Slashdot Mirror
Wearable PCs
z0mbie writes sent us a link to an interesting
article regarding Wearable Computers.
Full powered machines the size of a Pilot with wireless networking,
voice recognition, and an eyepiece. Thats the dream.
Currently that dream is still wet though. Maybe Someday.
first you've got the parallel port dumping data to the printer -> a one way affair; kinda like TV (i.e. "programming unit) broadcast to the masses. then you get two way peripheral control - and you've got videogames and web browsers so you can interactively control your human peripherals. now you see the zombies everyday on the subway - with one-way electric plugs feeding signals into their ears from walkmans. then you beam stuff into their retina with "wearable display". so your human peripherals can be interactively be managed over a wireless TCP/IP connection...get a life! you really aren't living as long as you're on beck and call to your eletro-beeper gadget (oh wait, i just gotta answer my cell-phone...)
technology - the servant of humanity;
where's my star-trek communicator badge?
humanity - the slave of technology.
now go go gadget borg - THE WEB REQUIRES you to...
take 'yer pick.
Forget wearable. I want a machine small enough to implant right into my skull with a 'heads up' display inside my eyeball. Just think, engineers could pack their device with formulas and tables; doctors with medical reference data; programmers with man pages; students with next week's test answers; all quickly searchable. Recording ability would be nice too. You'd be able to show what really happened to cause that fender bender. The unit could recharge via an induction charger built right into your pillow. Data could be downloaded into the unit in the charger too or via optical input (just look at a display and hit 'download'). None of this is to say the device should be able to control its host in any way. Just a way to keep a small useful reference library in your head. Add a 'net connection and keep up with Slashdot live and everywhere!
Few items of note:
:)
1. ViA had some (battery?) problems with their units and weren't shipping the old version since December. New version had just been shipped to their beta customers. Unfortunately, to get on beta list, you have to promise to use it daily and talk to them daily regarding your experience. I passed up
2. Prices aren't that much more expensive than a PC, at least for someone with few grand of spare cash. ViA 2 is 3200$, including batteries, chargers and liquidimage's M1 HMD.
3. HMD are getting better. The coolest thing I saw was www.microopticalcorp.com selling their HMD for 5000$. While it can be too much for a college geek, its not that much for a company or a geek with a good job. The HMD is almost undetectable, it just looks like a pair of eyeglasses (albeit with a fairly thick frame). I'm getting one when I can get my hands on production VIA 2.
4. It does run linux already. It has a cyrix mediaGX processor, which is supported by latest Xfree. I had a conversation with Steve Case (VP of Engineering at ViA) in which he stated that its already running in the lab, and it is possible to get a beta unit with Linux preloaded. Since you can buy a "bare" ViA, you don't pay MS tax on it...
-alex
Just imagine how easy it would be for big brother to track you with one of these beasties. Hell, just add a cookie where ever you go. Being able to track which store fronts catch your eye...
Be carefull what you ask for.
--T
_____________________ This Space for rent.
"The Via IIs used by military workers have high-speed ''wireless LAN'' connections to local- and wide-area networks... also use Microsoft's NetMeeting videoconferencing software..."
Is it just me or does this sound like trouble? Especially since it sounds like most of the wearables mentioned in the article are running Windows (I don't recall hearing about NetMeeting for Linux!).
________________________
Corporate Jenga: You take a blockhead from the bottom and you put him on top...
Here is a list of relevant slashdot articles, including this one:
If you find citations for other groups, btw, please post them. I'm doing a project in a related field, and am having trouble tracking other groups down (there is at least one other group making devices that interface neurons and circuitry in addition to Prof. Wise's, but I don't know who they are).
Dr. Steve Mann who started wearing computers
in the 1970s at MIT and is now at U of Toronto.
Check out the Wearable Computer site at:
http://www.wearcomp.org
Very academic, but full of interesting information
on wearable computers.
think about it for a second:
- carry a specification and repair manual in a wearable computer, display through visor (Boeing does this today).
- wearable data collection devices are widespread in warehouse environments
- wireless units for field service technicians, complete with repair procedures, notes, etc.
Wearable computers for consumer use is still in it's infancy, at least until they become embedded in other things to truly be pervasive.
Just buy several different plastic model kits. Chop them up. Glue assorted pieces together into shapes which fit on your head and around the tiny headset. Or for a sleeker look use automotive/plumber's epoxy putty and metal/plastic stock pieces to make a custom shape. Or just buy more tiny headsets and help drive the prices down for the rest of us.