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The Evolution of Mann Steve Mann and his “WearComp” invention. 1980. 1990. 2000. Evan Welbourne CSE510 – Winter 2003. The Birth of WearComp – late 70s to early 80s. The driving application was photography Peripherals were “light paintbrushes” Worn on back, waist, and chest
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The Evolution of MannSteve Mann and his “WearComp” invention 1980 1990 2000 Evan WelbourneCSE510 – Winter 2003
The Birth of WearComp – late 70s to early 80s • The driving application was photography • Peripherals were “light paintbrushes” • Worn on back, waist, and chest • Lumped components, heavy, cumbersome • Display: head-mounted NTSC • Processor: 6502 • OS: Hand-assembled software • Communication: radio to base station • Power: lead-acid batteries • Uptime: minutes • Input: pushbutton switches
Continued Evolution – mid to late 80s • Became a tool for “personal documentary” • Now included video and sound recording • Major innovation was to distribute the components from head to feet (shoes) • Wires eventually sewn into clothing • Display: 80x24 (head) to 640x480 (chest) • Processor: 8085 to 80286 • OS: Intel supportstation • Communication: two-way amateur radio • Power: NiCad batteries • Uptime: hours • Input: simple keyer
Current Form – early 90s to present • Became “personal imaging” thesis at MIT media lab • Now for general purpose computing and mediated reality • Waistbag with special always-worn conductive clothing • Display: 640x480 (head) to RS170 (head) • Processor: VLSI and/or 80*86 • OS: DOS to Linux • Communication: wireless Internet • Power: Li-Ion batteries • Uptime: days (depending on use) • Input: septambic keyer
Research Areas and Themes • Focus: develop new WearComp functionality and applications • “Humanistic Intelligence” - personal empowerment through augmentation, “smart people” • Intelligent image processing and AR • Wearable-related gadgetry • Characteristic themes: • Privacy • ‘Personal empowerment’ • Collaboration • Creativity • “Cyborgian”
Humanistic Intelligence / Personal Empowerment • Wearable extensions to augment the user with a “sixth sense” • BlindVision: - wearable radar system + “vibra-suit” - suit can apply pressure to a part of wearer’s body - user can “feel” a person, wall, bus, etc. approaching • MEDIwear: - monitors wearer’s life signs - notifies “safety net” if there is a medical emergency
Image Processing and Augmented Reality • Contributions are both in applications and theory • VideoOrbits - camera-based head-tracking for AR - uses chirplet transform and coparametric equations • Billboard filtering (mediated reality) - with James Fung - AR app recognizes and reclaims polluted visual space
Gadgetry • Video-conferencing wrist-watch: - 24-bit true color, 7 fps - wireless to Internet via a concealed wearable component • Telepoint: - A laser pointer for telecollaboration - End unit wearable or for conferences
Art Work • A large number of photo and video documentaries: - “Shooting Back” - Live, web-broadcast, two-year AR documentary while at MIT - “Cyberman” with David Suzuki’s ‘The Nature of Things’ • Museum pieces are usually a commentary on the organization-individual power struggle • Work has been featured in Ars Electronica, NY Times, Scientific American, WiReD, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, NBC, ABC, CNN, BBC,…