what is Wearable computers
The concept of a wearable computer is a device that is always attached to a person (ie. that can constantly be carried, not like a personal stereo), is comfortable and easy to keep and use, and is as “unobtrusive as clothing”.
Another thing we should realise is that everyone will use wearable computers in different ways. For some it will be a necessity to give “hearing” to those completely deaf or a new way to “see” or at least move without colliding into walls.
This same ability can amplify a human in ways we can only imagine, perhaps a form of constant wireless communication or super database-like memory. Some will retreat inwardly in a virtual world fantasy that will scare those who visit.
We’re discovering how to do things like sew circuitry using electrically conducting threads, so we can put the chips right into fabric and it looks and feels like ordinary fabric, but is actually a computer. We can embed displays in what look like ordinary glasses
In the medical arena, one company offers a shirt with embedded sensors that can send vital-sign readings back to a computer in a doctor’s office. The system can be adapted to track life signs in infants, the elderly, firefighters, scuba divers or anyone whose health requires monitoring.
Jogging shorts are coming equipped with tiny computers that monitor your heart rate and notify you if you’re starting to overdo it (jogging that is).
Airline mechanics are starting to wear computers linked to display glasses so they can read from a repair manual while keeping both hands free.