Your phone can warn you about bad weather or heavy traffic.However, some dangers cannot wait for you to notice a notification.
A hazardous gas may already surround you.Contaminated water may look perfectly normal.
By the time you unlock your phone and check an alert, you could have already spent valuable time near the threat.Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a wearable patch that takes the phone out of that warning process.The device detects environmental hazards, then vibrates directly against your skin.Different vibration patterns tell you which hazard the patch detected.
Meanwhile, a related version gives robots their own form of chemical awareness.CyberGuy Live: Missed "Sick of Spam?" Get the replay and checklistOur free CyberGuy Live class "Sick of Spam?" has ended, but you can still watch the full replay and download our spam-stopping checklist.Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson walks you step by step through simple ways to reduce robocalls, spam texts, junk email and unwanted messages.
You’ll also learn how to curb political texts, clean up your inbox and spot messages that could put your personal information at risk.Get the free replay and checklist now at CyberGuyLive.com.SELF-DRESSING CLOTHES COULD HELP OLDER ADULTSResearchers developed a wearable patch that detects hazardous gases and water contaminants, then warns users with vibrations directly against the skin before they check a phone.(Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The square patch is slightly smaller than a driver's license.
That makes it compact enough to attach to clothing or place directly against the skin.Inside, a microcontroller acts as the patch's brain.
A small battery powers the system.Six sensors monitor the surrounding environment for potential hazards.The researchers designed the sensors to detect threats in the air and contaminants in water.
Examples include dangerous gases and heavy metals.Once the patch detects a hazard, a tiny actuator creates a vibration against...