There is a new player in the wearables field today and it’s a name that not many of us would have expected. Dole, the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables and sponsor of the Tokyo Marathon since 2008, this week unveiled its first wearable for the 2015 edition of the race. Billed as the “world’s first edible wearable,” Dole will outfit two runners for the race with their wearable banana. “This is no regular banana ; it’s the best companion for any marathoner.”
Worn on the wrist, the wearable banana will display vital information such as heart rate and lap time as well as social media messages from supporters. It will presumably be eaten at the end of the race.
To build its wearable bananas, Dole essentially opened up the bananas, inserted the necessary electronic components and a battery and closed them up again. “The power source is a small battery connected to the wearable banana. Inside the battery there are ultracompact LEDs and other electronic components,” confirmed Dole Japan spokesperson Itaru Kunieda who would not provide additional details.
Unfortunately, Dole has no plans to bring the wearable banana to stores. It’s also unclear whether this will the first in an upcoming wave of edible wearables.