8 Mind-blowing Gadgets You Can Control Just With Your Brain

So Google Glass is the future, you say? Think again. Imagine a future where you can move anything with just your mind, with high concentration. If you think that is mind-blowing, get this, that future is already here.

(Image source: neurosky)

In this post, we want to bring to your awareness 10 existing gadgets that allow your brain to command and complete real-life tasks, including using your iPhone and moving virtual characters in-game! Let’s dive into the article for more revelation on this interesting topic.

Recommended Reading: 8 Next-Generation User Interface That Are (Almost) Here

1. Emotiv EPOC

Tired of using the keyboard and mouse to control your laptop? Would you prefer to use your mind instead? Emotiv EPOC can help you with that.
It’s not just about computer interface. EPOC is also capable of controlling your character’s movement in-game (talk about virtual reality). Best of all, it could also be utilized in any electrical application, such as a wheelchair, making it move with a simple thought. [$299]

(Image Source: Emotiv)

2. MUSE

MUSE is light and portable, and for now it can guide you to relax or focus before you perform any mentally challenging task. This is just the beginning, though, as the final purpose of MUSE is to allow you to control your iPhone or Android device with your mind power.
You can browse Hongkiat.com, play Angry Birds, and even accidentally message your boss that you deserve a higher salary, all done within your brain! [$165]

(Image Source: CNET)

3. NeuroSky MindWave

NeuroSky MindWave might look geeky, but it’s actually a user-friendly neuro-headset that’s especially designed to improve your kid’s brain. Heck, it even has a custom app store with 79 ready-built apps, showcasing educational to casual games and even life improving-applications.
Train your kid into next-generation superhuman, with NeuroSky MindWave. [$79.99]

(Image Source: NeuroSky MindWave)

4. BrainDriver

BrainDriver is actually a project utilizing the power features of the Emotiv EEG headset, and it presents us with an alternate future that could be more awesome than the Google Driverless Car – we can control there car by mere thoughts!
Nothing in-between, just hook up the EEG and do some mental (I prefer to call it ‘telekinesis’) training, and you’re good to roll.

(Image Source: Autonomos Labs)

5. DARPA’s Prosthetic Arm

The greatest benefit of science is that, it gives hope to human with disabilities. In neuroscience, this DARPA’s Prosthetic Arm is set to take over a real arm, letting the receiver control it with their thoughts, fired up by brain cells. This is a better alternative to a prosthetic arm in function and for them to regain motor skills, and subsequently independence.

(Image Source: DARPA)

6. Necomimi and Shippo

Fancy furry ears and tails? Then connect Necomimi and Shippo to your body! This pair of flurry ears could scan your brain wave on the move, and stand up when you concentrate, and relax when you are relaxed.
The tail is even more ‘moe’ (cute), it waves when you feel happy or relaxed, just exactly like how a furry animal does! [$99.99, TBA]

(Image Source: neurowear)

7. Neuro Turntable Mobile

Remember how you used to lip sync to music on the radio. Wouldn’t you like to have the freedom to do that whenever you feel like it? Neuro Turntable plays music from your iPhone when you really want to listen to a tune.
It doesn’t come on when you are focused on work, but when you need to put a little jazz into your steps, skip the buttons and the playlists and let this device turn your music on for you.

(Image Source: neurowear)

8. Orbit Helicopter

Take about Jedi training! Use the NeuroSky MindWave headset to control this Orbit Helicopter and feel the force flow through your mind. Relax, concentrate and make that baby soar into the sky! on a side note, this little thing looks like a helicopter from Leonardo Da Vinci’s time. [$149]

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

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10 Hottest ‘Top-To-Toe’ Wearable Gadgets

The thing with electronic gadgets is that it is a display of your taste, your style and even your personality – from the decal you choose to put your Mac or iPad Mini, the favorite geeky T-shirt you wear to class or work, or even your choice of tablets. But now we can take this up a notch by putting on our favorite wearable gadgets that don’t just look good but works great as well.

We’ve compiled a series of functional and fashionable items that have the appearance of everyday apparel camouflaging simple but powerful gadgetry. Some of them are already in the open market, while others are still in the concept stages, awaiting to make its debut to excited fans.

