Phase 1

So, I've been preaching the gospel of wearable computing for a while now, and I'm finally putting my own system together. If you'll recall my post of wearable displays, my obvious favorite for portability and price was the MyVu Crystal Headset. Well, I took my own advice and hopped on eBay to buy one. Ended up spending about $120, not bad. On top of that, I threw on an S-Video to Composite adapter (The input to the headset is Composite (RCA) to accommodate the iPod and other portable media devices. I also got a tiny little webcam (about the size of a 1/4" female adio jack) which I will affix the the glasses in order to create a sort of "see-through" Augmented Reality platform. This is definitely the early experimental stage of the project, but it's going well so far. My main issue from here is input. I am typing this blog on my laptop keyboard, viewing from the headset, but that's really no more convenient than just using the laptop's display. So in the category of interaction, I have a lot of input from the computer (audio and video) but no portable output to the unit (except any interface I can design for the webcam in the way of AR). the next input device that I add will most likely be some sort of keyboard that I can hold in my hand I looked into one-handed typing devices, chord keyboards, etc. But I ultimately decided that the ultimate portable keyboard is just the micro-sized QWERTY. There won't be a learning curve either (like with a chorded keyboard) because I've always owned cell-phones with "thumb-top" QWERTY boards. I have found a product on eBay for a very reasonable price that I think will probably be my choice for micro-sized QWERTY, It's similar in size and layout to the Motorola Q (or the Samsung Blackjack II, if you're into that sort of thing) except imagine that the screen is a touch pad (Like you'll find on most laptops)... Well... Here, just have a look:

It's a pretty neat and inexpensive piece of tech. It runs about $25 and has a full QWERTY and touch pad, so that's just as much input as your average laptop, except from the palm of your hand. This is going to be a great feature for input, buit also for portability... speaking of which, before I get too portable, I'm going to need a new battery for my laptop. There are some great deals on eBay for those too (Wow, I sound like I'm advertising eBay, lol) Then it'll be a matter of lugging the laptop around along with all the peripheral equipment in-tow. Well, I've found a great solution to that as well. The "NY BUILT" Laptop Backpack:





Yes, it is as pricey as it looks. This backpack is "Made from lightweight neoprene and breathable air mesh" and will set you back a cool $80 new (or as low as $60 on eBay) It has room for a large laptop as well as a few peripherals and is super-slim and comfortable. It has a front-strap that (along with making you look super dorky) will help evenly distribute the weight of the computer and equipment, which is going to be especially important for me because I'll be wearing the thing almost all of the time. It also features a small zipper compartment in the front strap, which will be the perfect place to stow my micro-keyboard, I'll cut a little channel between the main compartment and the strap pocket so I can wire the keyboard through the backpack internally with no messy external wires hanging all over the place. Also, I'll be able to store all of the video adapters in the bag and run the display cables out of the top of the pack and up the back of my neck which will allow me to run the wires "covertly," again, avoiding the dorky, overly wired-up look. I suppose you could call these items the "Phase 2" of my wearable, allowing for maximum portability. But how about interaction with the computer on an even higher level? Well, that's phase 3...

I'm scheming to buy an eMotiv EPOC EEG headset as we speak... I'm not sure how much longer these things are gonna be around, that is, I'm not sure what the demand is for consumer-level eeg technology. But check this out, $299 gets you:


14 saline sensors (so I'll have to keep them wet)
Hi-performance wireless interface
Lithium Battery provides 12 hours run-time
USB compatible and requires no custom drivers
Gyroscope generates optimal positional information
And the design is totally wearable, and doesn't look TOTALLY insane, like most eeg caps (which look like sci-fi showercaps, lol)

This sweet piece of tech will allow me two more degrees of communication with the computer. Gyroscopic positional information (Super-reliable and accurate) and EEG signal detection, that's right, brain-wave interface. With that added to the system, it will essentially become an outboard brain, capable of referencing the internet for information and relaying it back to me. I will be able to input from the computer via the heads-up display and the headphones (Audio-visual) And output to the computer through EEG, Positional data, keyboard, pointer and camera. That's almost the maximum number of degrees of interaction that are available between computers and people right now. So I'm pretty excited about it. Maybe It'll be a while before I'll be able to wear this kind of thing out and about though, lol.

I'll post updates as I develop the Augmented Reality Software. And keep you updated on any developments as far as the phase 2 and 3 upgrades.

Be well.