Sony SmartWig may prove to be a new kind of thinking cap


Diagram from smart wig patent application Photo: Supplied


Tokyo: Sony, which popularised portable music players with the Walkman, is seeking a US patent for 'SmartWig' hairpieces that could help navigate roads, check blood pressure or flip through slides in a presentation.


The wig would communicate wirelessly with another device and include tactile feedback, Sony said in the filing with the US Patent & Trademark Office. Depending on the model, the hairpiece may include a camera, laser pointer or global positioning system sensor, it said.


Sony said in the patent application that the wig would be an 'improved' wearable computing device. 'At least one sensor, the processing unit and the communication interface are arranged in the wig and at least partly covered by the wig in order to be visually hidden during use.'


The wig could be made from 'horse hair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair or any kind of synthetic material,' Sony said.


'It has not been decided whether to commercialise the technology or not,' a Sony spokesman, Saori Takahashi, said. 'The research process is continuing.'


There are three prototypes, including the Presentation Wig that has a laser point and can change PowerPoint slides by pulling left and right on the device. The Navigation Wig uses a GPS and vibration to direct the user, while the Sensing Wig gathers information from inside the body such as temperature and blood pressure, Ms Takahashi said.


The company already has wearable devices on the market. Sony introduced its SmartWatch 2 this year, offering a second screen for users of the Xperia smartphone. The previous model was introduced last year as a slightly smaller successor to Sony's LiveView watch.


Bloomberg

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