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By Jake Anderson. Wearable Technology. History. Abacus Ring – Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Operated with hairpins Wristwatch – World War I “silly-ass fad” “only practical way” for soldiers “Cheating Shoe” - 1961 Concealed timing device to cheat at roulette. History (cont.).
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By Jake Anderson Wearable Technology
History • Abacus Ring – Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) • Operated with hairpins • Wristwatch – World War I • “silly-ass fad” • “only practical way” for soldiers • “Cheating Shoe” - 1961 • Concealed timing device to cheat at roulette
History (cont.) • Steve Mann's EyeTap – 1980's • DARPA speculation – 2005 • Gloves that read RFID tags • Body mounted cameras • Term “wearables” is coined • Contemporary items • GoPro, FitBit, smartwatches, Google Glass
Society Concerns • Two main concerns • Safety • Privacy
Concerns: Safety • Distracted driving/walking • Is it safe to drive wearing Glass? • How much attention do wearable devices take?
Solutions: Safety • Are all devices equal? • Smartwatches work like phones • Hands-free devices safer? • Limit distraction of notifications • Aside from driving? • Distracted pedestrians responsible for damage?
Future: Safety • At some point, laws will likely be made • As with phones, etc. • Distraction-safe modes of transport • Self-driving cars • Public transportation • Wearables get smaller, less obtrusive
Concerns: Privacy • General issue of constant surveillance • Anyone could be recording you • Existing laws about image use • Pushback from corporations? • McDonald's in Paris versus Steve Mann • Employees upset about being recorded • What about police? Banks? Government?
Solutions: Privacy • Personal black box • Face recognition, auto-blur on recordings • Protective laws • For wearers? Or others?
Future: Privacy • Jammer devices for secure locations • Potentially abused? • “Sousveillance” • Necessarily a bad thing? • Crime deterrence with enough users • Catch business corruption, rude employees?
Sources • Friedman, Uri. “A Brief History of the Wristwatch.” The Atlantic. 27 May 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/history-wristwatch-apple-watch/391424/>. • Kelly, Heather. “Ticket for driving in Google Glass dismissed.” CNN. 17 January 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/tech/innovation/google-glass-ticket-dismissed/>. • Stenovec, Timothy. “Steve Mann, Inventor, Allegedly Attacked At Paris McDonald's For Wearing Digital Eyeglass.” Huffington Post. 17 July 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/steve-mann-attacked-paris-mcdonalds-digital-eye-glass-photos_n_1680263.html>. • Winchester, Henry. “A brief history of wearable tech.” Wareable. 6 May 2015. <http://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/a-brief-history-of-wearables>. • Zolfagharifard, Ellie. “Is this the first wearable computer?” Daily Mail. 19 March 2014. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2584437/Is-wearable-computer-300-year-old-Chinese-abacus-ring-used-Qing-Dynasty-help-traders.html>.