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Wearable computer

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Wearable computers are computers that are worn on the body. This type of  wearabletechnology has been used in behavioral modeling, health monitoring systems,information technologies and media development. Wearable computers are especiallyuseful for applications that require computational support while the user's hands, voice,eyes, arms or attention are actively engaged with the physical environment.

"Wearable computing" is an active topic of research, with areas of study including user interface design, augmented reality,  pattern recognition, use of wearables for specificapplications or disabilities, electronic textiles and fashion design. Many issues arecommon to the wearables, mobile computing, Pervasive computing, Ambient intelligence and ubiquitous computing research communities, including power management and heatdissipation, software architectures, wireless and personal area networks.

One of the main features of a wearable computer is consistency. There is a constantinteraction  between the computer and user, ie. there is no need to turn the device on or off. Another feature is the ability to multi-task. It is not necessary to stop what you aredoing to use the device; it is augmented into all other actions. These devices can be

incorporated by the user to act like a prosthetic. It can therefore be an extension of theuser’s mind and/or body.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Historyo 1.1 1960so 1.2 1980s

o 1.3 1990so 1.4 2000s

• 2 Commercialization• 3 Military use• 4 See also• 5 References

• 6 External links

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[edit] History

This article's tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concernsmay be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (December 2007)

[edit] 1960s

Depending on how broadly one defines both wearable and computer, the first wearablecomputer could be as early as the 1500s with the invention of the  pocket watch. The firstdevice that would fit the modern-day image of a wearable computer was constructed in1961 by the mathematician Edward O. Thorp,[1] better known as the inventor of thetheory of card-counting for  blackjack , and Claude Shannon, who is best known as "thefather of information theory." The system was a concealed cigarette-pack sized analogcomputer  designed to predict roulette wheels. A data-taker would use microswitches

hidden in his shoes to indicate the speed of the roulette wheel, and the computer wouldindicate an octant to bet on by sending musical tones via radio to a miniature speaker hidden in a collaborators ear canal. The system was successfully tested in Las Vegas inJune 1961, but hardware issues with the speaker wires prevented them from using it beyond their test runs.[2] Their wearable was kept secret until it was first mentioned inThorp's book  Beat the Dealer (revised ed.) in 1966[2] and later published in detail in 1969.[3] The 1970s saw rise to similar roulette-prediction wearable computers using next-generation technology, in particular a group known as Eudaemonic Enterprises that useda CMOS 6502 microprocessor with 5K RAM to create a shoe-computer with inductiveradio communications between a data-taker and better.[4][5]

Evolution of Steve Mann's WearComp wearable computer from backpack based systems

of the late 1970s and early 1980s to his current covert systems.

Another early wearable system was a camera-to-tactile vest for the blind, published byC.C. Collins in 1977, that converted images into a 1024-point, 10-inch square tactile gridon a vest.[6] On the consumer end, 1977 also saw the introduction of the HP-01 algebraiccalculator watch by Hewlett-Packard.[7]

[edit] 1980s

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The 1980s saw the rise of more general-purpose wearable computers. In 1981 SteveMann designed and built a backpack-mounted 6502-based computer to control flash- bulbs, cameras and other photographic systems. Mann went on to be an early and activeresearcher in the wearables field, especially known for his 1994 creation of the WearableWireless Webcam.[8] Though perhaps not technically "wearable," in 1986 Steve Roberts

 built Winnebiko-II, a recumbent bicycle with on-board computer and chorded keyboard.Winnebiko II was the first of Steve Roberts' forays into nomadic computing that allowedhim to type while riding.[9]

Datalink USB Dress edition with Invasion video game. (Three lives remaining). Thewatch crown (icontrol ) can be used to move the defender left to right and the fire controlis the Start/Split button on the lower side of the face of the watch at 6 o' clock 

In 1989 Reflection Technology marketed the Private Eye head-mounted display, whichscanned a vertical array of LEDs across the visual field using a vibrating mirror. Thisdisplay gave rise to several hobbyist and research wearables, including Gerald "Chip"Maguire's IBM / Columbia University Student Electronic Notebook,[10] Doug Platt's Hip-PC and Carnegie Mellon University's VuMan 1 in 1991.[11] The Student Electronic Notebook consisted of the Private Eye, Toshiba diskless AIX notebook computers (prototypes) and a stylus based input system plus virtual keyboard, and used direct-sequence spread spectrum radio links to provide all the usual TCP/IP based services,including NFS mounted file systems and X11, all running in the Andrew Projectenvironment. The Hip-PC included an Agenda palmtop used as a chording keyboard

attached to the belt and a 1.44 megabyte floppy drive. Later versions incorporatedadditional equipment from Park Engineering. The system debuted at "The Lap andPalmtop Expo" on April 16, 1991. VuMan 1 was developed as part of a Summer-termcourse at |Carnegie Mellon's Engineering Design Research Center, and was intended for viewing house blueprints. Input was through a three-button unit worn on the belt, andoutput was through Reflection Tech's Private Eye. The CPU was an 8 MHz 80188 processor with 0.5 MB ROM.

