The Houreisen Face Exercise Mask is the latest of a series of strange and wonderful mechanical contraptions from Japan. It joins the ranks of the Hana Tsun Nose Straightener, the Eye Slack Haruka, the Rhythm Slim Chin Exerciser, the Face Slimmer Mouthpiece, and the Smile Lines Face Belt.

What the face mask promises to do is tighten up your sagging cheeks without having to go under the knife. Here’s how you’re supposed to use it: put it on, open and close your mouth for ten minutes, and repeat it every day.

You can get the Houreisen Face Exercise Mask from the Japan Trend Shop for $93 (USD).

The thing that I like the most is that it’s soft and flexible, allowing for easy storage and that you won’t be worried about chucking it into the bottom of your bag. It’s also stretchy enough to fit just about any smartphone.

It can also be pulled into different shapes, so you can use it as a stand for watching movies or playing games if you use multiples.

The iLoop costs €14.90 (~$20 USD) and it’s shipping now. There are four different colors available: black, sky blue, pink and white, and you get a 10% discount when you order a four-pack.

[via Klonblog via Thaeger]

Gymbot is a concept robot was designed by Massimo Battaglia of givingshape. The robot will basically be on your case 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Think of him as more of a drill Sergeant overseeing your life. This humanoid robot features articulated joints that mimic human movement, speed and precision. It is equipped with a 3D video camera with a scanner and thermal camera and using a microphone, it will measure your heart rate and blood pressure, while it ignores your pleas for a rest.

This personal trainer ‘bot will also calculate your body fat index, which is just what none of us want to hear about. The touchscreen on Gymbot’s chest will show you the exercises to do. It seems like a lot of trouble and a huge expense to get you to exercise, but it will probably make some company rich someday.

[via Tuvie]

But what about the rest of your face? Well, the Japan Trend Shop has a solution for that, too: the Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece. It’s basically a mouthpiece that looks like a huge pair of puffed-up, gigantic lips. To exercise your face, just pop it into your mouth and say loud vowel sounds again and again for three minutes every day.

The movements will produce “regular and methodical muscle exercises” that will strengthen your facial muscles. The retailer claims that this product can fight wrinkles and improve the overall tone and look of your face – although I’m sure the latter isn’t applicable while you’re using the mouthpiece.

These Face Slimmer Mouthpieces are available online for $83 (USD). That’s pretty pricey for a piece of rubber, but still cheaper than a face lift, I suppose. But then again, there’s also no guarantee if it will deliver what it promises to, and you’ll look insane while you use it.

I just wish I had seen the Rhythm Slim Chin Exerciser gadget before I met her, so I could’ve at least said something aside from repeating “Yeah, I understand” and “No, I don’t think it looks that bad at all!” throughout the entire conversation.

So where in the world can you get a nifty little gadget that promises to exercise your neck and jaw muscles to ease cramps, fight off wrinkles, and prevent sagging skin? From Japan. But for everyone else who lives elsewhere, then you can get it from the Japan Trend Shop.

Basically, you just position the exerciser under your chin and push down. Hold that position for ten seconds if you can, release, then repeat the entire thing for at least three minutes each day.

I don’t know if this is a proven thing, but it sure beats having to go get some plastic surgery if you really care that much about a wrinkly-looking chin. It sells for $136 (USD), which is a whole lot less than what you’d normally have to shell out if you were going to get some surgery done as well – but probably a whole lot more than you’d pay for it if you lived in Japan.

[via Japan Trend Shop]

For people who are wound up too tight, it’s a great way to release the stress and pent-up energy. And for the interns at  Open University’s computer science department, it’s something that has been programmed to take punches and turn them into different forms of stimulus and feedback.

The characteristics of each punch are detected using impact sensors and an accelerometer. These signals are then processed in an Arduino processor, which provides sounds, lights, images, and other information. In addition to playing music, this particular punching bag can also emit laughter, or even a sigh when hugged.

The interactive punching bag was intended investigate the impact of feedback and stimulus on the users (or the punchers), as well as observe what effects impact interactive design might make on the user (or puncher) experience over time.

Pretty cool, huh?

