wearables

<h1 dir="ltr">Voice in devices</h1>A voice user interface (VUI) &nbsp;allows you to interact with a device, such as a computer, smartphone, or home appliance by simply talking to it. VUIs allow you to ask Siri the weather, request Alexa to play a song, or tell your smart globe to dim the lights without ever touching anything. &nbsp;The history of voice commands goes back to the early 1950s when Bell Laboratories introduced the &ldquo;Audrey&rdquo; system, which could recognize a single voice speaking ten digits aloud. About a decade later, IBM designed <a href="https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/specialprod1/specialprod1_7.html" target="_blank">&ldquo;Shoebox,&rdquo;</a> a computer that understood and responded to 16 words in English.Interestingly, one of the first widely available consumer products with voice recognition was a children&rsquo;s toy, the infamous Julie Doll, which could understand eight vocal sounds as commands.<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" frameborder="0" height="648" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ewu_NBUHePU?enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" width="864" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-9="true" id="271065592" title="The 1987 Voice First Doll: Julie by Worlds of Wonder Commercial"></iframe>In 2011, Apple released Siri, opening the way to a range of other digital assistants in smartphones, stand-alone devices, and laptops.&nbsp;The advent of Siri and her voice assistant colleagues happened thanks to cloud computing which allowed the complex processing required to synthesize speech to occur in a remote data center with massive computing power.&nbsp;We are becoming more familiar with operating devices using our voice especially in mostly private settings such as in our cars or houses. VUI is currently <a href="https://www.dbswebsite.com/blog/trends-in-voice-search/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">estimated</a> to be in almost 3 billion devices worldwide and is expected to soar to 8 billion by the end of 2035.<h1 dir="ltr">Processing at the edge</h1>Alexa is constantly waiting patiently for your commands. However, she can&rsquo;t be constantly recording you and analyzing every sound in your house to check if it is a command. This would not only cause extreme crowding in the cloud, but it would pose a significant security issue. Instead, Alexa is only listening for &nbsp;&ldquo;wake words,&rdquo; - in her case &ldquo;Alexa,&rdquo; - which then wakes up her full system, activating her full voice recognition power. When you then ask Alexa to give you a weather report, your voice is recorded and sent over the Internet to Amazon&#39;s Alexa Voice Services, which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Alexa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">parses</a> the recording into commands. &nbsp;The system then sends the relevant output back to your device and you can plan your outfit accordingly. Alexa responding to your wake command is known as edge processing, which happens on the processor in the device, while the weather request is cloud processing and occurs in a data center connected to your home via the Internet.Not all voice command devices need to be connected to the Internet. Advances in edge processing mean more complex commands can be processed on the device that are free from a cloud connection, enabling faster computation with less latency and more security. Thanks to the development of ultra-low-power chips that can do neural network processing on the device, voice commands can be added to almost any device, including super small earbuds and wearables.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">Why voice is important</h1>&ldquo;Speech is the fundamental means of human communication,&rdquo; <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/wired-speech" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">writes</a> Clifford Nass, Stanford researcher and co-author of Wired for Speech. Nass illustrates how humans are wired for speech and verbal communication, and provides insight into how voice offers a fast, intuitive method of accessing technology and navigating through its functions.