Wearable Technology

Wearable technology refers to devices that can be worn by users, for example sunglasses, a backpack, or items of clothing. Wearable technology is still very much in its infancy.

Examples:

• Nike+ FuelBand -tracks your daily activity http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/nikeplus-fuelband
• Mashable.com has some interesting examples of wearable technology http://mashable.com/category/wearable-tech/
• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign designed a flexible circuit to enhance surgical gloves and improve sensory response: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22162-fingertip-tingle-enhances-a-surgeons-sense-of-touch.html.

Temperature sensing t-shirt by Rain Rabbit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37996583811@N01/5746403134/.  Retrieved 1 May 2013.

What is it?

Google Glass is a good example of wearable technology. The basic idea behind Google Glass is that it projects a smartphone-like experience into your field of vision. The glasses are equipped with a hidden camera and tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye.

Applications:

• 10 Compelling Ways People Plan To Use Google Glass. John Paul Titlow. ReadWrite Web. March 07, 2013. http://readwrite.com/2013/03/07/10-compelling-ways-people-plan-to-use-google-glass 
• Google Glass: What Do You Want To Know About Google's Internet Eyewear?  ReadWrite Web. May 08, 2013. http://readwrite.com/2013/05/08/google-glass-faq-what-do-you-want-to-know?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29
• 30 Ways Google Glass Can Innovate the Classroom - http://mashable.com/2013/08/19/google-glass-education/

Watch the Google Glass video ‘How it feels’ http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-it-feels/ and discuss the questions below. Enter your responses in the box, then click submit.