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Re: Wearable input/output--is visual the way to go?

In article <6tosm3$dbc$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
  maskdman@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> (mail address sans X's: richX@Xucsd.edu)
>
> Perhaps I'm being too idealistic here, but it seems to me that the least
> obtrusive input/output modality would be audio, not video/keyboard substitute.
> There are many benefits: it is comparitively to listen to audio information
> while doing other tasks (and isn't that the point of wearables?), while
> reviewing visual information while trying to do other things is somewhat
> distracting.

an audio only wearable interface would be only as obtrusive as a portable
stereo.  one of the things ive been trying to remember is that a wearable
should be as familliar as other objects to a person.  sunglasses, watch,
purse, etc.  a walkman (headphones, (a jabra has a microphone built in as
well) and a little (at least as little as possible) box on your belt) as far
as design would be very attractive to a user.

> A combination earbud headphone and bone conduction microphone would be much
> more
> unobtrusive than a boom-mounted display, to boot.  Personally, the thought of
> an intelligent assistant whispering things in my ear and responding to my
> speech is much more palatable than having to deal with a HMD.

> True, there are issues; speech recognition and synthesis isn't easy.  However,
> I see speech (and other audio, perhaps) input and output to be greatly helpful
> in bringing people much closer to ubiquitous computing.

however i dont think speech recognition is the way to go.  its a great
technology, but it just seems really impractical (just in use.	talking to
yourself is not common..)  speech synthesis is fairly easy to get ahold of
tho.

> Comments?  Am I way off base here?  Is there a bunch of research being done
> in this area that I may not be aware of?  Your feedback is appreciated, and
> anyone who wishes to forward this to the mailing list (I'm not on it) may do
> so.

well, right now im working on software for a wearable, becasue it really does
need to be different in its interface.	im very definitely going to be using
a combination of sound and visual input, with there being the _option_ of
working only in audio.	that way, still using an hmd you can leave it in
transparent mode for tasks needing your full visual attention.

-jti (sig under construction)

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