Wearable Computers

1. Wearable Computers Team 4 Steven Alt Rita Hubert Christian Martinez Bob Zandoli School of Computer Science and Information Systems Pace University May 2005

2. Table of Contents • Definition • History • Research Interests • Wearable Challenges • Design • Development • Processor • Input Devices • Display Devices • Network • Battery • Practical Applications • Medical • Military • Travel • Manufacturing/Maintenance • Textiles • Jewelry/Watch • Conclusion • References

3. Definition • The definition of wearable computer is not commonly agreed. Some examples from Rhodes, Kartuem, Mann and Licklider are cited by Starner [64] as having the following characteristics and attributes: • Portability and unobtrusive during operations • Hands-free or limited-hands-on operation • Interact with user, even when not in use • Sense the users current context • Adapt interaction modalities base on the users current context • Augmented reality interface to user based on environment • Presents information in an unobtrusive way • Constant and always ready • Not demanding the users full attention • Observable and controllable by user • Attentive to the environment and context • Communication tool • A natural extension of the user • Constant access to information and services • Personal

4. Characteristics • Wearable computers should be worn like glasses, watches, and clothing. • The interaction between the person and computer should be context-based • The display and input should be unobtrusive • Wireless Personal Area Networks • Wearable computers should act as an intelligent assistant [29]

5. Why are Wearable Computers Important? • The main reason to look at wearable computers in research is because it is generally agreed that the “fourth generation” of computing will involve smart environments, wearable computers, perceptual users interfaces and ubiquitous computing. [44] • Wearable computers are one of the most personally useful areas of new computer technology. This is the future of computing which will give us the power of computing in our daily lives in wearing our computers and taking them with us wherever we go. They will assist us in our daily lives, provide us with information and support, and provide those of us in the forefront of research and development with a bright future of employment and entrepreneurial opportunity. This is a giant leap forward in employing the power of computer in our daily lives for useful purposes. [44] • The ultimate purpose of wearable computers is to be operational throughout the person’s waking time, to be un-noticed, to understand the context of the owner’s environment, to be proactive in providing the appropriate information and feedback, to function as an intelligent personal assistant to the owner. [44]

6. History • 1955 Edward Thorp, a graduate student in physics at U.C.L.A., developed a mathematical method to beat the roulette wheel at a casino. [72] which was refined and developed in 1960 by the partnership at MIT of Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon. Together they developed the seminal work in this field and created a concealed-wearable computer to beat the roulette wheel in Las Vegas, Nevada. • 1960’s Sutherland at MIT invents a wearable head-mounted display and Hubert Upton creates a wearable computer with an eyeglass display. [29] • 1970’s C.C. Collins developed a camera-to-tactile vest for the blind and Sony introduces the Walkman music system. [29] • 1980’s Steve Mann created backpack-computer for controlling photo equipment, Steve Roberts recumbent bicycle with an on-board computer and the Private Eye company developed a head-mounted display device. [29]

7. History …Continued • 1990’s: • Gerald Maguire and John Ioannidis Student Electronic Notebook • Olivetti active badge using infrared to transmit location • CMU’s VuMan1 to view blueprint data • BBN Pathfinder system using GPS and radiation detection • Thad Starner’s Remembersance Agent augmented memory • Feiner, MacIntyre and Seligmann developed KARMA augmented reality system • Lamming and Flynn’s ‘Forget-Me-Not” system for recording continuous personal life experiences • Edgar Mathias ‘wrist computer’ • Steve Mann sending images from is head-mounted camera to the Web • Alex Pentland Smart Clothes Fashion Show [29]

8. 21 Century Wearable Research Interests Early twenty-first century wearable computer research: • Battery life and energy • Battery life is the basis of power and has long been a limiting factor for the development of wearable computers. Jason Flinn and M. Satyanarayanan’s recent extensive paper provides a detailed examination of the issue and proposes an approach to conserve energy [13] , which compliments their earlier work with Intel [12] regarding performance, energy and quality. Noboru Kamijoh of IBM has studied energy use in a computer wrist watch [20]. • Context awareness • Textiles • Textiles are receiving a greater amount of research interest. A recent article by Chandra Madhup, et.al.[5] shows how ultrasonic range transceivers included in a belt are used to determine a person’s location within a building. • Medical Applications • Human Computer Interaction

9. Research Overview • Design, Development • Architecture, Motherboards, Hardware • Operating Systems, Database, Software and Applications • Input/Output devices • One handed input • Headset/eyeglasses/visor • Networks, Communications and Wireless • Energy and Batteries • Surveillance and Security • Detection/Tracking/Badges/GPS • Human computer interaction (HCI) • Context and location awareness • Textiles and Clothes • Medical Monitoring • Jewelry

10. Key Wearable Research and Development Universities • The academic leaders in Wearable Computer Research are: • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) [29] • Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) [6] • CMU has actually designed and tested 20 generations of wearable computer systems over the past 8 years. [www.cmu.edu/co-lab/pr03.html October 28, 2004 access] • Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) [17]

11. Figure 1: CMU Wearable Family Tree [www-2.cmu.edu/people/wearable/pics/wearabletree.jpg]

12. Table 1 Carnagie Mellon University Wearable Systems [6]

13. Current Wearable Challenges • Power and Battery • Heat Dissipation • Networking • On-body and off-body • Privacy • Interface Design • Application Development • Context sensitive • Augmented Reality • Collaboration [64,65]

14. Project Plan Table 2 [10]

15. Design Considerations Figure 2: Classes of wearable computers [1]

16. Wearable Design Principles The design process for the wearable computer system according to Gandy, et al. [15] follows the Seven Principles of Universal Design • Equitable Use • Flexible in Use • Simple and Intuitive • Perceptible Information • Tolerance for Error • Low Physical Effort • Size and Space for Approach and Use

17. Wearable Design Methodology • The design methodology is the User-Centered Interdisciplinary Concurrent System Design Methodology (UICSM) is based on a rapid prototyping model and is web-based, permitting remote researchers and customers to work together on-line to develop, discuss and refine the design. [52] • Three Development Phases of UICSM are: • Conceptual Design • Detailed Design • Implementation • This is a proven methodology, used for more than a dozen new wearable computers.

