This Haptic Wearable Delivers Hazard Warnings You Can’t Ignore
For many wearable environmental sensors, the biggest weakness is not detecting a hazard — it is making sure the person notices the warning in time. If the alert is buried in a smartphone notification, critical time can easily be lost. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a wearable patch that takes a more direct approach, detecting dangerous substances and immediately communicating the threat through distinct vibration patterns on the wearer's skin.
The proof-of-concept device is designed to monitor a variety of environmental hazards, including toxic gases, airborne aerosols, and heavy metals in water. Rather than relying on wireless notifications, the patch vibrates directly against the user's skin, using a unique tactile pattern for each detected hazard so the wearer can distinguish between different threats without ever looking at a display.
How the patch works
The patch is slightly smaller than a driver's license and integrates a microcontroller, a...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to hackster.io. To see the full text click HERE
