Wearable Computer Conference Observations/Ideas:

see also:
   - MIT wearable computer page...nearly all presenters put their viewgraphs there...
   -SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS 10-22-96:very cool demonstration of the MIT ideas.     Highly recommend you tape it!!!
   -CHI Comp Human Interface conference March 23,24 1997 in Atlanta GA

This may seem a little fragmented; but there were many people and ideas to summarize.
MTM: means comment by Matt Walsh

BOEING: (sponsor of the conference)
-Their interest lies in maintenance; maintenance costs very high in airline industry.  Would have instructions/documentation to make their job easier.  They already have completely computerized their deisgn/mfg so this would close the loop.

Carnegie Mellon University:
Seems to have an unusual role as an implementor for industry; focus on PRACTICALITY vs. far-out ideas.

Project example: VU-Man maintenance help system.
-slick package
-uses a dial + a select button.  Very simple & effective (albeit limited) method.
-careful user analysis for the application they are working on

Project example: Navigator inspection system
-uses a joypad (like a Nintendo controller?) & Virtual Vision brand HUD.

-TIA-P (not sure what this system is) used dial & PDA (i.e. Pilot)

Thad - MIT Media Lab: Advanced Power Concepts
Looking for quantum leap improvements in power technologies for wearables.
Believes that wearables MUST have a power source that lasts days or months (or forever!) not hours.

Rough Specs for Energy Storage Methods (complete list on web page): (all in Whr/kg)
Futuristic Types
-flywheel -- 385 
-ultra-capacitor below -- 10
-compressed air -- 12 (@3000 psi)
-ADVANCED recharge 200-400
-ADVANCED use once 500 (like alkaylines)
-exotic futuristic batteries 1000-6200 (but very nasty, dangerous materials)
Types Available Today
-fuel cell  -- 548
-methanol  -- 5000 (e.g. Fossil Fuels)
-lead acid  -- 32
-zn air  -- 136
-one shot Lithium -- 220 (check vs. BA5590?)
-Nickel Metal Hydrive -- 48
-Lithium Ion -- 81
Typical Computer Consumption
-desktop 100W
-laptop 10W
-embedded 1W (i.e. small microprocessors, Pilot, etc.)
-human beings uses 121W (MTM: biking uses about 60W)
'Free or Ambient' & Unusual Power Sources
-solar panels generate 250 W\m2
-AM radio waves .27mW if 1km away from a 1kW station
-human power 1.6 kW sprint (MTM: that might be input power, but certainly not output power)
-footfalls from walking 5-8.3Wcan be recovered (67W output).  Piezo shoe insert could do the power conversion in a very flat simple design.  Running shoes using energy recovery might even make running easier if done right.
-entomatic power (sugar + yeast).  Then could use alcohol by product and burn it.

Rich Johnston (Univ of Wash.) - fiber optic display
-Group's name is Human Interface Tech Lab
-project started as a retinal scanner; but discovered displaying was possible
-can function with LED's or lasers; lasers for outside, LED's for inside
-draws one pixel at a time.
-very hi resoltion, bright as you can stand (vs. LCD's that are hard to see outside in daytime)
-Funded by Microvision (MTM: so they have a push to deliver a practical, sellable product) .  Three years of the 4 year project are done.
-Wants to be OEM for military equipment
-$20 per eye cost goal (MTM: wow!)
-displays are not affected by temperature (LCD's have a problem with cold temperatures and need to be adjusted)
-they are considering making advanced projetion TV systems
-developing special LED'S that are faster and last longer
-helps people w\ poor vision because it goes right on the back of your eye
-Power: approx 100 mW - but very preliminary

MARSS McDonnel-Douglas
-very neat system; many of the gotchas like ambient sound reduction have been addressed.

21 CLAW - GEN2 - Ben LaPointe 
-Honeywell build the MECHANICAL parts of the helmets/HUDs
-peak power consumption was 30W (MTM: Whoa!!), ave 12W (MTM: about the same as our peak w/ HD, S-Mos & 6 watt display)
-Really nice battery box.  Uses BA-5347, D & DD's

Eric Lind - Arny researcher - SENSATE LINER system
www:\\www.nosc.mil\contract\cbd\
619-553-2671
lind@nosc.mil
-used to help combat casualties; part of telepresence
-soldier broadcasts his condition to help figure out how bad he's hurt
-you wear a conductive polymer matrix suit that can detect where a bullet goes in and out.  Suit also has POTENTIAL TO BE A WEARABLE CIRCUIT BOARD!

VENDORS gave a talk pushing their products
Doug Platt - SELECT TECH - crazy guy fanatical about chord keyboards
-pointed out that you're always touch typing.
-claims he can achieve 40-50 wpm
-discreet - you can type without sitting down

KOPIN - Displays (HUD's)
Glen Kephart 508-824-6696; Stuart   508-870-5959
-coming out with a new VFX1 type unit (for home gaming)
-sunlight viewable (Virtual I/O hard to see in bright daylight)
-white or green mono screen available

MOTOROLA
-acknowledged Battelle briefly!
-most important info is where am I, where are my buddies, where is the enemy

FLEXIBLE  PC (aka CDI)
-2 or 3 module design (3 modules = 4 PCMCIA, 2 modules = 2 PCMCIA)
-68 pin umbilical connector (MTM: very flimsy and weak compared to ours)
-aluminum housing now available; abandoning the pouch design

BBN Systems - Body LAN System
On-Body (their Body LAN product)
-system to let parts of your computer scattered on your body talk to each other
-BodyLAN uses very low power RF comm - watch battery powers it for over a year
-1.5m range between nodes (which they call PEAS)
-90 kb\s data rate (720000 baud)
-system has one hub surrounded by PEAS
-PEA design simple to make work with your own hardware.  OEM kit coming out this winter.
(MTM: very important new system.  Highly recommend checking it out to connect peripherals ala my futuristic architecture concept)

Speech Systems - Ivan Perez-Menendez
-(MTM: Contact this company if you ever want to do an effective speech recog. system)
-WIMP term means: Windows, Icons, Menus & Pointers
-lots of implementations

---
General Ideas that Occurred to Matt while Sitting There:
-get a better name & design a logo
-if users crawl alot keep stuff off their front; back belts work better
-need to overcome problems using LCD's in bright sun
-check out PIC microcontrollers; extremely low power.  Good for peripherials with smars ala the advanced architectural concept
-what about non display output; like sounds to cue you, vibrations, light impacts on your body like braille
-military likes Green mono displays more than Red
-Check out Khyber Company in Fairlawn OH  - they make a mini keyboard perfect for demos
-Consider a chest microphone
-If we do speech-based control we need to have an effective way to turn the mic on and off.  All the example systems had a problem with this.
-Make 2 versions: brick (like we have now) and a belt-like flex.
-Check out D Cell lithium dioxide batteries
-Need a fuse to use commercial batteries with the military
-Minimize GPS use because it eats up lots of power
-Build in sound blaster support on our circuit cards:  we have room and it eliminates need for PCMCIA
-test wireless LAN systems; seem increasingly important
-LITHIUM ION POLYMER batteries! EXTREMELY promising.
-Thermal tests needed: chips can't go below 0 F? need to make sure heat from SMOS can spread to the whole board.
-Farraday shielding - check this out as a way to shield the electronics
-Virtual I\O does custom display work
-Use a trail of BBN's PEAS (i.e. Hansel and Gretel) to make a extremely LPI-LPD, ultra low power system for Mini-A/V.  Also solves line-of site problems.
-Ask Brian about ED LOUIS - former Seal who works at Xybernaut

-- MattWalsh - 11 Feb 2003