&nbsp;Voice isn&rsquo;t just a more intuitive method of communicating with technology, it also offers an opportunity for using devices in new ways under new circumstances.Because speech requires less cognitive abilities than a touchscreen, voice-enabled devices allow a user to continue to concentrate on a task and issue commands rather than reallocate precious thinking resources to solve a tactile interface. Workers in highly concentrated environments, such as surgery, factory floors, and labs, could be assisted by voice-enabled robots to pass them tools, read charts, or monitor their health.&nbsp;These qualities can be extended to all users of voice interface devices, making our interaction with technology more enjoyable, more intuitive, and more personal.&nbsp;At last year&rsquo;s CES, &nbsp;a very expensive <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/330448/kohlers-new-smart-toilet-earns-ces-sitting-ovatio.html#:~:text=Marketing%20a%20%E2%80%9Csmart%E2%80%9D%20something%20is%20quite%20the%20trend.&text=Numi%202.0%20intelligent%20toilet%20with%20KOHLER%20Konnect%20is%20Kohler's%20most%20advanced%20toilet." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">toilet</a> that flushed via voice command was exhibited. While the demonstration seemed like a humorous application of technology in the moment, in today&rsquo;s new age of extra sanitary caution it could be lifesaving.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNTk2MjAwMTM0NDIzLXZvaWNlIHRvaWxldC5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19">Image: Kohler<h1 dir="ltr">New audiences</h1>Voice command offers opportunities to introduce new and existing technologies to audiences in several ways. First, voice command devices can be easier to learn and more intuitive to use, so increasing technological skills across the globe. Additionally, &nbsp;voice control brings technology to people who have been overlooked by touch interfaces, such as people with <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275406227_Self_Assistive_Technology_for_Disabled_People_-_Voice_Controlled_Wheel_Chair_and_Home_Automation_System" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disabilities</a> and the elderly, as well as to audiences who have been left out of cloud anchored devices due to the lack of a reliable Internet connection. Voice command functionality also opens possibilities for people with neural diversity to interact with devices, such as touch tablets, whose logic can cause confusion and frustration. [1]&nbsp;Users with physical limitations, such as reduced arm and finger dexterity, vision impairment, or blindness, may be able to naturally and easily interact with devices using their voice without additional adaptation to meet their needs. While many <a href="https://www.sesame-enable.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tools</a> have been built for users with vision impairment and blindness access, devices that are brought to market with integrated voice commands reduce the gap that can open between product launch and ability adoption. It can also reduce the cost of technology that is made especially for less able audiences. These applications can range from asking your Kindle to read you a book to managing the temperature of your home.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNTk2MTk4NDE1NDgxLWFsZXhhIG9uIGNsYXNzcm9vbS5qcGciLCAiZWRpdHMiOiB7InJlc2l6ZSI6IHsid2lkdGgiOiA5NTAsICJmaXQiOiAiY292ZXIifX19">Voice interface provides new ways to deliver education. Image: Bob WilliamsEdge processing means sophisticated voice command devices can be introduced into devices for use in remote areas where Internet service is limited. This may bring voice command devices to remote communities that could improve education and training. It could also open possibilities for voice command devices, such as search and rescue robots, archeological equipment, and environmental monitoring systems.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNTk2MTk4MjgwNjYxLWtpZCBsaXN0ZW5pbmcgdm9pY2UgYXNzaXN0LmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;">Voice command offers alternative ways to interact with common technology.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">New Applications Due to Edge Processing of AI</h1>Advanced edge computing is available in large part due to the speed and power of the latest AI semiconductors used in voice processing. These chips have ultra-low power consumption, which makes them suitable for use in almost any portable device, from Bluetooth earbuds to smartphones to wearable health devices. The next generation of voice command devices will have the advantages of <a href="https://www.syntiant.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on-device processing</a>. This proximity to end-users means designers can use embedded computing resources to build behavioral-based messaging, offers, and experiences, without compromising privacy or relying on cloud connectivity. These devices will be:<h2 dir="ltr">Secure</h2>No cloud requirement means voice command devices can be highly secure, operating without a network connection. Voice-recognition has the chance to become the most secure biomarkers we possess. With more AI-enabled devices on the market, voice can become part of dynamic encryption mechanisms that can provide different levels of devices in different locations. &nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Fast with low latency</h2>One of the biggest advantages of on edge processing is the shrinking of latency, the measurement of how long it takes for a data packet to travel from its point of origin to its destination. By resolving more processes closer to the source and relaying less data back to the center of the network, AI-enabled edge devices can greatly improve performance and speed.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Private</h2>AI-powered edge processing allows for a user&#39;s data to be stored on a personal device rather than in a remote data centre. This not only meets increasing consumer demand for more control and ownership over their personal data, but it also makes it much easier to meet emerging legislation requirements such as the EU&rsquo;s General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR).&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNTk2MTk4MDA0MjE5LTE3MjEwNV9Wb2x2b19NaWNyb3NvZnRfQmFuZF8yLmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=">Voice can be added securely to wearables without the need for a cloud connection. Image: Volvo&nbsp;<h1>Conclusion</h1>Voice control devices have the potential to enhance the way we communicate with current technology and create new ways of interacting with our environment.&nbsp;Highly powerful, low-energy, AI-enabled chips mean voice interfaces can now be added to anything, anywhere - with and without the cloud.Recommended reading:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/neural-network-architectures-at-the-edge-modelling-for-energy-efficiency-and-machine-learning-performance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Neural Network Architectures at the Edge: Modelling for Energy Efficiency and Machine Learning Performance</a>As &lsquo;no-touch&rsquo; rules and etiquette become essential for public health, how can voice command bring us closer and keep us safe? How would our attitude and experience of working closely with machines change if we can communicate with our most instinctive method? And what technologies can be introduced to audiences who have been overlooked by the complexity and necessary dexterity of touch interfaces?<hr><h1 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Syntiant</h1><h2>Voice at the edge.</h2>Semiconductor company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.syntiant.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Syntiant</a>&nbsp;is pushing forward voice at the edge possibilities with the development of the Neural Decision Processors&trade; (NDP10x). These high power devices offer highly accurate wake word, command word, and event detection in a tiny package with near-zero power consumption.&nbsp;Currently, in production with Amazon&rsquo;s Alexa Voice Service firmware, the NDP10x family makes Always-On Voice interfaces a reality by supporting entirely new form factors designed to wake up and respond to speech rather than touch. These processors will move voice interfaces from the cloud on to devices of all sizes and types, including ultra-portable wearables and devices.<img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjAwMTczODc0NzY0LXN5bnRpYW50IGxvZ28uanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;"> <hr><h1 dir="ltr">References</h1>1. Balasuriya S, Sitbon L, Bayor A, Hoogstrate M, Brereton M. Use of voice activated interfaces by people with intellectual disability. Proceedings of the 30th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction. 2018;.&nbsp;2. Pyae A, Joelsson T. Investigating the usability and user experiences of voice user interface. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct - MobileHCI &#39;18. 2018;.

