No matter how small devices get, you still have to get a speaker near your ear and microphone near your mouth, which generally requires a certain minimum dimension unless your fingers can do the talking while you’re walking.

The Sngl taps into a wristband and turns your fingers into the receiver, requiring no speaker on the device. Audio is directed to the ear via vibrations through your body while you talk into the band.

While you can wear it as a wristband, the device also doubles as a watch strap (for conventional or smart watches) so you can tie it right into another wearable you already carry with you – one less device!

The project comes from Innomdle Lab, a startup that’s been spun out of Samsung. Eventually something like this could be tied into a smartwatch design completely, but for now at least you can wrap your wrist and look like a secret agent while you talk on the phone (or a new-fangled Inspector Gadget).

“There’s no one who never lost their earphone in their lifetime. With Sgnl, you can keep your cell phone alone in your pocket and simply raise your hand to answer a phone call without carrying any extra headset or earphone. When you place your finger to your ear, your finger not only transmits the sound but it also blocks out background noise. So you can hear very clear voice in a loud places without worrying about other people listening in.”

The post Go Go Gadget: Wristband Turns Your Fingers into a Phone first appeared on Gajitz.

We’ve all had those conversations where we just can’t seem to get a word in no matter how hard we try or how many hints we drop. In certain settings, like counseling or mediation settings, it is imperative that every person involved gets his or her fair amount of speaking time so that all of their thoughts can be heard. The Expanded Discourse project from Zoe Padgett and Gerardo Guerrero takes an interesting approach to communication equality.

The project uses inflating suits to indicate when one party wishes to talk. The inflation represents the building up of ideas and sentiments, and the need to communicate those words to the other person. A small triangular object fits into one shoulder of the suit and acts as a “talking stick,” or an indication that the person who holds the object has the floor for the time being.

When one person wants to speak, they activate the suit’s interior fan to inflate the plastic skin. Inserting the triangular piece into the shoulder of the suit allows the suit to slowly deflate as the person speaks. This provides another visual indicator – this time, suggesting that the speaker is “getting it all out” and experiencing a release as his or her emotions are communicated to the other person.

The designers suggest that the suits could also be helpful in a business setting. If you’ve ever been in a business meeting where things got a little heated and people couldn’t resist the temptation to talk over one another, the value of these odd-but-effective inflatable sumo suits should be obvious.

Maybe the suits are a little silly, but the silliness can help break down communication barriers by putting everyone on a level playing field. Even those who are too timid to speak up and jump into the conversation can have a turn to speak because the suit gives a visual cue that is hard to ignore.

The post Inflatable Suits Facilitate Turn-Taking in Conversations first appeared on Gajitz.