Maybe you guys can help me out:
For tomorrow, I need to present some innovative new (less than 5 years old) designs for the body.
'For the body' can mean quite a bit: clothing of course, but an innovative public health program or a water-filtering system could qualify as well. Or some food-stuff.
It has to improve life for the users, and be somehow optimistic.
All ideas are welcome - and we need to present the 3-5 best with arguments, so a discussion would be even better.
I am choosing [URL=http://www.coloplast.co.uk/ECompany/GBMed/product.nsf/(VIEWDOCSBYID)/AF6AD67F7D49629E80256E700056BC7E]this[/URL] product, and will explain later, but I have to go now.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: M,

Hmm...I'm off to the fabric store in about an hour...but I'm afraid the project I'm working on isn't really what you're looking for - a hot dog costume....

It's really a bit too old, but one of the best things that has happened designwise for the body is the widespread use of lycra.

No longer just for sports and disco, that little bit of lycra keeps your knees from getting irritated by bunching fabrics behind them. Lycra is GOOD!

Just followed your link, M.

There's lycra in it!

If it didn't have to be optimistic and improve the life of it's wearers, I'd recommend RFID-tags and GPS. Damned scary consequences if these are used in the *wrong* way.

These are also probably too old.



Body protectors for horse riders

That's not a bad idea - However - why not do something like the VR goggles in Virtual Light. They would change Lenscrafters forever.

-Chris

I was thinking of Camper's Twins series, but that does not improve your life much besides making you smile more often.



So, looking for a clear improvement, I thought about wraparound headphones, neck placed. No more inserting things in the ear, no more mussed hair, comfortable movement. But some are older than five years ago.



So, thinking in cyberpunk terms, I got my answer. Actually, I got two answers. One is for those willing to suffer invasive brain surgery (major body mod in my book). The second one is for those who prefer an alternate approach.

The effect, giving sight to the blind.

The Dobelle approach:

Electrodes and a camera.



The vOICe approach:

Learn to use hearing as sight.



Maybe it is a limited application, but I just love it.

José

Hey! Cool idea - Digital Signal Control on the aural pathways to stimulate visual focus...

Hmmm...

I love my AGP card, but get me into one of those and I'll write a review that will pay...

A very promising experimental cancer treament. And using human skin as a transmission medium. Still, privacy concerns over this one, though.

How about the iPod? the damn pod-people are everywhere recently and i've never seen a happier bunch of mutants.

Thank you so much - I'm compiling a list already.

Now about those panties: what is great about them is that they were designed in close collaboration with a group of potential users, and from that comes a lot of features, like: easy use, sick people want to look nice too, and (relatively) easy production, meaning they are affordable. Also, it facsinates me that a lot of the innovation lies in the very specialized design of the material, rather than in the cut - by stressing the material in different ways, the usabilty is improved in ways that never could have been achieved through the cut alone.

Finally, they are designed by some very radical artists, who were invited inside the production system, and have produced something of great social, healing and commercial value. To me, this shows that radical art can play an important part in society, if society is willing to use it.

A more geeky, consumer-oriented take about advances on clothing technology. I specially like the promise of those biometric bodysuits.

What about a shirt that runs a digital video screen on its surface that changes. I understand IBM did some research on folding LCD displays.

A condom with a ruler down the side.

I win.

I know it's too late for the presentation, but JRE's post mentions learning to use hearing as sight. I read a similar article this week about using the tongue to replace sight. (Unfortunately the item linked is the 2001 version of the story, I can't find the updated version.)

Using the tongue to replace sight? Interesting idea...

"Miss Brown, I'd like you to meet Mr Jones".

"Slurp!"

"Ewwwww!!!!!"