09-10-2010, 04:14 PM
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wearable computing
ABSTRACT
The concept of wearable computing was first brought forward by Steve Mann, who, with his invention of the ‘WearComp’ in 1979 created a pioneering effort in wearable computing. Other than being a portable computer, a wearable computer must be an adaptive system with an independent processor. That is the system must adapt to the whims and fancies of the user instead of the user having to adapt his lifestyle for the system.
The six devices to be introduced represent the new frontiers in the development of wearable technology. They are:
1. Nomad – Wearable Audio Computing
2. DyPERS – Dynamic Personal Enhanced Reality System
3. Wearable Cinema
4. Affective Computers
5. FAST – Wearable Computing for Factory Personnel
6. Computerized Clothing
INTRODUCTION
With computing devices becoming smaller and smaller it is now possible for an individual to don such a device like a hat or jacket. It is clear that these technology will enable us to extent the desktop resources(including memory computation and communication) to anywhere in travel. Also this constant access, augmented by a battery of body mounted sensors will enable a computer to be sensitive to the activities in which we are engaged and thus allow the computer to participate in an active manner as we perform our tasks. This area includes computerscience, computer engineering and psychology.
Other than being a portable computer, a wearable computer must be an adaptive system with an independent processor. That is the system must adapt to the whims and fancies of the user instead of the user having to adapt his lifestyle for the system. The system must be perpetually on and must provide seamless information transfer whenever the user requires it.
HISTORY
The concept of wearable computing was first brought forward by Steve Mann, who, with his invention of the ‘WearComp’ in 1979 created a pioneering effort in wearable computing. Although the effort was great, one of the major disadvantages was the fact that it was nothing more than a miniature PC. Absence of lightweight, rugged and fast processors and display devices was another drawback.
The 1980s brought forward the development of the consumer camcorder, miniature CRTs etc. brought forward the development of the eyeglass mounted multimedia computer. With the advent of the internet and wireless networking technologies, wearable devices have developed a great deal.
After its invention wearables have gone through 18 generations of development, with research going on at prestigious institutions like MIT, Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon University.
The six devices to be introduced represent the new frontiers in the development of wearable technology. They are:
1. Nomad – Wearable Audio Computing
2. DyPERS – Dynamic Personal Enhanced Reality System
3. Wearable Cinema
4. Affective Computers
5. FAST – Wearable Computing for Factory Personnel
6. Computerized Clothing
NOMAD – WEARABLE AUDIO COMPUTING
The Nomadic Radio provides an audio only wearable interface and acts as a unified messaging system. Remote information such as email, voicemail, hourly news broadcasts, reminders, traffic reports etc are automatically downloaded and presented to the user in a seamless manner. The presentation is such that it produces minimum disturbance to the user.
Objective
In the present day, when unlimited information is made available to the user through various media, it is found increasingly that the user suffers from information overload. That is, unwanted information is being provided to the user and this causes less stress being placed on the required information. E.g. Spam mails in our inbox. Moreover the user is not able to access the information at all times.
Pagers and Cellular phones provide mobility to a large extent, but the information that can be transmitted through a pager is very limited and cellular phone services are expensive as all the data processing is done by the telephony servers rather than by the phone itself.
The Nomad filters information and provides adaptive notification, messaging and communication services on a wearable device. The system determines the method of presentation of the information based on the time of the day, physical position, scheduled tasks, message content, and level of interruption and acoustics of the environment. The user’s long term listening patterns will also be taken into consideration.
Nomadic Radio is developed as a unified messaging system which utilizes spatialized audio, speech synthesis and recognition on a wearable audio platform. The system mainly works on a client server model. A combination of speech and button inputs allow the user unlimited access to the information he wants. Text messages such as email; reminders etc are converted to voice using a synthesizer. Users can select from the various categories of information available, browse the messages and save or delete from the server. As the system gains location awareness, a scenario is envisaged where the information is presented depending on the location of the user.
Design of the Wearable Platform
Audio output must be provided such that it causes minimum hindrance and maximum privacy to the user. Headphones cannot be used as it would be a nuisance for obvious reasons. Thus speakers worn on the body were developed.
The Soundbeam Neckset worn around the neck consists of two directional speakers provided on the user’s shoulders and a directional microphone placed on the user’s chest. A button is provided to activate speech recognition. Spatialized audio is provided in the neckset. A rugged version of the neckset is the Radio Vest which consists of four directional speakers, a rugged housing and modular configuration.
Network Architecture
The nomadic radio consists of a client server model and works over a wireless LAN. The Neckset is connected to a Pentium based portable processor connected to the waist. The web servers download information such as: emails and voicemails from the user’s mailbox, reminders, hourly news broadcasts, and weather and traffic reports. The web server filters the information and removes unwanted information. The user, when notified can download the information
from the web server to the radio and listen to it in the required format. The network also consists if a position server whereby the position of the user can be determined using an IR sensor.
Working with the Device
The information must be provided to the user in such a manner that it causes minimum disturbance to the user. One of the methods used by the Nomad is to broadcast the news, reports etc in the background. The Audiostreamer device checks for Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTF), i.e. whether the user is straining his head to listen to the news. If so, the volume of the broadcast is increased. Spatialized listening is provided for the voicemails and emails which arrive at different times of the day. The audio is arranged in such a way that the sound arrives from different directions for mails arriving at different times of the day. The device mainly works in 3 modes of operation:
Broadcasting
In this mode, messages are broadcast to the user at low tones, in the background. If the user pays attention to the message (by button press or HRTF), the message is brought to the foreground, else it is faded away.
Browsing
In this mode the user selects the category and plays back the messages sequentially. When a required message is received, the user can stop the device and listen to the message in the foreground.
Scanning
In this mode, certain portions of the message are played sequentially each message coming to the foreground for sometime and then fading out as the new message enters the foreground. The user selects the message as it comes to the foreground.
Awareness & Communication
The Nomad allows the user to be aware of the location of other users and determine their location using the position sensor. The user can also chat with other users from a remote location using the Nomad network.