AI-powered edge processing opens possibilities for voice command on any device.

Voice At The Edge Helps Technology Work For More People

There’s few people who will disagree that there is massive potential in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the next evolution of <a href="https://response.nordicsemi.com/the-industrial-iot?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Industrial IoT</a> solutions. However, there’s also significant barriers for developers wanting to get started, or move beyond the basics.Companies looking to harness these opportunities will have to invest significant resources in testing and experimentation. Algorithms must be tested against real data to truly measure business impact, something that may be difficult for small companies or even large companies with no experience of AI/ML to contemplate.<h2>Machine learning out-of-the-box</h2>Rather than hiring teams of data scientists, other solutions are coming to market. One of those, <a href="https://sensiml.com/" target="_blank">SensiML</a>, is capable of auto-generating machine learning inferencing code for complex sensors like motion and vibration pattern recognition. We’re interested in this because SensiML can run locally on the nRF52 and also supports out-of-the-box connectivity to the Nordic Thingy:52 prototyping platform.The business was born out of a project at Intel. When the company cancelled the project, the team felt there was plenty of value and potential and so the core group acquired the project to continue it independently in 2017.<h2>Extracting data value, without data scientists</h2>It aims to solve a problem for developers of niche consumer and industrial projects. That being, how can you use an algorithm to extract value from the raw data from a sensor-based embedded device, without hiring teams of data scientists?“For high volume consumer product companies such as FitBit, it’s justifiable. Not so for a small startup or even a larger company targeting a more specific application or variable use case, such as a motor with vibration sensors to detect unusual operation across many different environments,” explains SensiML’s Chris Rogers.<h2>Machine learning algorithms</h2>The SensiML platform enables someone with development skills and application experience to generate machine learning algorithms. There are two ways of working with SensiML, as a general user or a more technical user.At the advanced level you can programmatically interact with the SensiML AI code generation service using the full power of Python and command-line coding. The general user mode has a GUI interface that allows users to enter constraints (e.g. available RAM), parameters (for accuracy) and then hit a button to generate candidate models.“A lot of applications can use classic learning methods such as decision trees and distance based classifiers. Simple machine learning approaches often work well when combined with automated feature extraction as SensiML supports and they need much less computing power than a full deep learning neural network. In the end, the best algorithm is the one that delivers the desired performance most efficiently,” explains Rogers.<h2>Works with Nordic</h2>SensiML can run locally on the nRF52 and also supports out-of-the-box connectivity to the <a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected/get-started-with-the-nordic-thingy?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thingy:52</a>. The SensiML team is also looking at future support for the nRF91 series.“The challenge with complex sensing is that there is a lot of richness in the raw data. It’s impractical to stream all of that, so ideally you pre-process the data and only send what you’re interested in. With the M4 and BLE radio integrated, the Nordic nRF52 has enough power to do that,” says Rogers.<h2>SensiML out in the wild</h2>The number of potential application areas for SensiML are many and varied. Rogers says there’s been a lot of interest from industries that require predictive maintenance: “There’s a lot of customer interest in being able to understand the data that comes from measuring vibrations, for example.”Other interesting application areas include building intelligence into smart devices. This could be voice recognition technology or sound recognition, for example, a microwave being able to recognize popcorn being cooked and when to shut off, i.e. when the popping noises from popcorn have subsided.The passive infrared sensors in smart lighting solutions can also benefit, explains Rogers:“There’s effectively a two pixel camera in a common passive infrared sensor. Typically the two pixels compare signals differentially and if there is a change, that’s recorded as movement. But with SensiML you can tap into those elements as waveforms and begin to recognise patterns such as direction of movement or any exaggerated movement such as the waving of arms or running. But it could also be used for monitoring occupancy of meeting rooms or bathrooms. It solves the privacy issue of not wanting cameras.”<h2>The next generation of wearables</h2>Rogers believes there’s also plenty of potential in taking fitness-based wearables to the next level:“Such devices could move beyond measuring the amount of exercise into the quality of exercise. For example, by measuring the gait during a run. We have collected accelerometer and gyro data from people on treadmills. A fitness coach then rated technique and recorded faults such as heel strike and excess leg rotation by watching the video and labelled everything. From this, we created a classifier than enables the prospect of a virtual running coach providing real-time analysis and feedback locally on the device.”<h2>The long tail of intelligent IoT applications</h2>These are just a few of literally countless applications enabled by local AI/ML running on low power connected devices such as those powered by the nRF52. What has stood in the way of realizing such diverse usages has been the complexity, skillset, and time required to implement the underlying sensor processing algorithms driving such applications.Auto code-generating AI tools like SensiML are now available to IoT developers to enable this otherwise complicated effort quickly and efficiently. Learn more about SensiML at <a href="https://sensiml.com/" target="_blank">sensiml.com</a><hr>This article was first published on Nordic's&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>.

Making sensors more intelligent has required substantial investment in machine learning algorithms. The SensiML platform aims to bring that cost crashing down.

