A talk given to Worthing Digital group on the rainy night of October 22cnd 2013. It is an introductory level talk on wearable computing devices and technology. The aim is to raise awareness of this increasingly important topic. It examines the history of wearable device technology and provides some case studies of current products (The Lume Collection, Pebble Smartwatch, Fitbit, Google Glass). It then considers how these devices and technologies may be linked together into a coherent, ultimately participating in the "device cloud" that is known as the Internet of Things. It speculates as to the the social and cultural impact of the mass adoption of wearable technology. It explores this through a scenario called the Internet of Bling. A video of the presentation session will be made available on the Worthing Digital website in the near future.

1. 1
Get Yourself Connected:
Google Glasses and the Internet of Bling

2. 2
A talk given to
Worthing Digital group
by Bill Harpley
October 22cnd 2013
http://worthingdigital.com/

3. 3
About this presentation
• This talk is about how people can use wearable computing
devices to augment their physical and sensory capabilities
 We will look at a range of current developments in the field of
wearable computing devices (and how they can be networked
together)
 We will take a glimpse of how technology, culture and marketing
may influence the development of these new products
• Why should you care? Understanding these technologies
and trends may help you to spot new business
opportunities in the future

4. 4
WEARABLE
COMPUTERS
History and current state of the art

5. 5
What is a wearable computer?
• Conventional view is that it is a computational
and/or sensory device that is worn about the
body.
• It may be worn underneath clothing in direct contact with the skin
• It may be worn on top of clothing in indirect contact with the skin
• It may be implanted into the body (medical applications)
• It tends to have a specialised function
(but recent developments such as Smartphones
and pocket-sized Tablets challenge this view)

6. 6
Context of use
• Examples of context in which wearable computers may
be used:
• Monitor physiological activity (e.g. heart-beats)
• Monitor physical activity (e.g. steps walked today)
• Provide enhanced/substitute physical capability
(e.g. 3D augmented vision)
• Provide a decorative function (think „bling‟)
• Determine geographic location (view on a digital map)

7. 7
A brief history of wearable devices
• The idea of wearable devices to augment personal
capabilities is not new. Examples:
• „Abacus beads‟ were worn in late medieval period
(helped people with counting tasks)
• Mechanical pocket watches were invented in the 16th century
became popular from early 19th century
( helped people track passage of time)
• Reading glasses were in use in China, India and Europe by the late
13th century (aid to reading)

8. 8
1960s: the dawn of wearable computers
• Story of wearable computing devices begins in
the 1960s. Examples:
• 1960: the musician and scientist Manfred Clynes coined
the word Cyborg , meaning a human whose
physical/cognitive ability was enhanced by possession
of „smart‟ attached devices
• 1961: two mathematicians Edward O. Thorp and
Claude Shannon developed small timing devices which
(it is claimed) gave the wearer the capability to cheat at
roulette. One device was embedded into a shoe and the
other inserted into a packet of cigarettes (worn about
the body)
• MIT timeline for history of wearable devices:
http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/lizzy/timeline.html

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The rise of the wearable computer
• PHOTO (right) : Steve Mann –
“Father of the Wearable Computer”
•
Professor at University of Toronto
•
Active in field since late 1970s
•
Profile on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mann
•
Key thinker on wearable computers
(in particular wearable computer
vision systems)

10. 10
Steve Mann: evolution of concept

11. 11
General evolution since 1980s
Significant research began in 1980s and has gathered
pace ever since. Examples:
• Multi-function digital wrist-watches
• Head-mounted displays
• Wrist-computers
• Portable music players
• Electronic textiles (“e-textiles” used in hi-tech fashion
garments)
• Physical/emotional wellbeing monitors
• Necklace which changed colour from red/blue
( stimulated by response of nervous system for the
subject via a physical sensor implant)

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Application domains
• Huge range of applications for wearable computing
devices. Examples:
 Military (major player in wearable technology research)
 Medical sector
 Consumer products
 Sports equipment
• Range of applications limited only by your own
imagination!

