21 Weird and Wacky Wearables You’ll Actually Want

If your current wearable fitness tracker isn’t “wearable” enough for you, you may be interested in Electrozyme’s temporary fitness “tattoos,” which stick to your skin and collect fitness data on muscular exertion, fatigue, hydration level, electrolyte balance and muscular degradation. The tattoos relay data to an associated armband that you also wear, and it sends the information to your smart device for analysis and tracking. The company envisions making the tattoos customizable, so companies could provide, say, logo tattoos for employees. They’re not for sale yet, but Electrozyme has “demonstrated working prototypes and has priority access to a state-of-the-art printing facility.”

Speaking of tattoos, VivaLnk and Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group created a digital tattoo that can be used to unlock your Moto X smartphone. The tattoo is roughly the size of a nickel, and it sticks to your skin with water-resistant adhesive for as long as five days. To unlock your phone, you just tap it against the tattoo. Packs of 10 tattoos cost $9.99, which breaks down to $10 for 50 days of continuous use, or about $75 a year to unlock your phone with tattoo. Unfortunately, it’s only available for the Moto X, but the company says it wants to expand to other phones in the near future.

“A lucid dream is any dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming,” according to Wikipedia. The Aurora dream-inducing headband tracks brainwaves and body movements while you sleep to detect when you are dreaming. It plays subtle audio and visual cues to help you recognize that you’re in a dream so you can attempt to control and enjoy it. It connects to a smartphone app to track dream-related metrics. It can also serve as an alarm clock that wakes you up when you’ve had enough sleep and will be most refreshed, according to the manufacturer. The Aurora headband is available for preorder for $199, and it’s expected to ship this fall.

Nod is a ring that works as a remote control for a variety of different display devices, including iOS or Android gadgets, computers running Mac OS X or Windows and Nest thermostats. You can use Nod to surf the Web; play games; click through slides in a presentation; type commands; look through digital photo albums; adjust smart thermostats, lighting and other connected home features, and much more, all without ever touching another device. Nod says its ring “works with an ever-expanding number of smart devices and objects,” so its functionality should only increase. Nod is available for preorder for $149, and it’s expected to ship this fall.

The idea behind the Smart PJs is simple. Your kid puts on his intelligent pajamas when he’s ready for bed; you download the associated mobile app; you scan one of the codes on the Smart PJs with your mobile device and, voila, a story or audio book opens up so you can read a bedtime story. Gone are the days when you had to put forth a little effort to find something good to read before your child’s bedtime. The PJs costs $29.99, and they’re available in blue and pink colors.

The Pet Pace collar is a fitness tracker and wellness monitor for dogs and cats. It connects to a data-tracking service that can integrate with veterinary systems, so a vet can access all of your pet’s data, including health alerts and medical history. PetPace tracks a pet’s pulse, temperature, respiration, activity levels, calories burned and more. It works with apps for iOS and Android, so you can monitors your pet’s stats on the go. The collar and service aren’t cheap, though; the device and a year of service will run you about $330, though the company is currently running a promotion for $30 off.