Recommended Reading: Awesome Christmas Gifts For The Geek Fashionista In Your Life

1. Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses

Similar to the notion first brought to the stage by Google Glasses, the Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses was recently featured in CES 2013. The glasses pairs with your Android smartphone via Bluetooth and comes packed with Android 4.0, GPS, Wi-Fi and 4GB of storage.

Launch apps from your smartphone and watch everything displayed on the 800×400 pixel screen right before your very eyes (literally!). Enter the world of augmented reality with this cool wearable gadget.

2. Interactive T-Shirts

Geeky T-shirts aren’t exactly new, but put in some electronics, a few AA batteries, turn down the lights and you can actually have an equalizer dancing on your chest, reacting to the sounds around you.

Another kind of interactive shirt is one that makes sound – the electronic drum kit shirt has 7 spots that generate sounds when you push down on them. T-shirts like these are cheap to come by as they do not need high tech wizardry, just an electronic board that you have to remove before handwashing these T-shirts.

Recommended Reading: 80+ Creative Geek T-Shirts You Can Buy Online

3. Rusty’s Wired Series

Say goodbye to tangled earphones that take up space in your pocket. Rusty has come up with a hoody with earphones that double as the elastic strings of the hood. To plug your music device in, in one of the side pockets, where you can house your music device, there is a jack to plug in your tunes.

The earphones are machine washable (hence, waterproof – a very important feature for wearable gadgets) so you can skip the dreadful task of removing them and putting them back in. The Rusty clothing line has a lot of selections for men and women at various prices.

Recommended Reading: Taming Gadget Cables: 30 Holders & Organizers You Can Buy

4. Swarovski USB Necklace

Of the many out-of-the-ordinary flash drives, this one gives off a positive, almost classy vibe. Part of a line of crystal-studded USB drives, this 4GB USB necklace by Swarovski is proof that tech can also be sophisticated and elegant at the same time.

At a price tag of $75.00, the necklace is also available in Violet and Light Rose. This two-part heart-shaped necklace is the perfect Valentine’s day gift for the tech girl in your life.

Also read: 50 Exquisite Gifts For This Valentine’s Day

5. USB Cufflinks

Similar to the USB necklace, these cufflinks give a professional look to an already clean and formal look. Each cufflink carries 2 GB worth of storage, and is also available in gold and gunmetal.

To personalize this even further, there is an engraving service where you can put a monogram of up to 8 characters (pick from a range of fonts) on your cufflinks for only $8.00. Finally, a flash drive you can put your name on, at $100.00 a pair.

6. Nike+ FuelBand

The Nike+ FuelBand tracks your daily exercise and the calories burnt while doing those activities. For every activity, the LED will light up and let you know your progress. You can set these goals, view detailed progress, and unlock achievements to stay motivated, or share it with your social networks via its iPhone app.

The Nike+ FuelBand was also featured in our geeky gifts for him last Christmas together with the Jawbone UP which has similar features shown in our geeky gifts for her. If one of your new year resolutions is to maintain a healthly lifestyle, a health monitoring wristband like can really help.

7. I’m Watch

The I’m Watch is a smartwatch that has its own market of apps. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and once connected, it does what your smartphone does. You can receive notifications, read emails or messages, and make or receive calls.

The watch is touchscreen and can act as a hands-free device with its built-in microphone. It also has an app store, and programmers are able to build new apps for its unique ecosystem. Available in seven colors, it is on the market at $400 a pop.

8. Pebble Watch For Smartphones

Not a fan of smart glasses? Then, go for a smart watch instead. The Pebble is a watch that is paired with your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth. You can then receive push notifications such as Facebook messages and alerts for calls, messages and email. The magic behind the Pebble is that it is highly customizable and is great for use in the outdoors.

The E-paper technology ensures that you don’t have to fuss with the brightness of the display, and while you jog with it, you can toggle your music, track your distance and running time, and still receive alerts. To use it, you need to download the Pebble app into your smartphone but if you are feeling adventurous, there is an SDK for this watch, available at their blog.

9. iWallet

Whether it is because you don’t like having to change wallets once they are worn down, or if you don’t like the feel of leather on your skin, iWallet is a game-changer you’d want to take a look at. With a strong, hard casing, biometric access, and bluetooth technology to act as a deterrent against thieves, the iWallet is out to prove that it takes your security very seriously.