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Commercial success has been elusive
• Wearable computers have enjoyed success mainly niche
markets
• Many companies have attempted to develop wearable
computer products for the mainstream consumer market
(Sony, Seiko, Timex, Panasonic, Apple) but few have had
any notable success.
• Consumers have been lukewarm towards the idea
 But is that all about to change?
 Smartphones and Tablets have made people more receptive
to idea of wearable/portable computers
 Products becoming cheaper, easier to use and more
appealing to consumers
 ABI Research report (February 2013) predicted that there
will be 485 million annual shipments of wearable computing
devices by 2018

14. 14
CASE STUDIES
Examples of products which have captured the imagination

15. 15
Example: The Lume Collection
• The Lume collection has
won numerous design
awards (2012-2013)
• Example of “e-fabrics”
which embed flexible
electronics into the fabric
• Allows the colour of the
garment to be changed
using a smartphone app
• Harbinger of new age of
“digital couture”?
(http://jorgeandesther.com/lume/ )

16. 16
Example: Pebble SmartWatch
• In 2012, Pebble Technology
raised more than $10 million
dollars from 70,000 investors on
Kickstarter
• Crowdfunding has been a
game-changer for startup
companies
• Features include:
• Range of apps (e.g. fitness, mail
notifications, music control)
• Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
• 3D accelerometer (detect motion)
• ~ 90,000 units sold to date
• Current competitors include
Sony and Samsung
• Rumours that Apple and Google
may enter the smartwatch
market
https://getpebble.com/

17. 17
Example: Fitbit health monitors
• Tapped into important social trend!
• Range of fitness and wellbeing devices
designed to monitor:




physical fitness
healthy eating
weight management
Sleep patterns
• Upload your data from the bracelet and
monitor your progress via an app
• Interesting example of business model
innovation-- offer a Premium subscription
service which provides a more
personalised experience (e.g. „Rank
Yourself Against Your Peers‟)
• Implicitly part of the Quantified Self
movement (http://quantifiedself.com/ ) –
“Self knowledge through numbers.”
http//www.fitbit.com

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Example: Google Glass (1 of 3)
• Hailed as „revolutionary‟: in fact
it is an evolutionary step which
builds on work of Steve Mann
and other researchers in the
field of wearable computerised
vision
• Amazing range of capabilities:
 Take a photo(hands-free)
 Record a video (hands-free)
 Share what you can see with
remote friends
 Show directions (display route on
the Glass screen)
 Ask Glass a question (search for
facts)
http://www.google.com/glass/start/

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Example: Google Glass (2 of 3)
• Image (right) is screen capture
of video which shows user menu
projected on the interior corner
of the glass lens
• Key technical specs:




Android operating system
Voice activation
Camera/video inbuilt
Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity
(phone must support Bluetooth
tethering)
 Bone transducer audio (skull used
as “soundbox”)
• Google Glass applications
(Glassware) are free
applications built by 3rd party
developers.
http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/
+ Check out the numerous videos on
YouTube

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Example: Google Glass (3 of 3)
• Google Glass has attracted a great deal of controversy
• Like many breakthrough products it has its dark side
• Examples of concerns:
• Privacy (you can be photographed / filmed without your knowledge
or consent)
• Dubious legality in certain states (e.g. Ukraine)
• Facilitation of criminal activities (e.g. fraud)
• Display of pornography
• Public safety (e.g. while driving)
• Data security (e.g. user photographs malicious QR code)
• Search Google with phrase „google glass criticism‟ to
learn more

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PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENTS
Faster, stronger, smarter

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Powered Exo-skeletons
• Powered frame which
includes motors and
hydraulics – intended to boost
strength and endurance
• Military are big players in R&D
as a soldier would be able to
carry more weight in combat
situations (e.g. more weapons
and armour) – Photo top right
• Medical applications include
helping people with spinal
injuries – Photo bottom right

23. 23
Smart Prosthetics (artificial limbs)
• Modern prosthetics may be considered
wearable computational devices
• May have built in:
• Onboard microcontrollers + software
• Force/movement/acceleration sensors
• There exist Smart limbs which can sense
the user‟s environment and predict how
a user may behave
• Example: bionic hand which provides
user with tactile feedback (PHOTO Top
Right EU „Smart Hand‟ project
http://www.elmat.lth.se/~smarthand/ )
• Innovations include monitoring via mobile
app (IMAGE bottom Right is Galileo app
from Orthocare Innovations
http://www.orthocareinnovations.com/orthoca
re.micro/index.html )

