pants

11.30.09

Fancy Pants May Prevent Falls

A new pair of high-tech pants monitors the wearer's joints

By Sam Barrett Posted 07.30.2008 at 4:55 pm 0 Comments

A team of engineers at Virginia Tech University has designed a pair of pants that may identify people who have a high risk of falling.

Several small circuit boards containing microcontrollers, sensors, and communication devices -- called e-TAGS -- are embedded in the pants at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Each foot has a piezoelectric sensor—a sensor that generates an electric pulse through applied stress—at the heel that is connected to an e-TAG in the pants. The whole setup is powered by a nine-volt battery attached near the waist.

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READ MORE ABOUT > e-pants, health, pants, piezoelectric material, Sam Barrett

The Incredible Hulk: Curiously Strong

Our expert tackles the physics behind the hero's super-strength (his magical pants are another story)

By Adam Weiner Posted 05.20.2008 at 11:26 am 5 Comments

The latest cinematic version of The Incredible Hulk is due to hit theaters soon. Now, many people are aware that the most incredible thing about the Hulk is the way his pants always stay on when he expands to ten times his original volume. (If they didn’t it would make for a completely different kind of superhero.) His brute strength, however, is a close runner-up.

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READ MORE ABOUT > Adam Weiner, hollywood science, movies, pants, physics, the breakdown, the incredible hulk