A contemporary advance in IT

Wearable Computers(Which revolutionize the world…..)

BYK.Akhila, Shazia.JNTUH, Karimnagar.

Abstract:Technology has become such an important part that it is now wearable. Wearable computers can be defined as “data gathering and disseminating devices which enable the user to operate more efficiently. These devices are carried or worn by the user during normal execution. They are efficient way to access the personal information accessed from human input. The clothes that you wear have now become smart enough to know your emotional state .Wearable computers are based on surface computing. The term referred for the use of specialized GUI. Instead of a keyboard and mouse, the user directly interacts with a touch sensitive screen. Skinput is a technology that appropriates the human body for acoustic transmission allowing skin to be used as an input surface. IBM, Microsoft (Skinput), MIT, showing keen interest in this field. SNIF- social networking on Fur, reality mining call phone project, smart clothes Light glove, Wrist Pulse Oximeter are the popular wearable computers. They have made their place in all spheres of lives. With a wide range of applications, they are especially useful applications that require computations support while the user’s hands, voice, eyes, arms or attention are actively engaged with the physical environment. Wearable computing is one of the most sought after the fields of Information.

Technology for research and development. Pranav Mystry:”The Thrilling Potential to Sixth Sense Technology” uses wearable computers. It attempts to free information from it’s confines by seamlessly integrating with reality, and thus making the entire world your computer.

It proves that the human body can be used as sensor giving path to a new dimension of computing. The possibilities with wearable computers are endless. In future you may walk down home, tap your palm open the door, and tap some buttons to start your music system. It’s almost like a MagicKeywords: consistency, intuitive, augmentation, sixth sense, surface computing

Introduction:Wearable computers are

computers that are worn on the body. This type of technology has been used in the behavioral modeling, health monitoring system, information technologies and media development. They give us more flexibility than any other gadget that we commonly use, such as laptops and tablets. Wearable computers provide s portable access to information. Furthermore, the information can be automatically accumulated by the system as the user interacts with the computer and modifies the environment, there by eliminating the

costly and error prone process of information acquisition. Also, wearable computers can be easily configured to meet specific needs of applications.

This paper consists of various wearable computers, concept behind their applications.History: The history of wearable computers takes us way back to the 1500s. The pocket watch invented back then can be noted as the first wearable computer. The concept of modern day wearable computers emerged in the 1960s .The system was a cigarette packet-sized analogue computer that could predict Russian roulette (a casino game) wheels.

Rapid development in this area picked up in the mid 90s.A workshop titled “ Wearable computers within 2005” was conducted in collaboration with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA).since then , there have been many research projects taken up and many wearable computers created. Some of them are as follows:

In 2001, IBM developed and publically displayed two prototypes for a wrist watch computer running Linux. It Supported a VGA screen .The Watch pad capable of handling text, photos, and animation. It was considered to be very useful for office purposes. Ease in maintenance of appointment details was a feature it promised.

Steve Mann (a scientist from MIT) worked a lot in this field. In 1980s, he designed and built a backpack mounted 6502 based computer to control flash bulbs, cameras and other photographic systems. He developed this system, made it more compact and easy to use.

IBM wrist watchFast forward to 2010:

Outside the tech world the name Pranav Mystry may not ring much of a bell, the 29 year old PhD candidate from MIT has left everyone with equally amazed with his Sixth Sense Technology, where by using a minimal setup comprising a web cam, a projector and four sensors, you can do pretty much everything that you needed a desktop PC for.

Why a wearable computer required?

There are many of us who walk around like packed horses with laptop, cell phone. Not all these things help you everywhere. It is also absurd that these

devices can’t talk each other. Several advancements in research in hardware, software and communications are changing the world. This paper shows you these technologies, and the way they can simplify one’s life.

The idea of the wearable technology is not only intended for personal entertainment, like many of us may be us may be thinking. Let’s go around the “World Of Wearable Computers “to know more

What is a wearable computer?

A wearable computer is a computing device small and light enough to be worn on one’s body without causing discomfort. Unlike a laptop or a palmtop, wearable computer is constantly turned on and interacts with the real-world Meta task. Information could be even very context sensitive.’

A typical wearable computer consists of a battery or human powered computing unit and carried on a belt or in a jacket. The display would be a unit mounted on head. The input device is either voice driven with wireless wrist mounted devices. The data storage may depend on any network connection. Think of a wearable computer in a new dimension, and not in traditional terms.

How does a wearable computer look like?

A typical wearable computer will have a motherboard worn inside a fashion garment, connecting all the components of the system.

The components will be placed at different parts of the body as per the user convenience, power pack and storage in shoes, display and mic on the glasses and the keyboard input on the wrist. User input to the computer is either mostly voice driven or sensed from gestures or body motion. The display and audio output generated by the computer will be relevant to the context and the environment.

The below pictures will give you a better idea of how a Wearable computer would look like, the component details and the finished personal garment

Personal garment

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Concept behind the wearable computers:

There are two operational modes in this interaction between a human and computer:Constancy

The device runs continuously, and is always ready to interact with the user. Unlike a laptop or a Pc you need not start up to use it. The signal flow diagram explains better

Augmentation:Unlike traditional computing, Wearable computers assume that computing is not the primary task. But as in, user will be doing something else at the same time along with computing. Thus, the computer should serve as an augment to the user’s intellect and senses.