SensiML: Adding Real-Time Intelligence to Sensors

The ability to integrate location and movement sensors with wireless technology in sports equipment is revolutionizing the way athletic performance can be monitored, analyzed and improved.<h2>Smart sports equipment</h2>Small-sized wireless sports tracking solutions with long battery life now enable previously impossible integration. Balls, bats, pucks, boots, helmets, and other gear play host to compact wireless tech without affecting the characteristics or performance of the equipment. In a world where “marginal gains” make the difference between winning and losing, wireless sports tracking is now mandatory. That goes some way to explaining why the industry is proving so lucrative; industry analyst Grand View Research expects the sector to register a CAGR of 20.3 percent from 2018 (when it was valued at $9.8 billion) up to 2025.Today’s built-in sensors or technology track the precise location and movement of the sports equipment in action, analyze the data and then forward it via a short-range wireless link to an accompanying app on the user’s smartphone or a web-based dashboard on their laptop.One example is pitchLogic, a baseball with a ‘brain’ that tracks its position and movement to provide critical data about each pitch. Developed by sports technology start-up, F5 Sports, the Bluetooth LE-enabled smart ball uses built-in sensors and complex proprietary algorithms to analyze the pitch in mid-air, taking approximately 75,000 measurements as the ball travels. Clay Holmes, a pitcher for Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Pittsburgh Pirates, has credited the unique data and insights provided by the pitchLogic system with helping him to discover the optimal body and arm slot positions for successful pitches, particularly in relation to his renowned ‘sinker’, a type of fastball characterized by significant downward and horizontal movement.<h2>Advanced sports training wearable</h2>Wireless tech isn’t only helping improve ball game skills. German researchers at the <a href="https://www.sport.tu-dortmund.de/sport/index.php" rel="noopener" target="_blank">TU Dortmund’s Institute for Sport and Sport Science</a> (including Dr. Marcus Schmidt, Researcher Institute for Sport and Sport Science, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Jaitner, TU Dortmund), in conjunction with Kaiserslautern-based tech developer <a href="https://www.wille-engineering.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wille Engineering</a>, for example, have launched the <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-60639-2_1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">SpoSeNs 2.0 Professional Wearable</a>, a lightweight, ankle-worn device for reliable and accurate analysis of an athlete’s movement and biomechanical parameters.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNTkzMDA5OTY4Mzg4LTEyNDE1MTE2MS5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In comparison to a regular fitness wearable, SpoSeNs 2.0 is designed to provide greater precision and more comprehensive data to enhance sports training and competitive performance. The solution can be used to collect and analyze detailed sprint, jump and hurdle metrics/insights which previously required complex and often expensive system installations—including light barriers, force plates, or video cameras—as well as frequent recalibration. For example, the platform’s proprietary step-detection algorithm determines the athlete’s ground contact time or step frequency in real-time.“In professional training and competition, every millisecond counts,” says Sebastian Wille, Founder of Wille Engineering. “In sprint and hurdle disciplines, for example, the athlete needs to know the point in a race when they start to fatigue, and real-time feedback is crucial to ensure suitable adaptions can be made during conditioning training.“SpoSeNs 2.0 is a universal solution for various sports applications; new use cases could be found in different sports including volleyball, beach volleyball, badminton, boxing, and horse riding,” Wille says.<h2>Nordic power</h2>The SpoSeNs 2.0 Professional Wearable is built round Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52840 advanced multiprotocol SoC. In addition to the SoC, the product comprises a sensor node, a nine-axis IMU, and a separate three-axis, high-G accelerometer. Supported by the SoC’s powerful microprocessor and large memory, SpoSeNs 2.0 records the wearer’s movement data then processes the raw data in ‘real-time’. Using the SoC-enabled low latency Bluetooth LE connectivity, the data is then sent to a paired smartphone or tablet. The trainer can access live performance information and graphic-based analytics directly through an associated Android app.<h2>The future of sports tracking</h2>“Technologies like SpoSeNs 2.0 can take sports training and therefore performance for professional athletes to a new level,” Wille says. “At the same time, it’s also entirely possible for such a system to be used by all classes of athletes.”He’s right. ‘Smart’ sports equipment and wearables have the potential to hugely impact the future of sports tracking and performance analytics for all. And OEMs in this space will be able to boost their bottom lines just as competitors raise their aspirations.When just about every performance metric imaginable can be accurately tracked using a commercially viable, cost-effective, and readily available wireless tech solution, skills, techniques, and ultimately the performance levels of millions of athletes around the world will improve. Thanks to wireless tech, perfect practice could soon be standard practice.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic's&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>.

The ability to integrate location and movement sensors with wireless technology in sports equipment is revolutionizing the way athletic performance can be monitored, analyzed and improved.

Wireless solutions take sports tracking to new level

The current revolution brought by 3D printing extends to the most surprising applications, even the ones as far removed as possible from the traditional “geek” sphere. One example: fashion!The seemingly ‘niche’ market of <a href="http://www.goscan3d.com/en/applications/3d-printing-goscan-3d-scanner" target="_blank">3D printing</a> in fashion is growing rapidly and presents a very refreshing and interesting counterpoint to the most traditional, industrial uses. Here is a recent 3D printing and <a href="http://www.goscan3d.com/en/features" target="_blank">3D scanning</a> example, which prove that pairing technology and creativity is always in style!WOW – The World of Wearable ArtEarlier this year, the Auckland Museum, in New Zealand, presented a fascinating exhibition based on a theatrical fashion show presented in Wellington every year since 1987 – <a href="http://worldofwearableart.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The World of Wearable Art</a>. The event aims at taking art off the walls of galleries and used it to adorn the human body in eccentric, imaginative ways.Among many creative designers, this year’s show and following museum exhibition featured the work of Dylan Mulder, a 27-year-old New Zealander who presented a fantastically elaborate costume named ‘Samurai Silent Dragon’.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1592839677900-N6P8313-e1473222424963.jpg" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The Asian-inspired adornment did not come from a sewing machine, but rather from… (you’ve guessed it!) a computer, a 3D scanner and a 3D printer.The costume took 4 months to complete. For this industrial designer, the technological advances are a big source of inspiration… and challenge. For this year’s WOW, he chose to create &nbsp;something that “slipped out of the 3D printer in sheets of blank plastic, to be pieced together into wearable art; a virtual reality outfit that became a reality!”<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1592839704698-98836_06157-1024x683.jpg" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Samurai Silent Dragon was not Mulder’s first attempt at 3D printing fashion. He won the WOW Design Award last year for another creation, and the prize money helped him push his passion a little further. He purchased a 3D scanner and a 3D printer, which enabled him to see most of his creation come to life right by his side, in his own living room. Doing it himself saved a lot of time and effort as parts of his costume, for instance spikes and rivets, simply were not available in New Zealand. In the end, only a small part of the hat was sent to be 3D printed in the Netherlands, because Mulder wanted “a higher level of detail and accuracy”.Mulder loves that his creations help demystify the process of 3D printing to the majority of the population, who is unfamiliar with the technology. His explanation for the average laymen to the WOW: “A spool of plastic cord feeds into a heated nozzle, a little bit like a glue gun. I have 3D files, and a software slices the file into layers when a code is plugged into the 3D printer… The plastic is melting, and a very fine layer of plastic spits out. The bed drops down and puts in another layer, and eventually, the layers build up until it’s a 3D piece!”

The current revolution brought by 3D printing extends to the most surprising applications, even the ones as far removed as possible from the traditional “geek” sphere. One example: fashion!

