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Gareth May
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Article History:
Why the future of health and safety is under a virtual reality visor
For years, fear of automation has dominated the conversation surrounding technology and the human work force, with self-interested scaremongers stoking the flames of a narrative where the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning wipes out the need for humans in factories and facilities around the globe. The potential for robot-centred logistics to perform traditionally…
What tech do cyclists actually want?
Pumping thighs, expert mechanics and aero framesets only get you so far. For many cyclists the key to making good time is found in the tech that they adopt. No one survives all 21 stages and 3,500km of the Tour de France without the help of earpieces, data trucks and GPS devices. And you don’t…
The future of the high street is augmented reality shopping
Blade Runner. Minority Report. Back to the Future II. They all have one thing in common. In the high streets of tomorrow the adverts come alive. Sharks are projected leaping into the air, lasers read our DNA and seduce us with bargains, and escorts ply their trade with the finesse of the 40-foot woman. We’ve…
This new sunburn solution taps into the deep science of UV rays
A fetching hankie on the head only cuts it for so long and as temperatures soar across Europe, ultraviolet detectors are in vogue. Shade is the latest to hit the market. Founder Emmanuel Dumont says the disc-like device’s technology is proven to be thirty times more sensitive than any other device on the market. A…
The nutritionist of tomorrow is digital
The waistline has always been the subject of wearable fanfare, with fitness trackers and wellbeing wristbands the golden children of non-invasive health and fitness devices. Though many health and fitness apps include a food diary function, they typically require users to self-report what they've eaten. As yet they've failed to fully achieve their presumed aim;…
A new wave of VR motion sickness solutions is here
The so-called solutions to the proverbial problem of VR motion sickness reads like a 1970s hippy's hit list: eat ginger, put on an acupuncture wristband, aim a fan at your face, take Dramamine, smoke weed… Wouldn't it be novel to put on a headset and just not want to puke? Developers have tackled the issue…
This wearable collar lets you experience what it's like to stutter
Stammering affects as many as 1 in 100 adults, or 70 million people worldwide. And a new conceptual device is designed to increase that figure, at least for the few moments that the 'abled' speaking person wears this collar-like wearable around their neck. Stacha permits wearers to experience a stuttering-like sensation by sending a faint…
Can empathy enhancing VR really persuade us to care?
The new battleground for animal rights is undoubtedly VR. This July, Animal Equality released its third iAnimal virtual reality tour of conditions in dairy farms in Mexico, Germany and Britain. The first video in the series, which many peopel find shocking and disturbing, has had more than 63 million views. Similarly, a new VR video…
A new wave of PlayStation VR games are coming – and that's good news for gamers
When the PSVR launched last year it caused quite the stir. Over night, console and casual gamers could get their mitts on an affordable virtual reality system. Sure, most of the launch titles were nowhere near as immersive or fine-tuned as those found on the pricier, PC-powered HTC Vive or Oculus Rift but finally the…
Wearable tech is battling sexual assault – but is it really solving the problem?
Intrepid is a stick-on wearable designed to detect and prevent sexual assault. Once attached to a piece of clothing and connected to a phone via Bluetooth, the device's accompanying app has the capacity to call or text up to five chosen contacts in case of an emergency. Manisha Mohan, a 25-year-old scientist, developed the idea…
Fifth Sense: The next stage of VR is total sensory immersion
Last year, the director of the Imagineering Institute in Malaysia, Dr. Adrian Cheok, the brain behind mixed reality wearable Huggy Pajamas, which consoles children with virtual hugs, and Scentee, the smartphone attachment that pings pongs over the data highway, claimed that three senses are pivotal in creating a future sense of presence in the virtual…
FPV drone racers tell us what they love about the wearable tech sport
What's it like to race at 120mph without moving an inch? Look no further than The Drone Racing League (DRL). It's the world's only professional drone racing circuit where pilots go head to head in a series of FPV (First Person View) flights. Pilots fly radio-controlled drones equipped with cameras while wearing VR-like goggles displaying…
VR is helping young people learn about sexual consent
I'm sat on a sofa in student digs wearing ripped jeans. There's a rucksack at my feet and an Asian-Canadian guy with his hair in a bun is offering me a beer. He's handsome. He looks a bit like Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead. I like him – at least the female protagonist through…
Male kegel wearables are a thing now
It's 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon and I'm watching a man play Pong with his perineum. Thankfully the exchange is over Skype and as the little white ball is thrust back and forth across the smartphone screen that's enlarged on my Mac, Jon Thomas, my fellow Skyper, remarks that this isn't something you see everyday.…
Could VR horror be too... horrifying?
I recently played The Visitor in VR. In front of an audience of drunken friends egging on my high pitch outbursts. I lasted seven out of the ten minutes, finally succumbing after a close encounter with a pixelated pillow. The Visitor's story is about an unexpected guest calling to your house in the middle of…