Ready-To-Wear PCs

perbert writes: "IEEE Spectrum has an interesting article in their October 2000 issue (and an online version) on new affordable ready-to-wear computers." Soon it won't require months of work to morph yourself into a gargoyle ;)

Comments

Practicality of Wearable PCs

[Gondola]

I can't see much application for a wearable PC. Sure, it's cool, but beyond sheer geekness, I see little point.

These articles about wearable computers keep coming up, and they're the usual deal, with a Borg-esque monocle/HUD, chorded keyboard, and fanny-pack CPU/etc case.

When I can wear one with as little intrusiveness (weight, bulkiness) as an earbud headset and do something useful, talk to me.

Something I'd like to see is a Writer's setup. I have delusions of grandeur and think I could be a novelist. Set me up with a 99.99% reliable dictation machine, a sensitive microphone so I can speak softly into it and have it transcribe what I'm saying. Recall Heinlein's Jubal in Stranger in a Strange Land. I want to be able to drive home or work while composing the Great American Novel. Recall Lain and the mobile DOOM-like game. If I tried to play that while driving I'd probably kill several people, including myself, to avoid being shot by the guy driving south on I-94. I can see wearable PCs being more of a hazard than cell phones if used irresponsibly.

Any kind of roving salesman or mobile worker of any kind that needs access to some kind of data storage or minimal, but frequent, input, could benefit from a wearable PC, but I can't see the average Joe User needing one. PDA's with appointments and contact listings would probably take up most of the mobile gearhead market, especially as they become faster, better, and more functional.

Re:Practicality of Wearable PCs

[paRcat]

Not that it's here now, but I've got an awesome use for you...

Imagine a wearable that uses an ordinary pair of sunglasses for the screen. The screen can span across an entire lense. It also keeps track of eye location and facial movement. It's connected to an extremely small, built-in camera. So far, not altogether unlikely.

You put it on and calibrate it's eye sensor much like you calibrate the screen of a palmpilot. Look at a moving X or something.

Now, as you are driving, the visible screen would appear in an upper corner of your vision. The area where telephone poles, etc. would normally be. As you look around, you see something on the road but can't quite tell what it is... you twitch your cheek, or some other programmable signal, and the built-in camera focuses and zooms in on said object displaying the resulting image in the small viewport in your field of vision. It could even be controlled by micro-piezo servos so that it can track the object as your head moves.

Now, personally, I think that would be the perfect function of this technology. Maybe some others can think of more uses.

In any event, the only way this type of thing can be possible is if we start small. (Wearable PC's)

btw, whoever goes on to invent this contraption, please remember me with royalties. :)


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connection

[TheGratefulNet]

so how does that affect M$ and their 'naked pc' scheme if you intend to wear your pc. it surely isn't naked then, is it?

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Re:I don't get it.....

[talesout]

If it makes chicks look anything at all like seven of nine then I'm buying one for my wife!

You think driving with a cell phone is bad...

[FortKnox]

You know how badly people drive when they are distracted because of a cell-phone call....
Now imagine some freak is playing carmagedon on his wearable PC while driving... You know its bound to happen...


-- Don't you hate it when people comment on other people's .sigs??

I want a HUD!

[plastickiwi]

Doubtless this topic will draw dozens of comments from people comparing the wearable PC to a cell phone, and lamenting the problems it will cause on the highway.

Not from me, though. Imagine the fun of going through life with a real heads-up display mounted on your head, especially once it becomes socially acceptible to keep it on all the time.

You could:

• Draw a moustache and devil horns on your boss while he's yelling at you;
• Display bullet lists of smart stuff you always mean to say at the appropriate times, but can never remember ("Fsck you, asshole.");
• Replay MPEGs of sexual relations with your significant other during arguments, so you can remember why you're together;
• Post to Slashdot during business meetings. (Be sure your boss doesn't know your ID, in case he's doing the same thing.)

why why why

[photozz]

Don't we have enough people driving into walls talking on cell phones?? i don't thing the human brain was designed to multi-task in such a fasion. These will be reat for nich markets, but impracticle fo day to day use. Hmmm although a full body motion sensor net and Quake arena might me fun......

Gundam

[Duxup]

I'm still holding out for my own personal Gundam.

wearable, but....

[scotpurl]

decidedly uncool looking.

Throw all that nonsense stuff on the belt into a fanny pack, or at least a horizontally-oriented case. (Try to sit down without castrating yourself.) Ditch that "I watched 'The Abyss' too many times" forearm keyboard in favor of a twiddler. Replace the borg/Universal Soldier pirate-eye-patch display with a two-eye display (with adjustable opacity), and make it look like normal glasses or sunglasses.

The point is to make it look like something stylish. Not an electronic dialysis/colostomy machine.

Wearable Computers

[Erich]

There are a handfull of people here at Georgia Tech who do wearable computers... they basically have a computer based on a StrongARM running the Linux kernel with the emacs operating system. They have wireless networking, speech recognition, and a thingie that brings up information based on context -- so when the guy is talking about a subject it will bring up information on what he is talking about.

It's pretty schweeet. The main prof hasn't used a desktop computer in years, and I see one of the grad students looking out the window and keying in stuff on his chording keyboard thing... talk about desktop backgrounds! :-)