As input, different techniques are followed as per the use of the device. Many use input methods like gesture, speech recognition and context awareness. Network:We need to discuss various kinds of networks. One a wearable computer is connect the device to the external world and other is to interconnect the various components.

The first issue is connecting to the WC to the external world has several choices, WAP, or Cellular digital packet data.

The second issue of interconnecting the various parts of the Computer involving both wired and wireless connections.

There could be a third type of communication, two wearable computers talking to each other. This near field networking could be on infrared or radio based systems, to solve a need, which

will invariably arise to exchange information between two users.

Applications:“What are wearable computers good for?” and can I do something useful with this?Perhaps the strongest reason one should respond with “many things” and” yes, you can!” lies in the origin of wearable computers. It has got wide variety of applications in the fields of

information access managing personal data exploring and documentation security health & Military.

And you may get surprised to know that wearable computers are already being used, in several fields ranging from medical applications, mining disability gadgets, defense systems, astronauts, marine engineering and high speed quality assurance processes.

Microsoft Skinput:

Microsoft came up with some thing really interesting- Skinput. This seeks to move beyond the mouse and physical

keyboard, letting people communicate with their gadgets by gesturing using sign language such as tapping their fingers. Most of our current computer input devices use very little of this bandwidth and provide a communication channel that would be much richer, Skinput takes an input from the finger taps, hand and hence by analyzing mechanical vibrations that propagate through the body when a user wearing Skinput makes a gesture.

Skinput will bring in a new way of operating a mobile phone, by turning a persons hand into a keyboard and forearm into a screen! With Skinput you can tap your thumb and forefinger and say answer to a call, flick the center of the palm to start your favorite music track or tap your arm in certain places to send a text message. These all can be done without pulling your phone out of the pocket. It’s almost like having your mobile on your palm.

Information access:

Wearable computers are efficient way to access personal information. They can know what you think, how you think and can even process the information accessed from human input. The clothes you wear have now become smart enough to know your emotional state. “Bubble:”A dress made of layers and the inner layers contains biometric sensors that sense emotions of the person varying it.

Smart clothesAn exploration research into the area known as “EMOTIONAL SENSING”. They are also working on garments that use mobile phone and camera technologies to help parents access their kids position when they are away.

Entertainment Any technological advancement is always well used by entertainment industry. There exist wearable machines that replicate your gestures as you play games. It brings more fun and thrill.

Managing personal data:If you wear wearable computers, they can be no less than your secretaries. They can store your personal data and assist you in managing stuff which is crucial for you.

Exploring and documentation:An Indian geographical scientist prayas abhinav along with his team has made shoes call bhatka bhatka. These shoes help you get lost and explore your city. They have a GPS, some java code, an LED and a vibrator. The shoe recognizes and saves s the places you have been to already in particular city. If you visit the same place again, it gives a signal as a reminder that you have been here before. This project would help people explore different parts of city.

Military:Military uses wearable computers in the form of modular infantry combat suite, wearable intelligent weapons and path guiding equipments.

Health:

Wearable computers have become a part of medicine and cure in the form of health monitors.A device called “wrist pulse Oximeter” is used to record the data like pulse rate and transfer it to your computer for you to analyze it.

Wearable health monitoring system support early detection of abnormal conditions and thereby helps in prevention of its serious consequences.

Challenges and limitations in wearable technologies:

The biggest challenge in wearable systems is to identify effective interaction modalities for wearable computers. There are four major problems

power networking privacy interface

Adding more features to the wearable device requires more power and generates more heat. The networking may never be ubiquitous; there will always be places where access to the internet will not be simply available.Privacy is not yet a limitation but may be a limitation in future. The last, the interesting and the most haunting problem is “how do we communicate with the computer and how does it communicate with us??What is the most effective way of communicating to the device and back to the human?The answer for this would only evolve along the time and there may not be any perfect answer to this question.

Conclusion:

We have all the technologies needed to make a viable wearable computer today.After a few cycles of evolution the wearable computers will become highly ergonomic and a user, over an extended period of usage, will feel it as a true extension of mind and body.

The combined capability of resulting synergistic whole will far exceed the “parts”. This will undoubtedly enhance the quality of life of the user, at work place and in all facets of daily life.

Human beings wants have increased and what has increased is the ability to fulfill these wants. The universe is dynamic; therefore, we have a long way to go. In this very time of terror, we should use our very intelligence in bringing about peace and making our lives better. In conclusion , the very concept of wearable computers have brought a whole new field of expertise and study and to everyone, a new thing to crave for and maybe a new reason for us to work harder.

Reference sites:

1)www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense

2)www.ted.com/.../pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

3)www.india-briefing.com/.../pranav-mistry-shows-sixthsense-technology-1473.html/ -

4) www.media.mit.edu/wearables/

5)www.media.mit.edu/people/pranav

6)www.wearable-consult.com/.../buergy_bauenmitcomputern.pdf

7)www.militaryaerospace.com/.../wearable-computers-and-the-military-the-smaller-the-better.html

8)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable computer

9) www.designboom.com/.../wearable-computers.html

10)www.softwear.htm