If the iWallet or your phone is too far apart from one another (more than 10-15 ft), your phone will sound, warning you of a pickpocket’s foiled attempt or if you have misplaced either of these important personal effects. Prices are in the $459 to $599 range and the wallets are available in carbon fibre and aluminium shell.

10. Nike Hyperdunk+

Athletes always want to improve themselves, and with this pair of Nike Hyperdunk+, basketball players can monitor their speed, jump height and their overall game performance. There are sensors on the shoe that transmit information to your smartphone via bluetooth.

You can even record videos of the play, then watch the videos with the matching display on screen. The videos and your stats can be shared on social media, or can be used to monitor your progress.

Bonus: 2 More Conceptual Gadgets

Because we live in an era with many creative and innovative people, concepts can sometimes come to life in a very short time. Here are 2 bonus conceptual wearable gadgets that we could probably see in the near future.

1. Bluetooth Gloves

The problem with wearing gloves while riding a superbike or skiing is that it’s impossible to reach for your smartphone with the thick outerwear. BEARTek was a Kickstarter campaign that had a great idea: a glove that communicates with your smartphone via Bluetooth. It has 6 touch points, that you can use to answer phone calls, and even basic music controls.

2. Google Smartwatch

Google has it all, the operating system, the browser, the digital wallet and now, maybe, a SmartWatch. Here’s a concept by Adrian Maciburko of the rumored Google Smartwatch which features a touchscreen interface that allows y ou to swipe between time, calendar, weather info and your Google+. With Google behind this, the possibilities are endless and only time will tell what Google could pack into this futuristic timepiece.

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10 Upcoming Technology That May Change The World

 

                  By Ankit Tiwari. Filed in Inspiration

We have seen great leaps in digital technology in past the past five years. Smartphones, cloud computing,multi-touch tablets, these are all innovations that revolutionized the way we live and work. However, believe it or not, we are just getting started. Technology will get even better. In the future, we could live like how people in science fiction movies did.

(Image Source: YouTube)

Today’s post is about 10 upcoming, real-life products that is set to revolutionize the world as we know it. Get ready to control the desktop and slice Ninja fruits with your eyes. Get ready to print your own creative physical product. Get ready to dive into the virtual world, and interact with them. Come unfold the future with us. 

1. Google Glass

Augmented Reality has already gotten into our life in the forms of simulated experiment and education app, but Google is taking it several steps higher with Google Glass. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view social media feeds, text, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground.

(Image Source: YouTube)

It’s truly what we called vision, and it’s absolutely possible given the fact that the Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin has demo’ed the glass with skydivers and creatives. Currently the device is only available to some developers with the price tag of $1500, but expect other tech companies trying it out and building an affordable consumer version.

2. Form 1

Just as the term suggests, 3D printing is the technology that could forge your digital design into a solid real-life product. It’s nothing new for the advanced mechanical industry, but a personal 3D printer is definitely a revolutionary idea.

Everybody can create their own physical product based on their custom design, and no approval needed from any giant manufacturer! Even the James Bond’s Aston Martin which was crashed in the movie was a 3D printed product!

(Image Source: Google Search)

Form 1 is one such personal 3D printer which can be yours at just $2799. It may sound like a high price but to have the luxury of getting producing your own prototypes, that’s a reaonable price.

Imagine a future where every individual professional has the capability to mass produce their own creative physical products without limitation. This is the future where personal productivity and creativity are maximized.

3. Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of Oculus Rift. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a video game. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.

There are premium products in the market that can do the same, but Rift wants you to enjoy the experience at only $300, and the package even comes as a development kit. This is the beginning of the revolution for next-generation gaming.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

The timing is perfect as the world is currently bombarded with the virtual reality topic that could also be attributed to Sword Art Online, the anime series featuring the characters playing games in an entirely virtual world. While we’re getting there, it could take a few more years to reach that level of realism. Oculus Rift is our first step.

4. Leap Motion

Multi-touch desktop is a (miserably) failed product due to the fact that hands could get very tired with prolonged use, but Leap Motion wants to challenge this dark area again with a more advanced idea. It lets you control the desktop with fingers, but without touching the screen.

