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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,

     

    Interesting stuff! One point-of-view that I've missed in the past is that of consuming more electronics and the tons of e-waste coming from that. It would be nice if you could touch on that subject too, like how Wearable Tech could be recycled, what the environmental impact will be of putting batteries in everything, or how that could be done better in future (less electronics? More integration? New ways of energy storage?)

    If you're looking for some reading material, please see ifixit.com and Adam Minters new and incredibly informative book "Junkyard Planet"!

     

    Greetings,

    Victor

  • in reply to vsluiter

    Hey Victor,

     

    So glad you joined in on this conversation as Linda was the other winner for the wearables competition.  image  Please tell her that I got the parts to make her gift, and hopefully I'll be posting stories about that adventure.  As for your suggestion about the green element of tech, I'm right with you.  We've probably seen the same documentaries on this topic, too.  If you don't mind waiting, I would certainly love to discuss this topic when I post about improvements.  I think with all of the engineers here, there could be some contenders for solutions concerning the circle of sustainability.  In the meantime, enjoy the holiday with your family and friends.  I'm off to bake a vegan pumpkin swirl cheese pie.

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  • in reply to vsluiter

    Hey Victor,

     

    So glad you joined in on this conversation as Linda was the other winner for the wearables competition.  image  Please tell her that I got the parts to make her gift, and hopefully I'll be posting stories about that adventure.  As for your suggestion about the green element of tech, I'm right with you.  We've probably seen the same documentaries on this topic, too.  If you don't mind waiting, I would certainly love to discuss this topic when I post about improvements.  I think with all of the engineers here, there could be some contenders for solutions concerning the circle of sustainability.  In the meantime, enjoy the holiday with your family and friends.  I'm off to bake a vegan pumpkin swirl cheese pie.

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