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"With colder temperatures rolling in, you may feel inclined to turn up the heat \u2014 which, in turn, turns up the price on your electric bill (and ensuing fights with roommates.)\nA new bracelet may solve this problem by letting you control body temperature. A group of students at MIT created a thermoelectric bracelet that keeps tabs on air and skin temperature and allows you to control your body temperature \u2014 and, consequently, helps buildings conserve energy. \nSee also: Withings Scale Monitors Temperature and CO2 Levels in Your Home\nThe team behind the winning design, Wristify, took home $10,000 and the first prize in MIT's Making and Designing Materials Engineering Competition (MADMEC). The annual competition is comprised of two- to five-person groups.\nThis year's theme focused on how materials science \"can provide solutions for energy storage, building efficiency, transportation and many other critical needs,\" according to MIT's website. Each team received $1,000 to build its prototype. \n\"We found that right now, 16.5% of total U.S. energy use comes from heating and cooling buildings and houses,\" Wristify team member Sam Shames wrote in an email to Mashable. \"We want to lower that number while helping people be more comfortable. This idea is captured nicely in the question: Why heat or cool an entire house or building when you could heat or cool a person directly instead?\"\nShames explains that the bracelet can be toggled from heating to cooling mode with a switch while the bracelet's software controls the pulses. \nThe team's inspiration stemmed from the members' personal experiences with temperature problems. For example, cofounder and team member Mike Gibson was living with a roommate accustomed to a different climate (other team members include David-Cohen Tanugi and Matt Smith). \nThe bracelet uses a thermoelectric module to provide controllable and customizable thermal pulses to heat or cool the wrist, according to Shames. He explains that if you heat up part of your body in a cold room, you'll automatically feel more comfortable \u2014 even more so than if you turn on a heater. The human body reacts more to direct skin changes than to changes in the absolute temperature of a room. \nWristify's prototype, shown in the video above, resembles a wristwatch and runs for up to eight hours on a lithium polymer battery. The team hopes to make it available to the public in the near future.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nImage: Flickr, ilovebutter\nBONUS: 9 Robotic Inventions That Are Already Among Us \n\n\n9 Robotic Inventions That Already Exist\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Giant robot debuts in Japan\nA Japanese inventor created a giant, Mech-like robot controlled from within. The machine, called Kuratas, stands 13 feet tall and is capable of speeds of up to 6 mph.  (via Reuters)\n\nVideo: YouTube, Reuters TV\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Students Build Award-Winning Robot Exoskeleton\nThe Titan Arm is a robotic upper-body exoskeleton that could be applied to rehabilitation and extra lifting power.\n\nVideo: YouTube, WSJDigitalNetwork\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Japanese robot suit offers hope for nuclear work\nBrain-wave controlled robot suits that allow wearers to don heavy radiation protection without feeling the weight are unveiled in Japan.\n\nVideo: YouTube, AFP\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Robot Exoskeleton: Power Loader\nHere's a robotic exoskeleton that helps its users lift incredible weight.\n\nVideo: YouTube, Diagonal View\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Lockheed's Bionic Exoskeleton a Super-Human Reality\nCheck out Lockheed Martin's new bionic suit that could make you larger than life.  (via Bloomberg)\n\nVideo: YouTube, Bloomberg\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Agent Phil Coulson Meets XOS 2\nClark Gregg, the actor known for his recurring role in the Iron Man movies, was on hand to witness the unveiling of the XOS 2 robotic suit at the Raytheon Sarcos research facility in Salt Lake City\n\nVideo: YouTube, raytheoncompany\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Man Builds His Own Bionic Hands\nAfter losing his hands in a freak accident, a Chinese man built himself a new pair of hands that allow him to work, drive his motorcycle, eat and drink.\n\nVideo: YouTube, Diagonal View\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Eythor Bender demos human exoskeletons\nEythor Bender of Berkeley Bionics brings onstage two amazing exoskeletons, HULC and eLEGS -- robotic add-ons that could one day allow a human to carry 200 pounds without tiring, or allow a wheelchair user to stand and walk.  (via TED)\n\nVideo: YouTube, TEDtalksDirector\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. HRP-4 Humanoid Robot Walking Like A Real Human\nWatch this robot walk like a real human. \n\nVideo: YouTube, selinasong\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/10/26/thermoelectric-bracelet-lets-you-control-your-body-temperature/>