Wearable Technologies - Lab Researchers

of five main categories and one of five subcategories 


within each main category. Below you will find all thirty resulting categories, from broad subjects to more specific sub-sections.


Architecture is the art we live in, from individual houses, apartments and condos to skyscrapers, parks and cities. Expect amazing real buildings as well as stunning conceptual designs, underground structures to towering spires.



Abandoned Places: Real-life urban exploration and building infiltration can be challenging, dangerous and even illegal. Here is a chance to try your hand at urbex from the comfort of your computer, virtually visiting abandoned buildings, towns and cities.



Cities & Urbanism: Beyond classic ideas of city construction lie shocking suburban sprawl, brilliant urban renewal and liminal spaces in between. Many of these are projects on the fringe, sometimes literally – obscure, offbeat, ingenious and inventive.



Houses & Residential: Waking, sleeping, loving and living, we spend so much time at home it seems a shame not to make your place of residence both functional and unique. These dwelling designs will shock, amaze, intrigue and inspire your own projects.



Offices & Commercial: Working, recreating, traveling or shopping,  private spaces outside the home occupy much of our lives. Hopefully we can all aspire to occupy such stunning offices, stores, hotels, restaurants and bars as those found here.



Public & Institutional: Civic structures shape our cities. From sensational schools, colleges and universities to magnificent museums, theaters and opera halls, the best stand out from the crowd as objects rather than infill, signal amid noise.



Art is meant to be shared. Urban art inspires us in part because it is open to the public, subject to discourse, real and immediate. Check out our extensive collection of artworks gathered from around the world, from artists both veteran and innovative.



Drawing & Digital: Novel twists on existing traditions emerge as new tools and unique techniques allow artists to draw, paint and illustrate in fresh ways, from computer-generated wonders of three-dimensional realism to fresh forms of abstraction.



Installation & Sound: Art on the wall is one thing, but installations engage us with texture, light, colors and sounds, surrounding us and begging for interaction. Many challenge conventions of the art world as well as the context of art itself.



Photography & Video: Using everything from trash-can cams to pinhole cameras to high-tech digital devices, these photographers and cinematographers will amaze you with mind-bending techniques in static images and fluid movies alike.



Sculpture & Craft: From public works to private masterpieces, refined sculptures to clever crafts, here are some of the most beautiful, strange, surreal and sublime examples of physical art projects not made merely for hanging on walls.



Street Art & Graffiti: From 3D graffiti to light art, these works reflect the cutting edge of contemporary urban expression. Expect unique techniques, creative materials, and unusual strategies challenging conventions like stencils and spray paint.



Design exists at the intersection of art and function, with objects that derive beauty in part from appearance but also from use. Graphic, furniture, industrial and interior designs here are typically atypical, envelope-pushing creations that turn traditions on end.



Fixtures & Interiors: If you want to change spaces, moving may not be the answer – from nuts-and-bolts appliances and fixtures to materials, surfaces and finishes, single objects to entire rooms, here are some inspirational and ideas for interiors.



Furniture & Decor: Beyond the broad strokes, details are what really make or break living spaces. Explore unique and offbeat furnishings (including tables, desks, chairs and more) for bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms and home offices.



Graphics & Branding: For those who love logos and layouts, these posters, typographies and illustrations (both online and offline) involve subtle twists and double meanings. Many have won both mainstream and independent awards.



Guerrilla Ads & Marketing: Once offbeat and now commonplace, guerrilla tactics allow advertisers and activists to reach audiences when and where they least expect it, whether they mean to sell or convince you of something.



Products & Packaging: In a world of shiny new toys, the design of containers has become in many cases as important as the objects within.  These industrial designs show the range of potential inside wrappers, boxes, bags and more.



Global: Step outside of your comfort zone to research wonders of the world and boutique hotels, or go on an adventure with parkour, free running, building jumping and rooftopping. This section is for cosmopolitan globetrotters seeking something off the beaten path.



7 Wonders Series: Largely responsible for launching WebUrbanist to fame in the first place, these articles go beyond the original (and new) 7 Wonders of the World into the realm of deserted cities, remote islands, engineering marvels and more.



Boutique & Art Hotels: Whether you want to travel the world in luxury and style or immerse yourself in local vernacular, there is sure to be a unique, offbeat and amazing hostel, tree hotel or underwater resort in this section to suit your desires.



Culture & Cuisine: Finding a place to stay is only half the fun. From restaurants and bars to and art and architecture, skip the tourist stops in your guide book and delve right into the local dive pub, kitsch cafe or other attraction to get the full experience.