(Image Source: Leap Motion)

It’s not your typical motion sensor, as Leap Motion allows you to scroll the web page, zoom in the map and photos, sign documentss and even play a first person shooter game with only hand and finger movements. The smooth reaction is the most crucial key point here. More importantly, you can own this future with just $70, a price of a premium PS3 game title!

If this device could completely work with Oculus Rift to simulate a real-time gaming experience, gaming is going to get a major make-over.

5. Eye Tribe

Eye tracking has been actively discussed by technology enthusiasts throughout these years, but it’s really challenging to implement. But Eye Tribe actually did this. They successfully created the technology to allow you to control your tablet, play flight simulator, and even slice fruits in Fruit Ninja only with your eye movements.

(Image Source: Eye Tribe)

It’s basically taking the common eye-tracking technology and combining it with a front-facing camera plus some serious computer-vision algorithm, and voila, fruit slicing done with the eyes! A live demo was done in LeWeb this year and we may actually be able to see it in in action in mobile devices in 2013.

Currently the company is still seeking partnership to bring this sci-fi tech into the consumer market but you and I know that this product is simply too awesome to fail.

6. SmartThings

The current problem that most devices have is that they function as a standalone being, and it require effort for tech competitors to actually partner with each other and build products that can truly connect with each other. SmartThings is here to make your every device, digital or non-digital, connect together and benefit you.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

With SmartThings you can get your smoke alarms, humidity, pressure and vibration sensors to detect changes in your house and alert you through your smartphone! Imagine the possibilities with this.

You could track who’s been inside your house, turn on the lights while you’re entering a room, shut windows and doors when you leave the house, all with the help of something that only costs $500! Feel like a tech lord in your castle with this marvel.

7. Firefox OS

iOS and Android are great, but they each have their own rules and policies that certainly inhibit the creative efforts of developers. Mozilla has since decided to build a new mobile operating system from scratch, one that will focus on true openness, freedom and user choice. It’s Firefox OS.

Firefox OS is built on Gonk, Gecko and Gaia software layers – for the rest of us, it means it is built on open source, and it carries web technologies such as HTML5and CSS3.

(Image Source: Mozilla)

Developers can create and debut web apps without the blockade of requirements set by app stores, and users could even customize the OS based on their needs. Currently the OS has made its debut on Android-compatible phones, and the impression so far, is great.

You can use the OS to do essential tasks you do on iOS or Android: calling friends, browsing web, taking photos, playing games, they are all possible on Firefox OS, set to rock the smartphone market.

8. Project Fiona

Meet the first generation of the gaming tablet. Razer’sProject Fiona is a serious gaming tablet built for hardcore gaming. Once it’s out, it will be the frontier for the future tablets, as tech companies might want to build their own tablets, dedicated towards gaming, but for now Fiona is the only possible one that will debut in 2013.

(Image Source: Razer™)

This beast features next generation Intel® Core i7 processor geared to render all your favorite PC games, all at the palm of your hands. Crowned as the best gaming accessories manufacturer, Razer clearly knows how to build user experience straight into the tablet, and that means 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer and full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch. My body and soul are ready.

9. Parallella

Parallella is going to change the way that computers are made, and Adapteva offers you chance to join in on this revolution. Simply put, it’s a supercomputer for everyone. Basically, an energy-efficient computer built for processing complex software simultaneously and effectively. Real-time object tracking, holographic heads-up display, speech recognition will become even stronger and smarter with Parallella.

(Image Source: YouTube)

The project has been successfully funded so far, with an estimated delivery date of February 2013. For a mini supercomputer, the price seems really promising since it’s magically $99! It’s not recommended for the non-programmer and non-Linux user, but the kit is loaded with development software to create your personal projects.

I never thought the future of computing could be kick-started with just $99, which is made possible using crowdfunding platforms.

10. Google Driverless Car

I could still remember the day I watch the iRobot as a teen, and being skeptical about my brother’s statement that one day, the driverless car will become reality. And it’s now a reality, made possible by… a search engine company, Google.

While the data source is still a secret recipe, the Google driverless car is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometres without human commands!

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

“You can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this.” Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said. However, innovation is an achievement, consumerization is the headache, as Google currently face the challenge to forge the system into an affordable gem that every worker with an average salary could benefit from.

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