Return to the archive index

Re: newbie questions

On 5/03/2000 9:53 AM, Shaggy Im-erbtham at  wrote:

> I subscribed to this list a week ago. Most of the messages
> are technical so I hope this message is not out of place.
> 
> When I learned about wearable computers, I fell in love
> with the concept; to own one, better still (if somewhat
> ambitious), to build one!
> 
> However, after a reality check, a couple of questions came
> to mind. I hope you guys won't mind answering them:
> 
> 1) Is it really feasible to build one's own? Would the scenerio
> be that in a few months (or years), China and/or Taiwan
> begin to roll out cheaper, smaller, faster wearables rendering
> obsolete or cost-prohibitive to build?

While there appears to be some renewed interest in commercial wearable
packages, my take is that these will remain expensive and suffer from
generic-itis for some time.  If you're waiting for a wearable that is
super-small, ultra-powerful, wonderfully-cheap, and that has exactly the
peripherals that you want, don't hold your breath.

In my case, what I REALLY want (high-quality color 1152x870 see-through
display, zero-learning-curve keyboard interface, Mac OS, G4 performance,
IEEE 802.11 wireless connectivity, 4 lb or less overall weight, fits in a
belt pack, all-day batteries, concealable interface elements a la Steve
Mann, and < $1000 overall price) just ain't happening any time soon.

So, I'm building my own, based upon the elements that are most important to
me (<$1000 overall price, Mac OS, 4 lb or less overall weight, fits in a
belt pack).  I'm willing to work with existing displays like the M1, willing
to learn to use the Twiddler, willing to use a slow processor, willing to
give up wireless networking, willing to sacrifice battery time, and willing
to have a Borg-thing hanging off my face.

All this because the things that are _most_ important to me in a wearable
aren't commercially available.  I want control over the tradeoffs, and the
market doesn't have enough variety to offer that control to the consumer,
yet.

> 3) Would this make sense?
> To get my toes wet with a low-cost entry, could I start
> out with a desktop PC and play around with input and
> output devices like the twiddler and head-mounted
> displays? Portability would be sacrificed but, like I
> said, I could get my toes wet before dipping my feet
> in the water. I assemble my own computers so at least
> one hurdle is already crossed.

I think that this is an excellent idea.  You might also hack a notebook
computer; that's what I decided to do, first.  You get reasonable
portability, for a somewhat higher price point.  There are lots of older
laptops out there...

Just by being in the field, you gain experience that'll prove valuable
later.  Learning the vagaries of HMDs, and getting comfortable with them, is
almost guaranteed to remain a useful skill.  Same with the Twiddler; it has
been one of the best input devices for a surprisingly long time, and seems
likely to continue to be so.

-Tom

--
Subcription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with subject of
"subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" to 
Wear-Hard Mailing List Archive (searchable): http://wearables.blu.org

From Wear-Hard Mailing list Archive (WH)
Maintained by R. Paul McCarty

Archive created with babymail