2. History
Wearable technology is related to both the field
of ubiquitous computing and the history and development
of wearable computers. With ubiquitous computing,
wearable technology share the vision of interweaving
technology into the everyday life, of making technology
pervasive and interaction frictionless. Through the history
and development of wearable computing, this vision has
been both contrasted and affirmed. Affirmed through the
multiple projects directed at either enhancing or extending
functionality of clothing, and as contrast, most notably
through Steve Mann's concept of sousveillance. The history
of wearable technology is influenced by both of these
responses to the vision of ubiquitous computing.
3. Cont.
• The calculator watch, introduced in the 1980s,
was one original piece of widespread worn
electronics.
• Ilya Fridman designed a Bluetooth headset
into a pair of earrings with a hidden
microphone. The Spy TIE includes a color
video camera and USB Heating Gloves keep
hands warm when plugged in.
4. Cont.
• Twitter users can wear a "Pocket Tweet" using a Java
application and cutting out and applying a Twitter text
bubble to a person's shirt, one example of Do-it-
yourselfwearable tech that was part of an art exhibit
for the Wearable Technology AIR project in spring
2009.ZED-phones stitch headphones into beanies and
headbands allowing riders, snowboarders, Drivers and
Runners to stay connected, hands-free, always.
• Wearable technology has applications in monitoring
and realtime feedback for athletes as well. The
decreasing cost of processing power and other
components is encouraging widespread adoption and
availability.
5. Cont.
• Transitioning to night life and entertainment industries
electroluminescent shirts have appeared in concerts
such as Electric Daisy Carnival and Lollapalooza.
Michael Graziano Clothing has worked with such artists
as Deadmau5, Coldplay and Andy Moor they are
appearing in the tourism industry.
• According to ABI Research due to the relative ease of
compatibility with smartphones and other electronic
devices, the wearable technologies market will spike to
485 million annual device shipments by 2018.
7. Cont.
• Did you know that almost 45million persons in
the world are blind? And that 36million have
disabling hearing loss? It’s the little things that
make a difference and that is why technology
might be able to improve the everyday life of
these on other challenged people.
8. Cont.
• Bionic ears might sound they are from the future but a
hearing implant company called Med-El has a wide
range of implant solutions for those with hearing loss
or with partial deafness. The cochlear implant system is
a medical option for individuals with severe to
profound sensorineural hearing loss. For individuals
with this type of hearing loss, hearing aids provide little
or no benefit. Their staggering ability to create a sense
of sound is down to a flexible electrode array that is
nestled inside the cochlea during surgery. These wires
allow the conventional auditory pathway to be
sidestepped.
9. Cont.
• Sounds are picked up by an external microphone,
hooked over the ear, and turned into a digital “score”
of electronic stimulation patterns by a processor. This
information is then transmitted wirelessly across the
scalp, together with a dose of energy, where it is picked
up by a coil under the skin and passed to the implant
where the digital score is converted into electrical
pulses. These are sent to the electrodes within the
cochlea, where they artificially trigger electrical
impulses in the auditory nerve fibers, bypassing the
role of the hair cells. But while each hair cell stimulates
only a few of these fibers, the electrical pulses of a
cochlear implant trigger much larger areas.
11. Cont.
• Since the announcement of Google Glass back in
2012, there has been a huge hype over the face-
worn computer. While it’s the most discussed of
its type, Glass is surely not the only smart glasses
in development and unlike Google a few other
companies have already brought their smart
glasses to the market. To give you an idea of what
the industry is working on and what different
kinds of approaches are available, we’re
presenting you with some of the hottest smart
glasses in this overview.
13. Cont.
• Google Glass has become the symbol for modern, head-mounted
computer interface. Constantly featured at fashion shows and other cool
events, Google has done a great job at marketing and geeks all over the
world have fallen in love with Glass. From a technical point of view, Glass
comes with a 640 *360 pixel screen that sits in the upper right corner of
your field of vision. The screen presents notifications, contents from the
web and also runs native apps often referred to as Glassware. Glass has a
5 MP camera, runs on a 1,2 Ghz dual core processor and has a built-in WiFi
and Bluetooth connection. Google and the early users of its exploration
program are currently testing the second generation of Glass, which yet
has to be launched on the market. If you are looking to get one of these
$1,500 beta devices, you need to be nominated by a Glass owner;
however, you are also eligible for invitation if you subscribe to Google Play
Music All Access. Google and other companies such as Rochester Optical
are already offering subscription lenses for Glass, so people with impaired
vision can now also use the head-mounted display. With many companies
and developers already working on apps for Glass, Google has the
potential to build a strong platform for head-mounted computers.
15. Cont.
• Though it is already the second wave of
smartwatches this product type is still at an early
market stage. Especially when looking at their
role in the wearables consumer market in 2013
and compared to the current success of activity
trackers. However, there are many smartwatches
available right now which in some cases even can
replace activity trackers or offer other additional
features for gadget enthusiasts. The products
available show there are many approaches to
produce smarter watches by enhancing them
with software features.
