Tech Trends- Dec 5-6
Hoverboards catch fire, gum leads to wearable breakthrough, shoes give a new meaning to the term wearable, and more in this week’s Weekend in Tech Trends.
Tech Trends 1) Hoverboards around the world are catching fire
“Hoverboards”, the newest craze among celebrities and teenagers are more like handless segways than hoverboards. They are beginning to become extremely popular all around the world. Actually, they were become extremely popular all around the world.
In the past few days, a lot has happened in the world of hoverboards. Numerous videos have surfaced online of them catching on fire and exploding. One fire even caused a house fire that would ruin the home. These fires have caused many of the potential holiday shoppers to either return or decide against purchasing a hoverboard for their children.
On top of them catching on fire, the U.K. seized 15,000 hoverboards after deeming them unsafe. More than 17,000 hoverboards imported from outside the European Union have been examined over the past seven weeks, and 15,000 of them didn’t make the cut, according to a statement from the National Trading Standards on Thursday.
So if you are looking at getting one of these for you and your children, I suggest reading lots of reviews before purchasing. I have rode one and I can tell you they are a blast to ride. Check out the video below that covers all of the hoverboards catching on fire.
PassKit got a hold of a hoverboard awhile back and we just couldn’t resist having a little fun with it. Check out what we did with our hoverboard below.
Source: Mashable
Tech Trends 2) Microsoft wants you to give them a big idea for a Hololens app.
The Microsoft Hololens is the ultimate mixed reality headset. You can check out Microsoft’s vision for what the Hololens will be like below.
In order to make the Hololens a reality for everyday consumers, Microsoft is soliciting the help of everyday consumers. They want you to submit your idea for a hololens app. If you win, Microsoft is going to build it. Microsoft will take all of the ideas and put the best and most viable on Twitter, where fans will vote for the one they want to be built.
Take a look at the ideas already submitted and submit your own by January 11th. Check out the video below for more information.
Source: Engadget
Tech Trends 3) These shoes give a whole new meaning to the term “Wearable”
Do you get tired of having your shoes look the same everyday? One company really hopes you do. An NYC startup by the name of ShiftWear has created a shoe that lets you dictate the design whenever you have a change of mood. All of an app on your mobile phone.
Create static designs or illuminate the screens with flickering animations in black and white or color. Whatever you choose, the design will instantly appear on the curved, flexible screens, which means you can swap styles even after you’ve left the house. The Indiegogo page shows animation examples like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and a growing cluster of stems and leaves.
The other cool thing is that you’re not limited to your own designs. The app will also feature a marketplace that will allow anybody to sell their own designs. Making the possibilities pretty much endless.
With an initial fundraising goal of $25,000. ShiftWear now sits at a total of $180,000 with 16 days remaining. You can grab your own pair for $150 plus $25 shipping. And they are set to ship in fall 2016. Check out the video below to see how all the tech inside works.
Source: Mashable
Tech Trends 4) Doublemint serves as the key to the wearable health sensor breakthrough.
When wearables first hit the market they were all targeted towards health applications. Since then the capabilities of wearables when it comes to tracking health as somewhat stagnated. But a new discovery may be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for. And it came from an extremely unlikely place. Chewing gum.
the University of Manitoba have discovered a way to make a medical sensor out of chewing gum and carbon nanotubes. “The new sensors undergo an unusual development process — a researcher chews a piece of doublemint for 30 minutes. The gum is then washed in ethanol and infused with carbon nanotubes using a folding and stretching technique. The nanotubes are flexible and conduct electricity, making it possible to use the gum as a medical sensor when connected to a conventional monitor.”
Between this and the Tech Tat, the future of wearables is looking more promising than expected.
Check out this video for more info on the chewing gum health sensor.
Source: DigitalTrends
