Seven wearable pieces of smart technology to keep your eyes on in the future

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Forget the Fitbit or the Apple Watch: here are the coolest wearables that you’ll want to get your hands on – from electronic shirts to a ring that makes you look like a spy when taking phone calls

Lauren James |
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The Ozmo Cup tracks how much the user drinks and links with an app to set and monitor hydration goals.

Hearing your friend’s voice through your finger, getting a notification reminding you to drink more water while you study, a shirt that keeps your chest warm while you ride your bike on a windy day ... the inventions presented at Wearable IoT World Labs’ Hong Kong Demo Day showed how the devices we use and wear every day are getting cleverer.

New businesses based in Hong Kong completed Wearable IoT World’s 15-week mentoring programme, gaining access to all the resources needed to get their ideas noticed by investors.
A “wearable” is a piece of technology added into clothes or accessories, while the “internet of things”, or IOT, refers to the network created when all these devices link up.

Many of the start-ups at last month’s Demo Day were looking for investors or had very early versions of the final product, but the day offered an exciting snapshot of the future devices that will make lives easier. Here are just seven of the best ...

Ozmo

Ozmo is a cup that works with an app to check whether you’re drinking enough water. The cup uses sensors to see how much you’ve drunk, while the free app uses information like your height, weight, age and activity level to set your hydration goals. A cute animation of a whale floating in the sea motivates you to make sure you’re getting enough fluids, while the cup uses vibration and lights to keep you on track. (Young Post is giving away one Ozmo cup! Go to the bottom of this page to find out how!)

Available to buy for HK$599 at Ozmo.io

 

Keep your cool when you exercise in wearable tech by clim8.

Clim8

Wearing a shirt stuffed with electronics might not sound like a good idea when the weather is bad, but local start-up Clim8 has invented clothing specially designed for the outdoors. As well as being made with fabric that channels away sweat, the clothes also have temperature and humidity sensors, and warm up if needed.

Available from January 15, 2017. See myclim8.com for more info.

Migo IQ

Trekking around maze-like department stores trying to find that one dress might be a thing of the past if shops get on-board with Migo IQ’s clever new concept. Described as “the future of shopping”, Migo is a free app that you take shopping with you. Shops install Migo’s tiny devices, or “beacons”, which send out signals to help you find what you’re looking for and offer you deals.

Launching in Hong Kong shops soon. Keep an eye on migoiq.com.

ORii

A ring that channels your smartphone through your finger to your ear. The ring links up with your phone, so when you press down on your ear with your index finger, you can hear the voice of the caller, or send a command to Siri or Google Now.

Preparing to launch crowdfunding campaign. See orii.io for more info.

Auvi

The process of turning a song into an mp3 file makes the file as small as possible, which means that some of the sound quality is lost. Many fans look for “lossless” audio. Auvi has invented technology that supports high-res music. Auvi uses a streaming device, Wi-Fi headphone, or Wi-Fi speaker, along with the Auviplay app, to control all your devices.

The Auvi team is backed by HKUST. Follow their progress at auvi-inc.com.

innoWear

InnoWear’s innoBand is a colourful activity tracker that follows your movements while you wear it on your wrist. The band logs information, such as how active you’ve been, how many calories you’ve burned, how many steps you’ve taken, and how much sleep you’ve had. It sends the data to a free app, so you can check how you’re doing.

Currently available to pre-order. See innowear.hk for more information.

Nexpaq

Sure, your fluffy green phone cover is cute, but it doesn’t exactly spell efficient or functional.

Nexpaq’s phone case keeps your device safe, and lets you customise and add new functions by clipping in small squares, called “modules”. The modules give your phone extra powers, such as more battery, a stronger speaker, a night vision camera, pollution measurements and more.

Currently a vailable to pre-order. See nexpaq.com for more info.

GIVEAWAY!
Young Post has an Ozmo cup to give away! To win, comment on our photo of the cup on Facebook, telling us which clever wearable device you’d invent. Closing date is September 16. The winner will be chosen by the Ozmo team and notified on September 19. Secondary school students in Hong Kong only.

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