Wearable sensors correct posture, improve body language
Slumpy shoulders? How about a sensorized undergarment that vibrates every time your posture goes awry? Or even better, sensors that guide you to optimal body language based on varying social situations, such as flirting with an attractive stranger or asking your boss for a raise.
While still mostly in the fantasy stage, RISR is a concept design by Ludwig Zeller and Kjen Wilkens from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.
Users wear the device, which is a net-like vest of sensors, against the skin, and the sensors vibrate like a mobile phone to give you feedback about posture.
"While having spoken to colleagues and friends it became clear that almost everybody seems to want to improve their appearance and that hardly anybody seems to be really confident about themselves in front of other people," Zeller told the blog Co.Design this week. "So, this is where RISR comes into play, a system that helps you to get the most out of those nasty, competitive situations in private and business life."
"But where RISR ups the ante from a simple posture suit is in its front-facing 3-D IR camera, a sort of Kinect that you wear, aimed at the world around you to analyze the body language of others in real time," adds Co.Design. "This could allow the RISR to compare your posture to the body language of other people by using heuristical algorithms and a database of known motion patterns," Zeller explained in the interview. Put simply, when chatting to a friend, for example, the RISR could prompt you through its vibration to mirror his or her body language. The device also has potential applications for helping people with autism better read social cues and interact with others, Co.Design cited.
In other sensorized innovations, UK professor Gregory Sporton is currently developing a sensor suit for athletes dubbed MotivePro that senses body position and vibrates when one of your parts is out of whack. Move by Electricfoxy, currently in development, aims to be a high-tech tank top that reads your body's position and muscle movements while you perform yoga or Pilates, all while providing real-time feedback to get you back into alignment.
http://www.risr.me
http://www.fastcodesign.com
Watch: http://vimeo.com/48243405#