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[edit] 1990s

In 1993 the Private Eye was used in Thad Starner 's wearable, based on Doug Platt'ssystem and built from a kit from Park Enterprises, a Private Eye display on loan fromDevon Sean McCullough, and the Twiddler chording keyboard made by Handykey.

Many iterations later this system became the MIT "Tin Lizzy" wearable computer design,and Starner went on to become one of the founders of MIT's wearable computing project.1993 also saw Columbia University's augmented-reality system known as KARMA:Knowledge-based Augmented Reality for Maintenance Assistance. Users would wear aPrivate Eye display over one eye, giving an overlay effect when the real world wasviewed with both eyes open. KARMA would overlay wireframe schematics andmaintenance instructions on top of whatever was being repaired. For example, graphicalwireframes on top of a laser printer would explain how to change the paper tray. Thesystem used sensors attached to objects in the physical world to determine their locations,and the entire system ran tethered from a desktop computer.[12][13]

In 1994 Edgar Matias and Mike Ruicci of the University of Toronto, debuted the "wristcomputer." Their system presented an alternative approach to the emerging head-updisplay plus chord keyboard wearable. The system was built from a modified HP 95LX palmtop computer and a Half-QWERTY one-handed keyboard. With the keyboard anddisplay modules strapped to the operator's forearms, text could be entered by bringing thewrists together and typing.[14] The same technology was used by IBM researchers tocreate the half-keyboard "belt computer.[15] Also in 1994, Mik Lamming and MikeFlynn [disambiguation needed ] at Xerox EuroPARC demonstrated the Forget-Me-Not, a wearabledevice that would record interactions with people and devices and store this informationin a database for later query.[16] It interacted via wireless transmitters in rooms and withequipment in the area to remember who was there, who was being talked to on the

telephone, and what objects were in the room, allowing queries like "Who came by myoffice while I was on the phone to Mark?" As with the Toronto system, Forget-Me-Notwas not based on a head-mounted display.

Also in 1994, DARPA started the Smart Modules Program to develop a modular,humionic approach to wearable and carryable computers, with the goal of producing avariety of products including computers, radios, navigation systems and human-computer interfaces that have both military and commercial use. In July 1996 DARPA went on tohost the "Wearables in 2005" workshop, bringing together industrial, university andmilitary visionaries to work on the common theme of delivering computing to theindividual.[17] A follow-up conference was hosted by Boeing in August 1996, where plans

were finalized to create a new academic conference on wearable computing. In October 1997, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, and Georgia Tech co-hosted the IEEE International Symposium on Wearables Computers (IWSC) in Cambridge,Massachusetts. The symposium was a full academic conference with published proceedings and papers ranging from sensors and new hardware to new applications for wearable computers, with 382 people registered for the event.

[edit] 2000s

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In 2002, as part of Kevin Warwick 's Project Cyborg, Warwick's wife, Irena, wore anecklace which was electronically linked to Warwick's nervous system via an implantedelectrode array. The color of the necklace changed between red and blue dependent onthe signals on Warwick's nervous system.[18] Dr. Bruce H Thomas and Dr. WaynePiekarski developed the Tinmith wearable computer system to support augmented reality.

This work was first published internationally in 2000 in the ISWC conference. Theworked was carried out of the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of SouthAustralia.

[edit] Commercialization

Image of the ZYPAD wrist wearable computer from Arcom Control Systems

The commercialization of general-purpose wearable computers, as led by companies suchas Xybernaut, CDI [disambiguation needed ] and ViA Inc, has thus far met with limited success.

Publicly-traded Xybernaut tried forging alliances with companies such as IBM and Sonyin order to make wearable computing widely available, but in 2005 their stock wasdelisted and the company filed for Chapter 11  bankruptcy  protection amid financialscandal and federal investigation. Xybernaut emerged from bankruptcy protection inJanuary, 2007. In 1998 Seiko marketed the Ruputer , a computer in a (fairly large)wristwatch, to mediocre returns. In 2001 IBM developed and publicly displayed two prototypes for a wristwatch computer running Linux. The last message about them datesto 2004, saying the device would cost about $250 but it is still under development. In2002 Fossil, Inc. announced the Fossil Wrist PDA, which ran the Palm OS. Its releasedate was set for summer of 2003, but was delayed several times and was finally madeavailable on January 5, 2005. Timex Datalink  is another example of a practical wearable

computer. Hitachi launched a wearable computer called Poma in 2002. Eurotech offersthe ZYPAD, a wrist wearable touch screen computer with GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and which can run a number of custom applications.[19]

Evidence of the allure of the wearable computer and the weak market acceptance isevident with market leading Panasonic Computer Solutions Company's failed product inthis market. Panasonic has specialized in mobile computing with their Toughbook  linefor over 10 years and has extensive market research into the field of portable, wearable

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computing products. In 2002, Panasonic introduced a wearable brick computer  coupledwith a handheld or armworn touchscreen. The brick would communicate wirelessly to thescreen, and concurrently the brick would communicate wirelessly out to the internet or other networks. The wearable brick was quietly pulled from the market in 2005, while thescreen evolved to a thin client touchscreen used with a handstrap.