Travel & Places: Picking exotic destinations is as much an art as science. Many of the locations suggested here are the out-of-the-way, world-of-mouth wonders most travelers miss when reading through conventional articles and typical websites.



Urbex & Parkour:  From building jumping and roof-topping to planking, parkour and free running, these images and videos of the breathtaking infiltrations and explorations show unusual and clever ways to interact with urban environments.



Technology: Innovations, creations and aberrations found here are meant to incite conversations about the past, present and future relationships of humans and the technologies that permeate the human experience in ever-more-unpredictable and amazing ways.



Concepts & Prototypes:  The future is now, but it does not end here. Here you will find concept technologies and designs that are much closer than most people realize, including exciting inventions ready to make the leap from virtual to actual reality.



Gadgets & Geekery: From cool new toys to geeky memes, these articles are less about a subject than about a mentality or demographic – those of us who appreciate nerdy math or physics humor, geek graffiti and scientific silliness in general.



Gaming & Computing: For the more serious gamer and technophile, these vintage adverts, classic games, new systems and computers are for the dedicated fans who enjoy inside jokes as well as innovative software and hardware.



Vehicles & Modes: Despite the rise of location-independent digital technologies, we still live in a physical world with fixed geographies. These art cars, vehicle hacks and futuristic rides are about more than getting from point A to point B.



Vintage & Retro: And for those who enjoy the fast-paced history and evolution of technology, there is nothing like a trip down memory lane. Here are visions of the future past, and ideas that once seemed inevitable that may never come to pass

Beyond Google Glass: 13 Real-Life Wearable Tech Inventions

Article by SA Rogers, filed under Gadgets & Geekery in the Technology category


Once thought to be a dystopian dream of the distant future, the merging of technology and the human body is already well underway, and it could help us avoid injuries, diagnose disease, and even control gadgets with our minds. Google Glass is just the beginning – wearable technology gives us a vast array of incredible, unprecedented capabilities with everything from tiny ultrathin electronic ‘tattoos’ to clothing that translates our movements into computer commands. These 13 inventions are either already available to the public, or well on their way.

MIDI Controller Jacket Turns Your Body into a Synthesizer

Convert your body movements into music with Machina’s MJ v.1.0, a jacket that integrates a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) controller with flexible motion sensors so you can operate digital music instruments and computers by modifying the position of your body. It’s so complex, including flexible membrane potentiometers to monitor finger position, it can’t be mass-produced just yet; it has to be hand-made by a master tailor. Other than the placeholders, the sensors are totally invisible, so the jacket looks like any ordinary piece of clothing.

Air Waves Pollution Mask by Frog Design

A smart device that monitors air quality in real time and shares the data to smartphones could help combat the negative health effects of extreme pollution in China. The AirWaves mask is a combination of wearable tech and an app that guides users to areas of the city with better air quality, and enables them to track air quality over time. So far it’s just a concept, but an intriguing one that could help raise awareness and give people a little bit of power over a frustrating problem.

MYO Band – Control Gadgets Using Gestures

Rather than external sensors that ‘see’ your movements, like those used by the Nintendo Wii and XBox Kinect, this gesture-reading system for gadgets measures your actual muscle movements. MYO is a band that fits around your forearm, sensing movements similar to those you’d use on an Apple trackpad, like scrolling, flipping and zooming. It uses Bluetooth, so it could theoretically connect to virtually any mobile device, like smartphones, tablets and televisions. It’s currently available for preorder.

Robotic Exoskeleton Could Help Paraplegics Walk

NASA produced this robotic exoskeleton to help astronauts maintain muscle health in space, but the 57-pound X1 device could also help regular people here on Earth. Compared to the Iron Man suit by NASA, the X1features ten joints with multiple adjustment points that help astronauts in  zero gravity avoid muscle atrophy. Its more mundane uses could include increasing the range of movements possible in people who are disabled in various ways, including walking across varied terrain or stairs.

Wearable Solar by Pauline van Dongen

Fashion designer Pauline van Dongen and solar panel specialist Gertjan Jongerden teamed up to join solar power and couture with ‘Wearable Solar.‘ The line consists of a leather and wool coat and dress featuring a series of solar-powered flaps that unfurl to soak up rays of sunlight, folding away ‘invisibly’ when not in use. The modules contain up to 48 flexible solar cells, which is enough to charge a smartphone 50 percent after an hour in full sunlight.