Slashdot Mirror
MIThril, More Wearable Fun
whacked writes "For those that haven't checked the MIT wearables page in a while, there seems to be a bit of action. The MIThril project looks like a major advance on the original MIT wearable design, with features such as the body bus, `a branching single-cable power/data network.' An update on May 25 states, `We have finalized the plans for the first "release" MIThril'." They also link a design doc for Enchantment which has a ton of interesting bits about designing a Window Manager for a wearable. Don't expect to see an actual device any time soon, but for the far-out thinker, there's lots of interesting stuff to read and think about.
The pictures are of the "demo" clothes, which have all the hardware on the outside. There are other versions which actually cover all of the hardware for protection and so that you don't look like a Radio Shack fell on you. Coffee shouldn't be a problem, although a rain storm or a water balloon might be.
The distinguishing feature of wearables is that you can use them without taking them out of whatever you carry them in. Palms are designed to be always with you, but not always usable; you can't see where you're going and they take both hands.
The location of the machine doesn't really matter; what you're actually wearing is the I/O devices, so that you can use them without looking down or occupying your hands all of the time.
So how to make devices that combine non-modality with interactivity? Right now, it seems like these devices just divide modal interaction into smaller and smaller timeslices. That takes you from the five seconds to pull a pocket computer out of your pocket (or one second to access it once it's out of your pocket) to a fraction of a second. Definitely an improvement, but just an incremental one, and for this one is constrained to having to wear the thing. Judging by wearable beverage technology, this is a significant disadvantage. Personally, I don't even keep glasses on my face when I'm not using them, and they're pretty useful. But are there other approaches to the modality issue?
Obviously, there's also the added portability for users who walk around all day or are similarly on-the-go. Are there other significant advantages? I'd appreciate if anyone familiar with wearables could offer some references or example applications.
Your leap of logic reminds me of an old joke.
Step 1) Collect 12 boxes of women's underwear
Step 2) ?????????
Step 3) Take over the world.
It's a long long way from wearable computers to the Borg.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
This seems relevant to this discussion, so I am putting it out, taking a risk that I might be modded down, but who cares, right?
Check out Thumbscript, an alternative to Grafitti and possibbly twiddlers, as well...
Oh, and BTW, if this (talking about Thumbscript) becomes a story in a few days, I am going to be REALLY pissed at whoever rejected my submission!
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
How much radiation would be given off from this aparatus? Is it safe to stap this much equipment around one's torso for moderate/long durations? Has the MIT group performed any tests on this?
This is all very cool and I would use one even if there were some dangers involved.... just have to find a lead t-shirt!
Interesting Stuff is having in related fields, as well. Last week's New Scientist had an article on flight suits utilising tactile cues capitalising on the 'cutaneous rabbit' effect. Basially, if you get tapped three times, it'll feel like many more, so a small number (32) of pressure pads all over your body will provide a nearly seamless feeling of contact anywhere on your body. They're using it for pilots right now, but as far as intuitive interfaces go, getting 'tapped on the shoulder' when your phone's ringing isn't a bad one. Plugging this into your car's computer and letting it give you cues whenever there's something getting too close sounds alot better than actually letting the automobile drive *itself* if you ask me. And damn, I just can't park.
One of the great things is that it uses air-pressure in the interconnecting system to feed the pads. Alot safer and lighter than carrying around huge battery packs.
toeslikefingers.com - because
Anyway, I'm happy to answer questions on that or on the MIThril project in general.
If the bandwidth of the bus is 12Mb/s, theoretically a good 1Mb/s can be achieved (overhead/etc) for actual data. This could lead to a nice stream of 128Kb/s or greater in audio format. Now all one needs is two good mics, one by each ear and a microdrive and interface and you have da bomb portable recording station. What goes down on track is exactly what you hear, no big bulky rigs etc. Just a thought.
The MIThril project has taken one tack with the wearable possibilities (integrating it into clothing) that most wearable projects have not. They clip on (Xybernaut), sit on back (the CMU one whose name I forget), or even become barely semi-wearable by being carried in a bag (charmed). (Still nice machines and all, just that I think "wearable" is a stretch as a distinguishing name for something not that much different from carrying around a Sony picturebook.)
;)
/good/ input systems (not sure what they would consist of, in truth, but the current choices are all Lesser Evils with some interesting compromises to choose among), I would love one of these for everyday use. Palm device is the answer for now, I suppose;)
The vest approach might seem strange and limiting compared to the more separately worn ones (hey, it might be warm for a vest, right?) but in reality, all the wearables available right now need batteries (lots of juice) and communications (bluetooth and similar aren't really widespread enough or useful enough), and it's all got to go *somewhere*
If it was a light enough mesh, a vest really might not be as limiting as I used to picture it, and by placing the stuff around a user's torso (usually adjudged pretty important to the user!) it probably gets more protection than it looks, just from natural self protection.
as computing power gets cheaper, GPS and other technologies spread, that vest could become a lot lighter, too. Now if only there were
simon
"Hey Carlito, r'membah me? Benny Blanco from the Bronx!"
precisely the point. (sorry to see you moderated as off topic)
because some *will* see it as radical cool, and others recall in horror. The next big series of wars ( say, compared to the crusades, or the recent spat of european wars since napoleon) may be based on precisely this philosophical point.
I am sure that for many, it would be perfect, until it is over populated by the weekminded imps on weekend vacation, or all of the psychos get online. Imagine Borg Spam for example. Advertising right into your mind, and not being able to filter it! Imagine America, Land of the Free, home of the Brave, and Birthplace of the Borg.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
What people never looked at in the various trek series was how the Borg became the Borg.
My thought on this is that they would become the borg because in the beginning someone, somegroup, thought that all of that embedded/wearable technology is radically completely cool.
I can imagine the first network where a human can access computer data directly via a wire to that skull. Or where direct interfaces happen from brain to brain. Someone is going to have the equivalent of a religious experience as far as the significance of this vs Nirvana and the group mind.
People tend to become the things they resist. [Note for example, cops going criminal in their actions against crime] So already the seeds of the Borg are among us.
If you do not want to become a Borg in the present or future life, you will have to provide a better solution than the experience that the Borg will be.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
is this.....is this for REAL?
great comedy company.
For a load of laughs see the page:m .html
http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/mithril/diagra
It was drawn by EvilBorg too, and almost a year ago.
"I'll just chip in a bit for RedHat: I actually have that installed on my university machine." - Linus, '95
And the cluster fits conveniently in a hamper, a closet, or wadded up on the floor.
--
How often have you spilled coffee on an article of your clothing? Pretty often, right? Now what if that article of clothing had $1000 attached to it? Until wearable computers are waterproof, and in fact can take almost as much punishment as regular clothing, their usefullness will be limited.
:-)
By the way, who else felt pretty blue after reading the Swordfish review?
I'm the stranger...posting to