Wearable Computers

Since Steve Mann prototyped the first traditional perception of a Wearable Computer in the early 1980's the idea of integrating computers on the human body and clothing has grown into the development of a lot of new and innovative products. The idea behind wearable computing is continuous availability and increased ease of operation.

 

Ubiquitous computing is one of the key definitions of wearable computer applications. Ubiquitous computing means that the user interacts with computers with the purpose of focusing on the application alone, where the computing device/platform itself is in an "invisible" state to the user. This means that the user is much more focused on the task at hand than on the technology assisting him.

 

In the last five years, wearable computers have melted with the handheld device industry. Mobile phones and PDA's has become powerful and functional enough to perform a lot of the tasks that originally demanded a lot bulkier and dedicated hardware. Although a mobile phone is not "belt worn" with a tethered Head mounted display as the traditional perception of a wearable computer is, the research communities all agree that mobile phones indeed are wearable computers. In fact you could define the first wearable computer as being the the Wrist Watch using today's definitions of a wearable computer.

 

wearable computers timeline

1980:First wearable    1996:Commercialization     2001:Consumer availability    2005: Miniaturization    2006: Handheld wearables

 

 

 

Pixavi and the use of wearable technology

Pixavi has since 1999 focused on making compact non-obtrusive devices, which is critical for handsfree operation and greater user experiences. Miniaturization, low power consumption and smart ergonomic features and ease of use have been important success factors for our products.

 

Xcaster neck worn

Hands free operation

The Xcaster Video communicator and the VisiWear ST 3500 can both be regarded as wearable devices, compact and lightweight enough to be worn constantly by the user, without disturbing other tasks this user might be performing.

 

The Xcaster has a neck strap function that enables the user to show the remote party his field of view without holding the device.

 

 

The VisiWear takes wearability to the next step, by offering a belt worn High Definition SIP/H.323/H.264 codec with a head up display and a helmet/glasses worn camera. This makes the technology fully adaptable to any wearable application, from military application to law enforcement and airplane service technicians