery-operated instruments aren’t appropriate for a spacewalk for safety reasons, so quartz movement was ruled out as an option for the watch. That left a choice of mechanical or Spring Drive. Since there was no way a mechanical watch exposed to temperatures ranging from minus 20 to plus 70 degrees Celsius could maintain its accuracy Spring Drive was chosen. Instead of a traditional regulator, Spring Drive has a Tri-synchro Regulator, an entirely new regulator that uses and generates mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic power and is less affected by temperature variations.

One of the watches taken into space was auctioned in New York in September 2009 where it sold for US$45,000 that was donated to the two charities that Richard supports: the Nature Conservancy and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. Now others planning to slip the surly bonds of Earth and don’t want to lose track of time have the opportunity to grab their own Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch for the bargain price of US$28,000.

The limited edition watch has the exact same specifications as the watch that went into space with one adaptation: a screw-in crown is used. To ensure ease of manual winding, the crown on the original was not a screw-in; however, Seiko says the perfect functioning of the watch, both inside and outside the ISS, revealed that the self-winding mechanism worked flawlessly in space, so a screw-in crown is now used in the commemorative edition to enhance the overall security of the case.

The watch has a ballistic nylon strap with an additional elastic nylon strap, which is exactly the same as the one used in space, is included in the special presentation box. The serial number is engraved on the case back. The watch will be available in selected Seiko retail outlets worldwide, with the first ones released in February.

The watch is constructed with a high-intensity titanium casing and sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating. It has hour, minute and second hands with date calendar and GMT hand. Aside from its ability to withstand the rigors of space the watch has a chronograph and date function. There’s no alarm since in space, no one can hear it go off.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 glasses are compatible with many video devices to deliver a virtual cinema experience

Can’t afford a big screen TV or projector but still want to experience that cinema feeling when watching a movie? The Vuzix Wrap 920 video eyewear is a sunglass-style display that delivers a virtual 67-inch screen as seen from 10ft away, displays 2D and 3D video and is claimed to be the most advanced wearable display available. It also features removable noise-isolating earbuds, an adjustable nose bridge and weighs less than 3oz.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 connects to all NTSC or PAL audio/video devices with video-out capabilities and composite video connections. The eyewear comes with a composite A/V adapter for iPod/iPhone for simple plug ‘n’ play connection to your portable media player. There are optional Wrap Adapter connections for HDMI-equipped devices and even desktop PC and laptops for watching movies.

We can think of a few scenarios where these glasses would be quite handy – like in bed when your partner is trying to sleep but you want to watch a movie, or when you can’t focus on the tiny airplane screen with matching poor quality sound.

Vuzix says that with support for standard 2D movies as well as virtually all common 3D video formats, you’ll be able to watch all the latest movie releases, as they were meant to be seen.

The Vuzix Wrap 920 glasses deliver the equivalent image of a 67-inch screen as viewed from 10ft via twin high-resolution 640 x 480 LCD displays, 60Hz progressive scan update rate with ultra-low video distortion and 24-bit true color (16 million colors).

The unit is compatible with iPods, iPhones, portable DVD players, cell phones with video out, all composite video devices, digital cameras and camcorders, PCs and laptops with a VGA port. It also works with video sources equipped with HDMI connectors, such as set-top boxes, video game consoles and Blu-ray players.

The glasses onscreen display can be adjusted for brightness, contrast, hue and color saturation and they also feature removable noise-isolating earbuds, an adjustable nose bridge and are wearable over prescription glasses.

Two AA alkaline batteries will power the device for up to six hours according to Vuzix.

Accessories include a Wrap Lightshield: that blocks distracting outside light, and changeable lens that allow you to pop out the standard dark grey lens for alternates to match your mood or style.

The Vuzix range is also set to expand with the Wrap 920AR augmented reality glasses we tried at this year’s CES. This platform incorporates a Stereo Camera that mounts to the front of Wrap eyewear and captures real-life images that can be combined with mixed reality software to overlay computer-generated graphics.

There’s also the Wrap 6DoF Tracker/Compass that, when connected to a supporting device, transforms your Wrap eyewear into a virtual reality system that senses 6° of head movement and compass direction.

In the service, Health-related information is collected and analyzed by a small sensor attached to a human body, and it is viewed and managed on a mobile phone or a PC. The company commercialized the health monitoring system, which is called “human recorder system,” based on the research results of the Advanced Institute of Wearable Information Networks (WIN), a nonprofit organization established by researchers at the University of Tokyo. WIN is a group led by Kiyoshi Itao, professor emeritus at the university.

The sensor is used to measure electrocardiographic signals, heart rate, brain waves, accelerated velocity, body temperature, respiration, pulse wave and so forth. WIN helped develop, for example, a program to analyze each data and determine health condition.

This time, WIN Human Recorder released the “HRS-I,” a system that measures electrocardiographic signals, body surface temperature and human movements at the same time by attaching a sensor with wireless communication capability to the chest and determines health condition by using the software. Human movements are detected by a three-axis acceleration sensor.

The dimensions and weight of the sensor module are approximately 30 (L) x 30 (W) x 5mm (D) and 7g, respectively. Because of the small size and the light weight, the module does not give uncomfortable feeling when attached to a human body, the company said.

The sensor module has a 2.4GHz wireless communication function and can be continuously operated for three to four days with a CR2032 button battery. Because the obtained data can be wirelessly transmitted to a PC or a mobile phone, it is possible to monitor the health condition of an elderly person who lives alone in a remote place via the Internet.

The sensor module comes in various designs.

For example, stress level can be measured based on the state of autonomic nerves determined from an electrocardiogram, and the fluctuation of heartbeat period can be analyzed.

The expected users of the HRS-I are companies that provide health monitoring services. The pricing of the service is more than ¥10,000 (approx US$111) per month for the rental of the software and more than ¥30,000 for the purchase of the sensor.

Marubeni Information Systems Co Ltd, a sales agent for the HRS-I, aims at sales of about ¥1 billion in a year after the release of the system and about ¥5 billion after three years.

It’s a big world out there and for many different people in society that means a big risk of getting lost. Following the release of its nu.m8 GPS location device for children, Lok8u has announced its adult counterpart, the multi.m8. The device, worn as a wristwatch, aims to make a range of people from lone workers to the elderly easily locatable through the combined use of GPS and cellular identification technology.

Partnering with T-Mobile, Lok8u has developed the multi.m8 watch to quickly and accurately pinpoint the location of the wearer. Unveiled at the recent CES 2010, the company uses a patented cell ID algorithm to give an approximate location to within 10ft, with location software accessed via a web portal. In addition to an LCD screen capable of receiving SMS messages, it also incorporates a panic button the user can press to request assistance and a voice recorder.

The types of people that could benefit from wearing the multi.m8 watch are many and varied. Aside from helping family members or medics to locate senior citizens and others suffering from Alzheimer’s or similar conditions, the watch is also aimed at people that partake in sports like hiking, running, or skiing, as well as people who work alone in isolated locations or challenging environments.

While the nu.m8 is to be released this month for US$179.99, the Lok8u multi.m8 is expected to be available towards the middle of the year.