24. 24
Flexible Electronic Circuits
• Flexible electronic circuits
are not a new idea
• Current technology allows
them to be miniaturised
and made ultra-thin
(Photo on right)
• Applications include:
• woven into fabrics (e.g. a
jacket which could function
as a heartbeat monitor)
• implanted into the body
• wrapped around limbs

25. 25
E-skin ( 1 of 2)
• Example: the E-Skin Project
(Switzerland)
http://www.e-skin.ch/research/intro.html
“The e-Skin project aims at
developing a novel type of
wearable interface which
mimics the sensory
capabilities of the human
skin. The interface consists of
a multi-layered flexible hightech textile and senses stimuli
both on its outside and inside
surface. At the same time the
interface possesses actuation
mechanisms to provide tactile
feedback through its inside
and outside surfaces.”
• Potentially all kinds of medical
and cosmetic applications
A number of research groups
around the world aim to
develop “bionic skin”.

26. 26
E-skin (2 of 2)
• Berkeley University in
U.S. recently
announced a flexible
e-skin which lights up
when touched
• Applications include
robotics and medicine
• Question: could it be
transformed into
wearable bling?
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/07
/21/first-interactive-e-skin-built-onplastic/

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THE CONNECTED SELF
Everything is connected

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Get yourself connected
• So far we have considered devices in isolation
• But we now need to ask:
• How can we connect these devices to they communicate with each
other and interact with services on the Internet?
• What are the possible consequences of doing this?
• The remaining slides in this section will attempt to answer
some of these questions

29. 29
Personal Area Networks (PANs)
• These are personal networks which operate within
a limited geographical
range (typically 10m radius)
• PAN is a communications network used to facilitate
communications between personal computational
devices such as a phone , tablet, PDA, computer,
wearable devices.
 Communication can occur between participating
devices or resources on the Internet can be
access via a local uplink connection (fixed or
mobile)
 Employs short-range low-power wireless
communications technologies such as Infra-red
(Irda), Bluetooth, Zigbee, Body Area Nets
 Geeks only: PANs based on IEEE 802.15
standards
• Wearable computing devices can potentially
communicate:
 With other computing devices that are worn
about the person
 With services on the Internet

Google image search for „personal area
networks‟ will provide you with much inspiration
http://standards.ieee.org/about/get/802/802.15.html

30. 30
Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs)
• Consider this as a special case of a WPAN
• Utilises only devices which are attached (or in very close
proximity) to the body
• Can use WPAN wireless technologies
(e.g. Bluetooth) to connect to services on Internet via a
local gateway router (broadband or mobile network)
• Main application is currently in Medicine
• Patient wears sensors (e.g. heart monitor) which may be attached
internally or implanted into the body
• Monitoring can be performed locally or remotely via Internet
• Geeks only: IEEE 802.15.6 Wireless Body Area
Networks
http://standards.ieee.org/about/get/802/802.15.html

31. 31
WBANs (continued)
• A sample of Google image search on „wireless area
body networks‟ – most relate to medical applications

32. 32
Intrabody Communications
• Method of communication which
exploits the fact that the human
body can conduct electricity
• Allows devices to communicate
using body as transmission
medium
 Devices attached to body can
communicate via ultra-low voltage
signals
 Remotely at a distance of 0.5m
(“contactless” communication
similar to RFID)
• Photo shows a door access
control mechanism (created by
company called Skinplex)

33. 33
Near-me Networks (NANs)
• This is a special type of logical network that is only used
by services which depend on people being in a similar
location (e.g. within a radius of half mile)
• Often used GPS enabled devices such as smartphones to
communicate via mobile networks (GSM, 3G, 4G)
• Example: I am planning to hold a party at my place on
Saturday night and I use a service to invite everybody in
my neighbourhood (via a Near-me network)

34. 34
The Internet of Things
• OED definition:
“A proposed development of the Internet in which
everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing
them to send and receive data.”
• Simply put -- Everything is Connected – every type of
electronic device could be connected to the Internet
• This could include the type of products that have
been discussed in this presentation
• Internet could consist of literally many billions of
connected devices (the “device cloud”)
• Huge subject of growing importance (but no time to
cover in detail today)

35. 35
THE INTERNET OF BLING
The rise of Cyberpunk fashion

36. 36
Assert your Digital Identity
• Technology has always had the power to create social
status, foster individual identity and influence social
interactions
• Example: the widespread adoption of mobile phones and
social media has had a huge impact on people‟s lives
• Mass adoption of low-cost wearable computing devices,
connected via the Internet of Things is likely to drive
similar cultural and social changes
• Welcome to the Internet of Bling! A scenario which shows
the interplay between technology, culture and the power
of marketing

37. 37
E-textiles (revisited)
• We have already seen
one example in the
Lume Collection
• Here is another
example to excite the
digital fashionistas in
the audience
• But will it ever become
mainstream?