[via Dvice]

Treadmills have them. So do cross-trainers. And now your next dumbbells might also be able to tell you just how many calories you’re burning – if these C-Ring Dumbbells eventually get picked up and produced, that is.

The C-Ring is a concept design by Wang Zihao. They have a built-in calorie counter that keeps track of calories exhausted with your weight training routine, determined on the basis of the weight being lifted and the number of repetitions detected by movement. To access this information, you can simply sync the dumbbells with your smartphone or PC via USB.

The cool thing about the C-Ring Dumbbells is that you can amp up the intensity of your workout by adding on compatible magnetic weight disks to each end of the dumbbell. Pretty neat, eh?

[via Yanko Design]

To start, you create a weekly “pact” that says how many times you’ll go to the gym, and an amount you’re willing to give up if you don’t. When you get to the gym, you have to stay at least 30 minutes for the workout to count using its check-in feature. If you don’t check-in you have to pay up for not meeting your goals. The upside is that you can get cash rewards (typically about $1 a visit) if you stick to your goals, using the funds paid up by those that didn’t go. Naturally, GymPact takes a chunk of all the money you put in, 3% to be precise.

I guess if you are lazy and cheap, the thought of losing a buck might be enough to get you to go exercise. I would worry about people gaming the system though. What do you think?

If you want to try it, you can download the free GymPact app over at the iTunes App Store.

[via TechCrunch]

Well, it has a 600MHz processor and weighs just 35 grams for one thing. MOTOACTV combines a GPS-enabled touchscreen watch with a smart music player. Those looking for a watch to workout to should like the fact that it learns songs that will make you exercise harder and it plays those songs more often. (This is where the ACTV part comes into play. Get it?)

There’s also a built-in heart rate monitor and it will give you performance stats like duration, distance, avg. pace, calories burned, and avg. heart rate through a Bluetooth headset. It also has an FM radio built in, and will peer with your smartphone to allow your to answer calls or read texts from the watch display.

It will track your running, walking and cycling stats outside, and treadmill and step machine stats indoors. If you like, you can access your stats via a web browser as well at motoactv.com. So yeah, basically this is a smart-Nano for fitness geeks. MOTOACTV will be available on November 6th, with an 8GB version costing $249.99 (USD) and a 16GB model for $299.99.

[via TechCrunch]

The average CD weighs about .15 grams, so the weight adds up nicely and you can make the dumbbell weigh whatever weight you want. Sadly, it’s just a concept right now, but hopefully these become a reality. It would be nice to use those CDs for something besides drink coasters.

[via Yanko Design via Geeky-Gadgets]

The Fitness@Work chair has an expanding base that will provide added extra stability when you are working out on it. You can lift the backrest to do horizontal exercises with your legs and feet, thanks to the spring-resisted foot stirrups. The bottom cushion rotates when unlocked for twisting maneuvers.

This isn’t bad as a workout concept, but it’s still better to stand up instead of sitting down all the time. This chair definitely looks more versatile and sophisticated than the already-on-the-market Gymygym workout chair. For now, the Fitness@Work chair is just a concept, but since there aren’t any overly futuristic ideas implemented into it, it should be possible to make it with existing technology.

[via Yanko Design]

The product is called the Elliptical Machine Office Desk. The desk includes a semi-recumbent elliptical machine with electronic resistance control. The little screen with the curved top you see on the left in the photos is the control panel for that exercise gear. It will operate at slow speeds so you can concentrate and the screen keeps up with the RPM, calories burned, and distance ridden for up to 30 different people.

The desk is cool too with a height adjustment to accommodate people up to 6’9″ and fit that elliptical underneath. It also has a rail system for mounting your computer LCD. The big downside is that the desk and exercise gear costs $8,000 (USD) plus a $450 shipping fee. The upside is that for those of us that are lazy the price is yet another excuse to skip exercising.

The downside to the original design for geeks that like to exercise with the NIKE+ add-on was that the dongle wouldn’t attach to the nano with it inside the watchband. HEX has now announced that it will be offering a compatible product for NIKE+ users in April.