[edit] Military use

The most extensive military program in the wearables arena is the US Army's LandWarrior system,[20] which will eventually be merged into the Future Force Warrior system.[citation needed ]

[edit] See also

• Calculator watch•

EyeTap• Chorded keyboard• Head-mounted display• Head-up display

• Personal digital assistant

• Virtual retinal display•

Pocket computer • Tablet PC• OQO• Futuristic clothing• FrogPad

• Augmented reality visors

[edit] References

1. ^ Quincy, The invention of the first wearable computer , in The Second International 

Symposium on Wearable Computers: Digest of Papers, IEEE Computer Society, 1998, pp. 4–8.

2. ^ a b Raseana.k.a shigady, Beat the Dealer , 2nd Edition, Vintage, New York, 1966. ISBN0-394-70310-3 

3. ^ Edward O. Thorp, "Optimal gambling systems for favorable game,." Review of the

 International Statistical Institute, V. 37:3, 1969, pp. 273–293.

4. ^ T.A. Bass, The Eudaemonic Pie, Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1985.

5. ^ Hubert Upton, "Wearable Eyeglass Speechreading Aid," American Annals of the Deaf ,V113, 2 March 1968, pp. 222–229.

6. ^ C.C. Collins, L.A. Scadden, and A.B. Alden, "Mobile Studies with a Tactile ImagingDevice," Fourth Conference on Systems & Devices For The Disabled , June 1–3, 1977,Seattle WA.

7. ^ Andre F. Marion, Edward A. Heinsen, Robert Chin, and Bennie E. Helmso, wristinstrument Opens New Dimension in Personal InformationWrist instrument opens newdimension in personal information", Hewlett-Packard Journal, December 1977. See alsoHP-01 wrist instrument, 1977.

8. ^ Steve Mann, "An historical account of the 'WearComp' and 'WearCam' inventionsdeveloped for applications in 'Personal Imaging,'" in The First International Symposiumon Wearable Computers: Digest of Papers, IEEE Computer Society, 1997, pp. 66–73

9. ^ http://www.microship.com/bike/winnebiko2/index.html The Winnebiko II and Maggie

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10. ^ J. Peter Bade, G.Q. Maguire Jr., and David F. Bantz, The IBM/Columbia StudentElectronic Notebook Project, IBM, T. J. Watson Research Lab., Yorktown Heights, NY,29 June 1990. (The work was first shown at the DARPA Workshop on PersonalComputer Systems, Washington, D.C., 18 January 1990.)

11. ^ wearablegroup.org 

12. ^ Steve Feiner, Blair MacIntyre, and Doree Seligmann, "Knowledge-based augmentedreality," in Communications of the ACM , 36(7), July 1993, 52-62.

13. ^ KARMA webpage.

14. ^ Edgar Matias, I. Scott MacKenzie, and William Buxton, "Half-QWERTY: Typing withone hand using your two-handed skills," Companion of the CHI '94 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM, 1994, pp. 51–52.

15. ^ Edgar Matias, I. Scott MacKenzie and William Buxton, "A Wearable Computer for Use in Microgravity Space and Other Non-Desktop Environments," Companion of theCHI '96 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM, 1996, pp. 69–70.

16. ^ Mik Lamming and Mike Flynn, "'Forget-me-not' Intimate Computing in Support of Human Memory" in Proceedings FRIEND21 Symposium on Next Generation Human Interfaces 

17. ^ E.C. Urban, Kathleen Griggs, Dick Martin, Dan Siewiorek and Tom Blackadar,Proceedings of Wearables in 2005, Arlington, VA, July 18–19, 1996.

18. ^ Warwick,K , "I,Cyborg", University of Illinois Press, 2004

19. ^ Zypad WL 1000 - wrist wearable computer  

20. ^ [1]  Army Times, "Troops in Iraq give thumbs up to Land Warrior."

[edit] External links

• A brief history of wearable computing• Wearable Computing Laboratory, University of South Australia• Wearable Computing Laboratory, ETH Zurich• WearIT@work: a large European research project on wearable computing at work • IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (Academic Conference)• The Tummy PC: A Practical Wearable Computer 

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