38. 38
Wearable Electronic Jewellery
• Electronic Pendants
such as one in photo on
the right produce
beautiful patterns on an
LCD screen
• Geeks only: patterns
generated by cellular
automaton (as used in
famous „Game of Life‟)
• But would you wear one
or buy one as a gift?
http://lucidtronix.com/tutorials/9

39. 39
Digital headwear
• Adafruit is a spin-off from MIT in
the U.S. founded by Limor Fried
(photo below)
• Company has created a series of
wearable „bling‟ products including
earrings and the „Space Face‟
headwear shown in photo on the right.
http://www.adafruit.com/

40. 40
Time for some fun! What to wear in 2025
• Let us assume that „Pogue‟ is a
•
•
•
•
best-selling women‟s fashion
magazine in 2025. What would the
cover look like?
What will the best-dressed models
be wearing?
 E-skin (“must-have” accessory)
 Clothes made from e-textiles
 Digital jewellery (all the rage!)
 Wearable computing devices
Any of these could conceivably be
connected to Internet of Things in
some way!
Of course this is all fantasy but who
can predict how technology may
shape culture?
And never underestimate the power of
marketing!

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ENDGAME
Some final thoughts and conclusions

42. 42
Challenges ahead
Major challenges to implementing the “device cloud” of
wearable personal and mobile devices
• Technical: need for widespread rollout of next generation
•
•
•
•
of IP protocol (IPv6)
Energy: millions of devices would collectively consume a
lot of energy (so need for ultra-low power)
Security: how do you secure your wearable computing
devices from theft/hacking/malware, etc. ?
Privacy: some services may wish to gather and
aggregate data collected from your wearable/mobile
devices. Who owns/controls this data?
Sustainability: what happens to the millions of devices
produced? Are they destined for landfill?
Time to take „Design for Environment‟ practices seriously!

43. 43
Conclusions
1. We may be on the cusp of the next wave of digital
innovation, centred around wearable / mobile devices
2. We have looked at some interesting case studies and
seen how crowd-funding, business model innovation,
new technologies and involvement of major players
(e.g. Google) has made concepts such as Wearable
Computers and the Internet of Things a tangible reality
3. We have looked at the „Internet of Bling‟ as a plausible
scenario of how technology can shape culture (and vice
versa), aided by the power of marketing
4. When wearable computing devices become integrated
with social media in the same way as smartphones and
tablets, things could start to get really interesting!

44. 44
Spot the connection?
Digital Age culture
Stone Age culture
• Both images look equally primal
 LEFT advert for Apple iPod ( ~2006)
 RIGHT prehistoric cave painting from Tanzania
(~ 30,000 years ago)
• You could almost take the earplugs from the figure on the Left, reach
across time, and give them to the figure on the Right
• The connection between them is that the lives of both are products of
the technology and culture of their times.

45. 45
Any questions?
How to get in touch
bill.harpley@ieee.org
@billharpley
Bill Harpley

46. 46
Further Resources
This is just a sample of the vast amount of information that is out there relating to „wearable
devices‟, „wearable computers‟ and „wearable technology‟. Use these as a starting point for
your further exploration of the topic. Also, take time out to explore videos on You Tube.
Wikipedia Wearable Computers, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_computer
Steve Mann My “Augmediated” Life ,
http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/steve-mann-my-augmediated-life
Steve Mann‟s blog, http://eyetap.blogspot.co.uk/
Steve Mann Wearable Computing, Chapter 23 in „The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2cnd
ed.‟ , http://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/wearable_computing.html
Mashable, Wearable Devices, http://mashable.com/category/wearable-devices/
Mashable, Wearable Technology, http://mashable.com/category/wearable-tech/
MIT Media Lab, Wearable Computing, http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/
Wearable Technologies, http://www.wearable-technologies.com/
Wearable Devices Magazine, (aims to start publication November 2013), http://www.wearabledevices.com/