The watchband looks the same as the original with the difference being a cutout on the side for the NIKE+ attachment. That attachment apparently plugs into the charge and sync port so you should be able to charge the nano in the new case as well. HEX also has a new ARM band that will hold your cables still while you workout.

The ergonomic office chair sits in front of your computer and allows you to work out with elastic resistance straps while you sit. You can do number of exercises with the chair for your arms, legs, back, and core. The thing looks really cool too.

It looks like a chair made for gamers with a lot of elastic straps. I wonder how comfortable the thing is. The look sort of reminds me of those cheap lawn chairs with all the plastic straps. The chair is cool, but one of the downsides is the cost, the seat sells for $599 (USD) with free shipping or $299 with three more payments of $133.

This new jump rope concept (which is a very strange thing to write) called the E-rope has turned up at Yanko Design. The concept might still leave welts on the uncoordinated, but it will actually do something else — charge AA batteries.

Each handle of the E-Rope holds a pair of AA batteries that are charged by the motion of the rope spinning around. A LED on the concept shows when the batteries are fully charged. The designer says 20 minutes of jumping will charge the batteries fully. On the other hand, plugging your rechargeables into a wall charger will net the same results without you cracking even the slightest of sweats.

This is part of acgourley’s Project Excite Bike, which kind of reminds me of that old Nintendo 8-bit game I used to like, Excite Bike. Basically, he used a sensor ring to capture the movement of the bike while you are pedaling. This action replaces a button or a trigger on the Xbox 360 controller, and passes its information through a modified 360 joystick circuit and an Arduino controller.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This is primarily used for racing games. The speed at which you pedal would be the speed of your virtual car. It’s kind of awesome if you ask me. This initial hack was done with an Xbox 360, but it could be adapted to any game console.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While the concept sounds pretty simple, it’s pretty complicated to set up. If you want to give it a shot for yourself, check out acgourley’s blog to for schematics and more info on how he put it together.

[via Make:]

To ride in a pair of Chariot Skates, you place your foot in the stirrup and then strap your leg into the top half. Pushing your legs from side to side propels the oversize carbon fiber bicycle wheels, and a small wheel in the back provides added stability. While they’re not intended to go as fast as speed skates, they’re designed for cruising, and gain and maintain speed more quickly than rollerblades, and can also be maneuvered over rough terrain. You can even walk up and down stairs while in motion. Did you notice I said you, not I? The video clip below will give you a better idea of how they work.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

At this point, the makers of the Chariot Skates are still testing them out and making sure that you won’t kill yourself when you get a pair. Heck, they haven’t quite figured out a way to add mechanical brakes yet, so you’ll have to go with one of these more primitive stopping methods…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Expect the Chariot Skates to be released sometime in the first half of 2010 if all goes well. Pricing is still TBD, but I can pretty much guarantee you that the requisite helmet and knee-pads not included.

[via Likecool]

Talismoon’s Wiitality is a neoprene band that’s designed to hold your Wii-mote in place with no need to hold the controller in your hand. The band is fully adjustable, and fastens to your wrist or bicep using sturdy Velcro straps to ensure the controller stays put while you sweat. Since so many of the exercises in Wii Fit require you to put the controller down, and then pick it back up again, this is a great little idea.

You can find the Wiitality over at Amazon for about $3 (USD) each.

While it’s not clear if the image is from Nintendo or from a 3rd-party accessory maker, it definitely looks like something I could see hooking up to my Wii. The $89.99 controller appears to be a foot-pedal device that’s used to interact with a variety of bike-riding and fitness activities.

My best guess is that the slide was leaked from some sort of Nintendo product focus group, and might not represent a final product. Still, I really love the idea that someday I may be able to participate in the Tour de France in my living room.

It’s actually my life’s ambition to complete a triathlon without ever leaving my couch.

[via Go Nintendo]

The headphones can be set to a timed workout mode, wherein the headphones will play music that the user will match – e.g. fast, intense music needs to be matched with fast, intense exercise. Of course you can also use it as plain ol’ headphones.

You can order a pair of Karada Trainer Headphones at Japan Trend Shop for $110 (USD) ($92 + shipping). Let’s hope the voice commands also come in English.