watch

The National Institute of Health has given a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh a $426,000 grant to study the effectiveness of a watch for measuring stress.

The eWatch is a giant wristwatch that is both a sensor device and a computer.

It measures sounds, motion, ambient light and location of the environment, as well as the skin temperature, health status and activity level of the wearer.

The device was developed by Daniel Siewiorek, director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science, and Asim Smailagic, research professor … Read more

Its name may not be as menacing as the "Radio Active" watch, but this timepiece could be right out of a '50s B-movie in all its grainy atomic glory. Just like the creatures and objects regularly exposed to dangerous radiation levels at drive-ins across America every Saturday night in those days, the "Superluminova" made by Reactor Watches will glow day and night for a full 10 years.

But rather than the bomb, this watch owes its luminescence to tritium-filled tubes that need only a few rays of light to recharge instantly, according to Gadget Venue. Other … Read more

A few weeks back we thought we'd stumbled across the ultimate gadget for the seismically obsessed with the "GraGraph" personal Richter scale. But already there's another on the drawing board that does it one better--it's portable.

If it ever becomes a reality, Citizen's "Seismic Watch" concept may be the first earthquake detector that can be strapped to the wrist, according to OhGizmo. Yet given the nerve-wracking way it works, it might do more harm than good by causing a heart attack: Once a quake has been predicted, the watch automatically switches to … Read more

One of the few decent-looking Dick Tracy watches we've seen is reportedly a step closer to reality. Hyundai will be marketing the Chinese-made "CECT W100" Bluetooth phone watch that came out this summer, Gizmodo says.

The Hyundai model appears to have a slightly different finish but will still feature its LCD touch screen, 1.3-megapixel camera and 1GB of memory while playing MP3 and video files. But like the earlier version, this steroidal wristwatch apparently will be confined to the Asian market for now.

CHIBA, Japan--Citizen's micro robots come in peace.

The watch company, which also makes a wide variety of industrial-grade precision components, has come up with a couple of robot kits designed to get kids interested in the field.

The Eco-drive robots--the three robots with faces and watches on top in that first picture--are powered by gears and mechanisms in the watch. Although the watch is turning the gears of the robot, it continues to function normally. The whole thing is powered by a solar panel.

The system will work "as long as there is light or until breaking," … Read more

Someone over at Nike's product design team must be a fan of the crazy watch site Tokyoflash, because the new "Nike Amp+ Sport Remote Control" looks as if it could have come directly from the Japanese retailer's catalog. At least Nike's product goes beyond just the usual indecipherable flashing LED lights, providing "instant voice feedback of a runner's time, distance, calories, and pace" when used with Nike+ Ready shoes and the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, according to Electronista.

It controls the music, of course, and has a dedicated button that plays the &… Read more

Apparently taking a cue from wristwatches that are impossible to read, clock makers are increasingly devising timepieces for the wall and table alike whose most notable feature is their indecipherability.

But Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara has taken a less sadistic approach in designing his non-numeric clock, creating 84 drawings that correspond to particular times, Luxist says. Well, at least it's appears less sadistic with its whimsical figures; it could indeed prove even more maddening than other unreadable clocks in the long run, depending on how well one remembers what each illustration indicates. And that would undoubtedly add considerable insult … Read more

We're not sure if we believe all its marketing claims but, if half of them are true, this watch is well worth the $179 it's going for.

As its name implies, the "SleepTracker Pro," monitors your nocturnal patterns so it can sync up with your sleep cycle, according to ProductDose. Then, when you program it to awaken you within a particular 90-minute window (or less), it will gently rouse you with its vibrating mechanism.

This last feature is an important distinction from the previously released standard version, which offered only a rude ringing alarm, as well … Read more

READY, SET, GO!

The RS800 has been designed for serious endurance athletes and competition runners. The system provides an unprecedented amount of feedback on body performance and enables the planning, tracking and analysis of training to an exacting level near before realized.

The Polar RS800sd Running Computer is a complete system for planning, monitoring and analyzing your training. It provides an optimum combination of features for elite level athletes and their coaches. With the new Polar WearLink transmitter W.I.N.D., the Polar RS800sd? is part of the world's first integrated training system together with adidas running gear. … Read more