The World Of Wearable Art... In 3D

<a href="https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/sport-climbing/" target="_blank">Sport Climbing</a>&nbsp;would be debuting as an official Olympic sport in <a href="https://tokyo2020.org/en/" target="_blank">Tokyo 2020</a>, professional athletes are vying to reach the top by achieving a technical edge over their competition. That edge comes in the form of inertial motion capture. Sponsored by <a href="https://www.jll.co.uk/" target="_blank">JLL</a>, a real estate firm, six climbers were examined using <a href="https://www.xsens.com/products/mvn-analyze" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Xsens MVN Analyze</a> to assess their climbing technique. JLL teamed up with <a href="https://www.isobar.com/sg/en/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Isobar Singapore</a> and <a href="https://mktg.com/offices/singapore/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MKTG Singapore</a> to work on this innovative project.The road to TokyoThe introduction of climbing into the Olympics sees the sport divided into three main categories:● Speed – Two climbers secure safety ropes to themselves and attempt to scale a 15m-high, 95 degrees wall faster than their opponent on identical routes● Bouldering – Athletes climb as many fixed routes on a 4m-high wall as they can within four minutes.● Lead – Athletes attempt to climb as high as they can on a wall measuring more than 15m in height, all within six minutes.With each section requiring different skillsets, athletes need to learn to adapt their climbing technique.Enter, Xsens<img alt="Climber" class="fr-fic fr-dii" data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.xsens.com/hubfs/Climber.png">&nbsp;There are physical limitations for coaches assessing their athletes through observation alone—even video often misses the trick. Details, such as the distance between the climber and the wall, cannot be accurately measured without tools working directly on the climber. With the Xsens sensors, suits can be worn during real climbs and the athletes gained never before seen insights.“The technology helps direct the distance between my body and the wall. The coach and I analyzed the movements and he concluded that my body was too far away. With this observation, I know how to improve my climbing,” explained Yau Ka-Chun, one of the six climbers.Climbing coaches need as much information as possible when assessing athletes in order to finesse the smaller details in technique, as Tatsumi Yui, Coach and Gym owner found:“The skill of the coach plays a big part in finding a climber’s weak point, so by using this technology, it is possible to find the weak point more easily.”&nbsp;<iframe allowfullscreen="" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://play.vidyard.com/vGtVJAAZiNC4q3J5HPMimm?disable_popouts=1&amp;v=4.2.20&amp;viral_sharing=0&amp;embed_button=0&amp;hide_playlist=1&amp;color=FFFFFF&amp;playlist_color=FFFFFF&amp;play_button_color=2A2A2A&amp;gdpr_enabled=1&amp;type=inline&amp;new_player_ui=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0&amp;muted=0&amp;hidden_controls=0&amp;vydata%5Butk%5D=465d693af42ae05f614571b3e65e8679&amp;vydata%5Bportal_id%5D=3446270&amp;vydata%5Bcontent_type%5D=blog-post&amp;vydata%5Bcanonical_url%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xsens.com%2Fcases%2Fclimbing-to-the-top-a-new-level-of-precision-at-the-tokyo-games&amp;vydata%5Bpage_id%5D=22659192274&amp;vydata%5Bcontent_page_id%5D=22659192274&amp;vydata%5Blegacy_page_id%5D=22659192274&amp;vydata%5Bcontent_folder_id%5D=null&amp;vydata%5Bcontent_group_id%5D=9880291723&amp;vydata%5Bab_test_id%5D=null&amp;vydata%5Blanguage_code%5D=null" title="Video" width="100%"></iframe> Democratizing dataAfter completion, over 100,000 data points are processed to recreate the kinematics of the climb before being uploaded to an online database. There, it can be accessed by coaches for remote analysis, meaning assessments can be made anywhere. The data can also be accessed by other climbers wanting to view and compare their own climbs with rival athletes before meeting them in competition.<img alt="Screenshot 2019-12-03 at 15.40.17" class="fr-fic fr-dii" data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.xsens.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202019-12-03%20at%2015.40.17.png">“I was able to see my climbing technique objectively, it’s like seeing myself climb from the point of view of the wall. Especially in speed, I could check my habits,” said Karin Kojima, climber.&nbsp;<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RBGDczXd3V8?&amp;wmode=opaque" style="width: 789px; height: 448px;"></iframe> Peak PerformanceThe introduction of inertial motion capture has the potential to raise the skill level of athletes in an Olympic sport still in its infancy—athletes are reaching for new heights, and&nbsp;holding on.&nbsp;MVN Analyze software trial requestYou can request a 15 day trial for the MVN Analyze software by filling out your details <a href="https://www.xsens.com/trial-request?hsCtaTracking=f48936ce-b605-4f6e-aab6-dbcfe43208e3%7Cfbd107a2-d450-495b-a630-f017a7627aec" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

wearables

Latest Posts

Voice At The Edge Helps Technology Work For More People

SensiML: Adding Real-Time Intelligence to Sensors

Wireless solutions take sports tracking to new level

The World Of Wearable Art... In 3D

A New Level Of Precision For Sport Climbing