They say that when you fall in love, you see bright lights, and maybe even stars, but they don't say anything about red LED lights. Well, they should because, although not as romantic as seeing stars, a prototype developed last semester by a class of nine University of Maine junior and senior new media students could be a way to find love, or at least make more personal contact, through wearable technology.

The students’ concept, which they call the Friend Finder, is a device attached to a piece of clothing or accessory, such as a purse or handbag. A series of LED lights in the fabric are programmed to light up when someone who also has the device comes within 30 feet, but only if the two people match in pre-programmed personal characteristics, likes and dislikes.

 

The students initially envisioned the Friend Finder as a dating service on campus, working on the premise that if a person were given more information about the personalities of the people they pass by, other then what they saw, they would be more likely to break the ice and start a conversation.

 

How does it work? Users enter their preferences and personality traits into a computer program and upload the information to a small, portable device. The user then plugs the device into a shirt or handbag wired with small LED lights incorporated in the design. When users with similar preferences come within 30 feet of each other, the clothing or bag lights up, making it easier to spot a potential match in a crowd.

 

Other uses than matchmaking could be for making business contacts (like LinkedIn) where people give indicators of interests and the system tries to link up like minded. The wearable Friend Finder principle could be very useful during large business gatherings like an exhibition where thousands of like minded people are roaming the show floor and try to link up. This indicator, hidden somewhere on a more discrete location on a business outfit or a bag, could help speed up finding matching business partners.

 
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .