braces

Bizarre neck contraption lets you sleep upright

The Ostrich Pillow personal nap tunnel already gave plenty of people the heebie-jeebies. Now, there's something even stranger invading the napping-accessories market. The UpRight Sleeper is a modified neck brace that holds your head in place so you can snooze while sitting.

The contraption is adjustable so it can sit under your chin or go up around your forehead. It moves around to accommodate different head shapes and sizes. A back strap is trapped between your back and your seat to keep everything in place.… Read more

ABCs of Car Tech: Talk like a tuner

If you've ever tried to join a conversation on an enthusiasts' forum about modifying your car for better performance, it may have seemed to you that everyone was speaking a foreign, abbreviation-based language.

What's the difference between NA and FI? I/H/E? What's that? Should you just add more NOS? If so, do I pour it straight into my FMIC? Some of you may already know the answers to these questions, but many are probably staring blankly at these seemingly random groupings of letters.

In this week's edition of the ABCs of Car Tech, I'… Read more

Vibrating dental device could cut brace-face time in half

Let's face it. Some things are just plain easier for kids today. Want to ask someone to the school dance without feeling so awkward? Just use your thumbs. Need to do research for a school paper? Just pick your search engine.

But perhaps my biggest tech envy to date can be found in the newly FDA-cleared AcceleDent system, a device that, when worn just 20 minutes a day, can dramatically speed up orthodontic tooth movement.

Traditionally, dental braces reshape the positioning of one's teeth by applying force to them. The AcceleDent device, worn with braces, simply speeds up tooth movement by vibrating them 20 minutes a day. (Insert inappropriate middle school joke here.)… Read more

A pair of suspenders for your iPod

It may not seem like it in the middle of January, but you won't always need to protect yourself from the elements with heavy-duty MP3 outerwear. Before you know it, mini-skirt weather will be right around the corner.

But music-playing suspenders? That, at least, is what the wrongly named "MP3 Smart Jacket" appears to be. Like other holsters of its kind, it has compartments for various gadgets that can be controlled by sewn-in buttons, according to Gadgetell, but it also has its own built-in speakers. Even so, this thing makes the gadget vest look like haute couture.… Read more