Wearable Computing MIThril

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Wearable Computing- MIThril

• Dong, Shiming
• dong_at_cs.uga.edu
• Department of Computer Science
• University of Georgia
• http//webster.cs.uga.edu/dong/wearable.ppt

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Contents

• Background
• Introduction to MIThril
• MIThril overview
• MIThril projects
• Memory Glasses Project
• Context Aware Cell Phone Project
• Wild Idea
• wearable computing products

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Whats a Wearable?

• A persons computer should be worn.
• Interactive with the user based on the context of
  the situation.
• Act as an intelligent assistant.

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What is MIThril?

• The next generation research platform for context
  aware wearable computing.
• Developed by researchers at the MIT Media Lab.
• Goal develop and prototype new techniques of HCI
  for body-worn applications.

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MIThril project overview

• Vision
• Hardware
• Software

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The MIThril Vision

• People vs. Users
• starts with people, not users.
• Support people in their daily lives.
• Build technology that is reliable, comfortable,
  useful and makes max use of time and users
  attention.
• Good HCI
• Context Awareness

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Hardware

• Body-worn computing
• sensing
• networking

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Hardware

• Computing Cores
• Linux-based single-board computers
• BSEV, CerfBoard
• special purpose wireless bridge
• light-weight microcontroller-based data-gathering
  unit
• SAK board

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• MIThril network and body bus
• connect computing cores to each other, wireless
  bridge, and peripherals and sensors.
• Provide a reliable single-cable power/data
  connection between each device on the body
• sensors and peripherals
• IR Active tag reader, microphone and headphone
  driver and so on.

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Software

• Include FPGA code, Linux OS/driver code
• UI code, sensing/signal processing machine
  learning code, and prototype applications.

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MIThril photos
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The Memory Glasses Project

• Goal
• produce an effective short-term memory aid and
  reminder system.
• Require a minimum of the wearers attention
• Problem of the Context Blind System The
  need for effective logistical and memory aid is
  on the rise.

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The Memory Glasses Project

• Solution
• Provide a proactive, context-aware memory aid.
• Applications
• substantively Unimpaired Wearers
• Normal older people
• Amnesia patients
• Agnosia Patients
• Patients with other disorders

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The Context Aware Cell Phone Project

• Problems
• A cell phone depends completely on the user to
  manage its state.
• Solution
• Build a phone that could determine the users
  circumstances or context.
• Automatically change the behavior according to
  the information

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The Context Aware Cell Phone Project

• Sensors
• GPS receiver
• Precision three-axis accelerometer
• IR tag reader
• Microphone

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Wild Idea

• Spectral Camera
• A camera that can record full spectra across its
  field of view rather than red, green and blue.
• Problems
• Creating separate filters for more than a hundred
  spectral bins is very painful.

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Wild Idea

• Projector Project
• Problems
• Heads-up displays only work for the person
  wearing them not a group of people.
• Solutions
• Mount a steerable laser on the borg, and
• to paint vector drawing on flat surface.
• However
• Small steerable lasers arent easy to come
  by.

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Wild Idea

• Leopold Project
• Goal
• To determine the wearers hand and feet positions.
• Solution
• Connect the wearable to position sensors and
  accelerometers.

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Commercial Wearable Products

• MicroOptical Corp
• VIA Inc.
• Xybernaut

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MicroOptical Corp

• Model AV-1, qVGA ASCII Viewer (320x240pixels)
• Goals
• Integrates a head mounted quarter microdisplay
  with a compact electronics module for the purpose
  of displaying character-based information to the
  user.
• Applications
• Wearable computers.
• Desktop computers.

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MicroOptical Corp

• Model CV-1, qVGA Color Video Viewer (320x240
  pixels)
• Goal
• Designed to attach to ordinary eyeglasses and
  provides a 16-Bit color image of a video screen
  floating in space in front of the user.
• Applications
• DVD player
• Television
• Infrared Cameras

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ViA Inc.

• Via PC
• Gives users the full-function power of a laptop
  in a convenient hands-free format.
• Adding peripherals such as a hand-held display,
  wireless LAN, GPS, cellular phone or a video
  camera.

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• 1. Power Controls
• 2. Comfort Flex Point
• 3. Battery Connector
• 4. PC Card Slot Access
• 5. Integrated Heat Sink
• 6A. Serial Port
• 6B. USB Port
• 7. External Power Connector
• 8. Operator Interface
• size 24.8cm7.6cm3.2cm

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ViA Inc.

• VGA Display
• A high-resolution, color pen tablet for outdoor
  use with the ViA II PC.
• Applications
• surveying, inspection, maintenance and the
  military.

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• Sunlight readable display
• Indoor readable display
• size
• 15.8cm25.2cm1.1cm

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Xybernaut

• Poma
• Gives you instant, seamless access to everything
  you neede-mail accounts, attachments, Internet
  sites and games.
• Built for optimum comfort and functionality.

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• -- CPU -- Head Mounted
• Display
• -- pointing device

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Xybernaut

• Xyberkids
• Provides instant access to computing.
• Includes a backpack, powerful speakers and an
  all-light readable flat panel display.
• Flexibility communication and computing
  function.

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• Mobile assistant V ----
• (contain ports)

• -- Back pack for storage
• Digital Flat Panel Display

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Reference Websites

• http//www.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Thad.Starner/
• http//www.media.mit.edu/wearables/index.html
• http//www.microopticalcorp.com/
• http//www.flexipc.com/
• http//www.xybernaut.com/newxybernaut/home.htm