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Let’s Talk Wearable Tech – Its Past, Present, Future, Form & Function

zengirl2

Hi, I'm Leslie Birch and I'm a big fan of wearable tech and tech art.  I'm sure this stems from a childhood of sci-fi.  Whether it's a glowing umbrella from "Bladerunner",  a bionic eye from "The Six Million Dollar Man", a NASA glove, or a particle generating outfit in Second Life, I want to understand it and build it.  Thanks to Arduino, any of us can build a "wearable", and this term seems fresh to us.  However, we've had wearables for much longer than you might imagine.


Wearable technology has been with us since the 16th century with the advent of the abacus ring. It’s been a long evolution, one that has showed signs of wearable technology becoming a bigger part of our future for a long time. There was the pocket watch in 1762, and then the wristwatch in 1907. As time progressed, wearable technology surfaced in pop culture, demonstrating that creators were thinking of ways to bring it into the future. Some of you may remember *** Tracy’s two-way wrist radio, the precursor of the modern smartwatch. Today wearable technology is no longer something we’re imagining as part of the future. It’s in our face with Google Glass,  which allows us to literally see the world through a different lens. It's in our clothing with the Twitter Dress (Twitter Dress | CUTECIRCUIT), proving our status.  And that’s not all, the NFC Ring, created by John McLear, unlocks doors and mobile phones and transfers information.

 

Today I just learned that someone has created a battery woven into fabric (Batteries Woven Right Into Fabric Boost Wearable Tech - IEEE Spectrum). Woot!  It's only going to get better from here, so let’s share perspectives on where we’ve been, where we’re going and what it means for all of us.  Can you tell I'm excited??  Over the next two weeks, until December 13th, we’ll be talking about:

 

  1. Why Wearable Tech? How has it evolved and what’s in it for you?
  2. Wearable Tech: Tech, Fashion, Art, All of the Above or None of the Above? Is Wearable Tech just a toy to engineers or does it have a function?
  3. Current Uses
  4. What’s Next?
  5. How can we Improve it?


Please join the third conversation in our series, "Current Uses" today!

 

Get your LED's blinking -- I look forward to a spirited discussion!

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  • Hi Leslie,

     

    As you say, the future of wearable technology is wide open.

    I would point out though that just about everything you are currently wearing has probably been improved over the years by technology.

    I have seen the potential for "embedding" technology at a larger level into the very clothing itself.

    I remember the shoe phone gags, ink pens bouncing audio off satellites for world wide communication.

    With the current technology levels, it is very possible to build MCU, memory, sensors and a body level wifi into everything we wear.

    The potential is only limited by our ability to envision and implement.

     

    I look forward to your series.

    DAB


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  • Hi Leslie,

     

    As you say, the future of wearable technology is wide open.

    I would point out though that just about everything you are currently wearing has probably been improved over the years by technology.

    I have seen the potential for "embedding" technology at a larger level into the very clothing itself.

    I remember the shoe phone gags, ink pens bouncing audio off satellites for world wide communication.

    With the current technology levels, it is very possible to build MCU, memory, sensors and a body level wifi into everything we wear.

    The potential is only limited by our ability to envision and implement.

     

    I look forward to your series.

    DAB


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