Some Of The Weirdest Patents Of 2013

Since we are closing in on the last days of 2013 we thought it would be interesting to look back on some of the most weird and unusual tech patents of this year.

Motorola’s Throat Tattoo

The patent by Google owned Motorola was filed in May 2012 and published on the 7th of November 2013. The patent describes an application of an electronic tattoo, that would be tattooed on a users neck and would be able to be used as a mobile microphone, lie detector and digital display. How exactly does would this work? Well the tattoo would capture vibrations or sounds straight from the users throat, this way eliminating any background noise that often occurs with conversations over mobile phones. The system or tattoo would be powered by it’s own power supply and would then be transferred via Bluetooth or near-field communication (also known as NFC).

An example of the Patent for Motorola’s Throat Tattoo

Sony’s Smart Wig

Are we sensing a theme here yet? Not one to be out done Sony released a patent this year for a “Smart Wig” which would be able to everything from alerting the user via head taps to incoming messages, it would have GPS system for leading people around tailored routes via head taps which Sony said “would be excellent for the blind”. It would also be able to monitor blood pressure, body temperature and brain waves via built in sensors, it would also be able to “change power point slides” via a tug of the sideburns making it also a controller. According to analysts this may not be such a crazy idea, with some expecting “Smart Textiles” to be around 10 years away.

Sony’s Patent for a “Smart Wig”

Google’s Ad Tracker

Something that sounds a little bit more attainable in the coming years is Google’s pay-per-gaze ad tracker. We by now all know that Google is an expert in the two fields of technology and advertising, which is why this patent seems more viable than the others. The idea is that a head mounted camera tracks what advertising materials the user is viewing throughout the day, then it would measure pupil dilation to determine how effective certain ads are at catching different users attention. This idea sounds like it would be a perfect fit for Google’s upcoming release of Google Glass, however at this stage the company has a rule against advertising on internet powered eyewear. This may change in the close future though.

A patent by Google that could work hand-in-hand with Google Glass, if they relax the rule of advertising on internet powered eyewear

Microsoft’s Smart Bra

Microsoft were reportedly looking at merging technology with lingerie in a hope that it will help you lose weight. You read that correctly, the bra would measure things like heart rate, breathing, skin activity and movement to assess when the user would be going through moments of stress and in turn would be more likely to turn to “comfort food”. The bra would then transmit via Bluetooth data to the users smartphone alerting them and providing them with exercising to help them overcome the urge to eat “comfort food”. According to Microsoft for the Smart Bra to be viable, they would need to look at a better battery as apparently battery life has been an issue.

Microsoft’s patent for a “Smart Bra”

So it looks like this year a lot of companies were looking into integrating technology into everyday life. It will be interesting to see if any of these patents actually make it to production, however the future of integrating our lives and immersing ourselves in technology could soon be here and not a thing of the future and dreams.

Thanks to The Sydney Morning Herald for the information provided.

Images courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald