Wearable Computing

Wearable computing facilitates a new form of human-computer interaction comprising a small body-worn computer (e.g. user-programmable device) that is always on and always ready and accessible. In this regard, the new computational framework differs from that of hand held devices, laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The 'always ready' capability leads to a new form of synergy between human and computer, characterized by long-term adaptation through constancy of user-interface.

What is a wearable computer?

A wearable computer is a computer that is subsumed into the personal space of the user, controlled by the user, and has both operational and interactional constancy, i.e. is always on and always accessible. Most notably, it is a device that is always with the user, and into which the user can always enter commands and execute a set of such entered commands, and in which the user can do so while walking around or doing other activities. The most salient aspect of computers, in general, (whether wearable or not) is their reconfigurability and their generality, e.g. that their function can be made to vary widely, depending on the instructions provided for program execution. With the wearable computer (WearComp), this is no exception, e.g. the wearable computer is more than just a wristwatch or regular eyeglasses: it has the full functionality of a computer system but in addition to being a fully featured computer, it is also inextricably intertwined with the wearer. This is what sets the wearable computer apart from other wearable devices such as wristwatches, regular eyeglasses, wearable radios, etc.. Unlike these other wearable devices that are not programmable (reconfigurable), the wearable computer is as reconfigurable as the familiar desktop or mainframe computer. Wearable computing will now be formally defined in terms of its three basic modes of operation and its six fundamental attributes.

Operational modes of wearable computing

There are three operational modes in this new interaction between human and computer:

Constancy: The computer runs continuously, and is 'always ready' to interact with the user. Unlike a hand-held device, laptop computer, or PDA, it does not need to be opened up and turned on prior to use.

Augmentation: Traditional computing paradigms are based on the notion that computing is the primary task. Wearable computing, however, is based on the notion that computing is NOT the primary task. The assumption of wearable computing is that the user will be doing something else at the same time as doing the computing. Thus the computer should serve to augment the intellect, or augment the senses.

Mediation: Unlike hand held devices, laptop computers, and PDAs, the wearable computer can encapsulate It doesn't necessarily need to completely enclose us, but the concept allows for a greater degree of encapsulation than traditional portable computers. There are two aspects to this encapsulation:

Solitude: It can function as an information filter, and allow us to block out material we might not wish to experience, whether it be offensive advertising, or simply a desire to replace existing media with different media. In less severe manifestations, it may simply allow us to alter our perception of reality in a very mild sort of way.

Privacy:
Mediation allows us to block or modify information leaving our encapsulated space. In the same way that ordinary clothing prevents others from seeing our naked bodies, the wearable computer may, for example, serve as an intermediary for interacting with untrusted systems, such as third party digital anonymous cash 'cyberwallets'. In the same way that martial artists, especially stick fighters, wear a long black robe that comes right down to the ground, in order to hide the placement of their feet from their oponent, wearable computing can also be used to clothe our otherwise transparent movements in cyberspace. Although other technologies, like desktop computers, can help us protect our privacy with programs like Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), the achilles tendon of these systems is the space between us and them. It is generally far easier for an attacker to compromise the link between us and the computer (perhaps through a so-called trojan horse or other planted virus) than it is to compromise the link between our computer and other computers. Thus wearable computing can be used to create a new level of personal privacy because it can be made much more personal, e.g. so that it is always worn, except perhaps during showering, and therefore less likely to fall prey to covert attacks upon the hardware itself. Moreover, the close synergy between the human and computers makes it harder to attack directly, e.g. as one might peek over a person's shoulder while they are typing, or hide a video camera in the ceiling above their keyboard. Furthermore, the wearable computer can take the form of undergarments that are encapsulated in an outer covering or outerwear of fine conductive fabric to protect from an attacker looking at radio frequency emissions. The actual communications between the wearer and other computers (and thus other people) can be done by way of outer garments, which contain conformal antennas, or the like, and convey an encrypted bitstream. Because of its ability to encapsulate us, e.g. in embodiments of wearable computing that are actually articles of clothing in direct contact with our flesh, it may also be able to make measurements of various physiological quantities.Wearable computing is a framework for enabling various degrees of each of these three fundamental modes of operation.

While individual embodiments of wearable computing may use some mixture of these concepts, the signal path depicted in Fig 2 provides a general framework for comparison and study of these systems. The signal paths typically each, in fact, include multiple signals, hence multiple parallel signal paths are depicted in this figure to make this plurality of signals explicit.

The six attributes (six signal paths) of wearable computing

There are six informational flow paths associated with this new human--machine synergy. These signal flow paths are, in fact, attributes of wearable computing, and are described, in what follows, from the human's point of view:

UNMONOPOLIZING of the user's attention: it does not cut you off from the outside world like a virtual reality game or the like. You can attend to other matters while using the apparatus. It is built with the assumption that computing will be a secondary activity, rather than a primary focus of attention. In fact, ideally, it will provide enhanced sensory capabilities. It may, however, mediate (augment, alter, or deliberately diminish) the sensory capabilities.

UNRESTRICTIVE to the user: ambulatory, mobile, roving, 'you can do other things while using it', e.g. you can type while jogging, etc.

OBSERVABLE by the user: It can get your attention continuously if you want it to. Almost--always--observable: within reasonable limitations (e.g. that you might not see the screen while you blink or look away momentarily) the output medium is constantly perceptible by the wearer.

CONTROLLABLE by the user: Responsive. You can grab control of it at any time you wish. Even in automated processes you can manually override to break open the control loop and become part of the loop at any time you want to (example: 'a big Halt button you want as an application mindlessly opens all 50 documents that were highlighted when you accidently pressed 'Enter' would make a computer more CONTROLLABLE. Infinitely--often--controllable: the constancy of user--interface results from almost--always observability and infinitely--often controllability in the sense that there is always a potential for manual override which need not be always exercised.

ATTENTIVE to the environment: Environmentally aware, multimodal, multisensory. (As a result this ultimately gives the user increased situational awareness).

COMMUNICATIVE to others: Can be used as a communications medium when you want it to. Expressive: allows the wearer to be expressive through the medium, whether as a direct communications medium to others, or as means of assisting the production of expressive media (artistic or otherwise). Implied by the above six properties is that it must also be:

CONSTANT: Always ready. May have 'sleep modes' but never 'dead'. Unlike a laptop computer which must be opened up, switched on, and booted up before use, it is always on and always running.

PERSONAL: Human and computer are inextricably intertwined.

PROSTHETIC: You can adapt to it so that it acts as a true extension of mind and body; after time you forget that you are wearing it.

ASSERTIVE: can have barrier to prohibition or to requests by others for removal during times when you wish such a barrier. This is in contrast to laptop computer in briefcase or bag that could be separated from you by a 'please leave all bags and briefcases at the counter' policy of a department store, library, or similar establishment.

PRIVATE: others can't observe or control it unless you let them. Others can't determine system status unless you want them to, e.g. clerk at refund counter in department store where photography is prohibited can't tell whether or not you are transmitting wireless video to a spouse for remote advice, in contrast to camcorder technology where it is obvious you are taking a picture when you hold it up to your eye.

Note that a computer mediation device with sufficient bandwidth can synthesize or even heighten the augmentational aspects. For example a sufficiently ATTENTIVE computer can sustain a sufficient illusion of being UNMONOPOLIZING that it could encapsulate the user and still provide the same experience as system running in the augmentational mode of operation. Similarly, a sufficiently COMMUNICATIVE machine, especially if 'machine' is broadened to include mechanical mediation devices such as motorized exoskeletons, can synthesize the UNRESTRICTIVE attribute.