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Motorola HC1: Head-Worn Computing For Workplaces With Deep Pockets
alphadogg writes "Motorola Solutions has unveiled a head-mounted, voice-controlled computer that's targeted at the military and other industries where workers need hands-free access to information. Called the HC1, the device runs on an ARM processor and has an optional camera to send back real-time video over a wireless network. Unlike Google Goggles, though, the HC1 is aimed at the enterprise market with a price tag of $4,000-$5,000 per unit. Areas the company has been experimenting with include 'high-end repair markets,' such as aircraft engines, said Paul Steinberg, CTO of Motorola Solutions (which is the part of Motorola Google did not acquire). 'Emergency medical personnel at trauma centers might be looking at this too.' The HC1 will augment what users see by providing additional data, he said. Multiple units could be networked together and share information. Video here. "
I have all sorts of ideas of things I'd create with an affordable device of this type and an API. Feels like this might be the next application gold rush, if we can get an affordable one that doesn't make you look like a mouth breathing neck beard.
Doctor to patient: You want me to get rid of your pain?
Computer: Understood, removing brain.
It could also have a market for one-handed porn adicts
Pictures
Hideous Contraption 1
Head Crab 1
Heavy Crap 1
Horrifying Cranium 1
Headborn Casheater 1?
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
high-end repair markets where the works will soon be contractor jobs where the works will have to buy them on there own just like how FedEx is.
You mean Glass surely?
And so where's the ACTUAL difference between this and the Google Goggles? Besides the pricetag? (Or in other words: what justifies that price difference?)
bickerdyke
...I, uh, I want you to collect magazines from everybody.
Hudson -> Is he fuckin' crazy?
Frost -> What do you expect us to use man... Harsh language?
Gorman -> Flame units only - I want rifles slung.
Apone -> But, sir...
Gorman -> Do it Apone... And no grenades.
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With a price tag like that, I'm sure this thing could pack some decent quality hardware. But the actual value of a system like this is entirely dependent on the software it comes with, and I don't know how much I trust Motorola's ability to deliver on that aspect of it.
The huge advantage of a platform like Android, iOS, Windows etc is the enormous ecosystem of third party developers, who have relatively open access to fill in all the gaps in the software feature set that originally shipped with the hardware. (For example, would Microsoft have gotten anywhere without Lotus 1-2-3 to give their MS DOS machines actual business utility? Would the iPhone really have taken the mobile world by storm with just the iOS feature set and no apps?)
With a hardware system like this, targeted at "Enterprise" and military users at more than 4 grand a pop, it's pretty obvious that the install base is going to be very small. It seems unlikely that there will be a thriving third-party software development ecosystem. That makes me wonder if the hardware will really be leveraged sufficiently to deliver real, usable value. What's the point of amazing hardware if it doesn't really do anything very useful?
Anyway, it certainly looks the part for a cool cyberpunk character design in a movie.
We had Motorola HC12 boards all the way back in the 90's, and they were complete crap back then too!
AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
How is this different from a modern cell phone strapped to the back of your head with the screen precariously dangled in front of you?.. and an optional forward facing camera? I don't see there being much in the way in adoption of this " product "
I've worked for organizations with very deep pockets before.
Usually that isn't all that great an indicator regarding expenditures because these same organizations had short arms.
Back in the 1990's, a little known company was contracted to build wearable computers. You may have heard of them, a company called 'Xybernaut'? They made things like the MA-IV and the MA-V which were miles ahead of their time considering that there was no other computer on the market that approached the Xybernaut's quality and functionality. There were large, ungainly tablets, and PDAs with dubious functionality, but these were true, fully functioning computers. Originally outfitted with Windows 95 or Linux, they came with low power x86 hardware, (or later, ARM) and eventually even migrated to Windows CE. They had small portable LCD tablet screens or as an added feature, an HMD that did 640x480 or 800x600 depending on the device. They're still around, somewhat, and had a short foray producing portable computers for kids called the Atigo, which could even be adapted into a device built into the child's backpack. At the time, they sold for something around $5,000, or around $1,500 for the Atigo Tablet. You can pick them up on eBay now for dirt cheap.
Or does nobody remember that they existed?
and ARM on my HEAD!
Funny. At first glance I thought it was actually "HCl", which is something that you would not exactly want on your head.
Karma: NaN
And I thought of HCI, which is exactly the sort of thing that could happen on your head somehow.
Ezekiel 23:20
I scanned through various product pages, and couldn't find anything about display resolution. I'm not interested in sitting through videos. Can anybody summarize some actual specifications?
And I thought my laptop case and touch-screens got oily fast from fingers. Head-worn devices will bring it to a whole new level for a lot of people.
Dammit, I read "Head-Worm Computing" and got all excited for a second there
in the military and other industries
If anyone actually came to me and said they "needed" one of these, they would instantly become the laughing stock of the company.