CIT 595 Project A Study of Wearable Computing By : Fatima Boujarwah

As computers move from the desktop, to the palm top, and onto our bodies and into our everyday lives, infinite opportunities arise to realize applications that have never before been possible. In this paper we focus our attention on three applications, from the plethora of wearable computing possibilities. We will first discuss general everyday use wearable computers, this will include such devices as wearable electronic fabrics, wearable digital watches with enhanced capabilities, wearable handbags and so forth. Next, we will explore a number of medical wearable devices including navigations systems for the blind and real-time American Sign Language recognizers. A study of the several generations of wearable computing prototypes used in a military context is also presented. The paper concludes by presenting several possible future trends in wearable computing and the technology that will be necessary to realize them. ii ABSTRACT I 1 INTRODUCTION 1