18. Wearable Design • The most detailed and systematic description of a design process for wearable systems is by Anliker, et al. [2]. Anliker, et al has developed a series of models for problem specification, architecture and exploration environment. • The Problem Specification contains: • Usage Profile • Information Flow • Physical Constraints • Hardware Resources • The Architecture Model contains: • Generic architecture • Problem specific architecture • The Exploration Environment contains: • Input from the problem specific model to generate the architecture • Task-device binding • Input from the Information flow to develop the performance estimation • Input from the Information flow to develop the architecture evaluation • Architecture selection • Output to a set of Pareto-optimal architectures

19. Figure 3: Modular Exploration Methodology according to Anliker, et al. [2]

20. Wearable Development • Chandra Narayanaswami et al. [38] of IBM Research have also developed a rapid prototyping methodology with 5 steps to develop a prototype, as follows: • Vision Articulation • Pictures • Anamations • Preliminary Vision Embodiment • User Interaction Model • On-Screen Simulation • Representative I/O devices and applications • Demons ratable Prototype • Software Infrastructure • Demo Programs • Preliminary power management • Limited CPU/memory • Business Case • Limited Deployment • End-user Studies • Market Analysis • Cost-profit analysis • Marketable Product • Application Development Environment and tools • Actual end-user Applications • Aggressive Power Management

21. Development Process Table 4 [38]

22. Wearable Interfaces Table 5 [10]

23. Wearable Processor Several Designs for Wearable Processors • MIT Media Lab developed MIThril [29] • IBM developed Personal Mobile Hub [19] • Q-Belt-Integrated-Computer (QBIC) developed at ETH Zurich [1]

24. Figure 4: MIThril System from MIT [29]

25. IBM Personal Mobile Hub Figure 5: Personal Mobile Hub [19]

26. Q-Belt-Integrated-Computer (QBIC) Figure 6: QBIC system in a belt buckle [1]

27. QBIC … continued Figure 7: QBIC system in a belt buckle [1]

28. QBIC Schematic Figure 8: QBIC system in a belt buckle [1]

29. Input Devices • One-handed keyboard Twiddler [18] • Kord [74] • Kord • Kord-Pad • Kord-Grip

30. Figure 9: Twiddler 2 [67]

31. Mobile Text Entry Rates Table 6 [25]

32. Twiddler Learning Rates Table 7 [25]

33. Kord Data Entry Kord, Kord-Pad, Kord-Grip www.wetpc.com.au/html/products/handheld.htm Figure 10: Kord Devices

34. Display Devices • Glasses • Display • Helmet

35. MicroOptical Display in Glasses Figure 11: MicroOptical Glasses [64]

36. M920 Display Figure 12: Display connects to CompactFlash TypeII or PCMCIA slot of PDA ($799) www.icuiti.com/work.html

37. Helmet Display Figure 13: Helmet Display with Integrated Wearable Computer, wireless link and GPS www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb199305.htm

38. Wearable Display View Figure 14: Nomad helmet mounted display examples views www.primidi.com/2004/12/12.htm

39. Wearable Networks • Wireless • LAN • PAN • Wired • Fiber • On-body • Off-body

40. Table 8 [3]

41. Table 9 [3]

42. IEEE Wireless LAN and PAN Table 10 [3]

43. Battery and Energy • Solar Cells • Shoe Generator • Battery Power

44. Wearable Solar Cells Figure 15: www.primidi.com/2004/12/16.html

45. Wearable Energy Generation Figure 16: Magnetic Generator in shoes produced 250 mW from standard walking [45]

46. Battery • Battery Power Conservation Techniques [Satyanarayanan] • Improve Hardware Efficiency • Flash cards as secondary storage [55] • Power consumption improved by about 20% • Power management [11,12,13] • Software Reduced Energy Consumption • Idle operations • Conserve power [78] • Reduce fidelity [11,12,13] • Off-load work to nearby servers • External actions to Recharge the battery

47. Techniques for Mitigating Energy Table 11 [78]

48. Wearable Real World Examples • Medical • Military • Travel • Manufacturing/Warehouse • Workplace • Textiles • Jewelry/Watch

49. Medical Wearable History • In the 1950’s and 1960’s the first application of remote health monitoring with wearable computers was used for the NASA astronauts. • During the 1970’s and 1980’s telemetry was used by emergency medical technicians to communicate remotely to emergency room hospital physicians. • Then the 1990’s saw an emergence of portable monitoring devices that could record pulse and heart rate, weight, temperature, blood pressure, heart and lung sounds, and blood oxygen.

50. Medical Wearable Applications Today research into medical applications for wearable computers has many areas of focus, including the following: • Memory • Tactile • Head motion • Gestures/Parkinson’s • Gastric Reflux/GERD • Heart/ECG/Pulse • Location/GPS/Alzheimer’s location • Lungs/Respiration/Oxygen • Temperature • Blood Pressure • Falls