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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/400858
MacDirectory 41 COLUMN + iHealth CUFF SMART JEWELRY by Cuf f "Activity tracking with style," the company calls it. Instead of having to wear something that looks sporty or electronic, Cuff offers its users a variety of smart bracelets, necklaces and keychains that primarily aim to provide personal security. The company promotes it as technology that can be used to send a distress signal to one or more programmed recipients if, for example, the user is in a threatening situation or has been injured. The option to send out a wireless alert via a simple tap is faster, easier, and more discreet than having to pull out one's phone, the company suggests. Users can program numerous additional actions, such as automatic non- emergency messages to family members. Users can also program the jewelry to vibrate if they receive a text message or email from a designated person. The technology inside the jewelry is called the CuffLinc. It's a small, waterproof device with a battery that lasts a year so that it doesn't require charging. It also includes an accelerometer chip, which will allow Cuff to later turn on walking and sleep-monitoring functions, the company reports. The site is taking pre-orders and the jewelry will be available in March 2015. https://cuff.io C HAIRLESS C HAIR by Noonee iSit anywhere, any time—a concept that could be life-changing for workers who need to spend most of their time on their feet. The Chairless Chair is an exoskeleton-type device that consists of a thin aluminum armature attached to the user's shoes and waist. It allows the user to walk or run when it is not activated. To sit, the user bends their knees and presses a button to engage a damper that extends from the knee to the heel. This allows the user to perch, much like on a bar stool, for a short break. The goal is to reduce pain and injury caused by standing for hours at a time, for example on a manufacturing assembly line, where there is no space or opportunity to sit down. The device specifically does not provide any muscle strength enhancement so that the user maintains their normal muscle function and avoids developing any reliance on the technology. Trials are set to take place at European facilities within the next year, after which the company plans to adapt the technology to additional fields, including medicine. Ultimately, Noonee plans to develop a consumer- friendly version. http://www.noonee.ch/index.php/technology