Wearable computer

wearable computingwearableswearableWearable computerswearable electronicswearable technologycomputer worn around the wristwearable / mobile computingwearable computer systemwearable devices
Wearable computers, also known as wearables or body-borne computers, are small computing devices (nowadays usually electronic) that are worn under, with, or on top of clothing.wikipedia
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Mobile computing

mobilemobile computermobile computers
* Wearable computers, mostly limited to functional keys and primarily intended as incorporation of software agents, such as bracelets, keyless implants, etc.

Steve Mann (inventor)

Steve MannProf. Steve MannSteve Mann’s
By this definition, the wearable computer was invented by Steve Mann, in the late 1970s: Mann went on to be an early and active researcher in the wearables field, especially known for his 1994 creation of the Wearable Wireless Webcam, the first example of Lifelogging.
William Stephen George Mann (born 1962) is a Canadian engineer, professor, and inventor known for his work in augmented reality, computational photography, particularly wearable computing, and high dynamic range imaging.


smart textilessmart fabricelectronic textile


smart watchsmartwatcheswatch phone
Seiko Epson released the RC-20 Wrist Computer in 1984.

Edward O. Thorp

Ed ThorpEdward ThorpThorp
In 1961, mathematicians Edward O. Thorp and Claude Shannon built some computerized timing devices to help them win at a game of roulette.


His experiments with wearable computing and streaming video in the early 1980s led to the formation of Wearable Wireless Webcam.

Thad Starner

In 1993, the Private Eye was used in Thad Starner's wearable, based on Doug Platt's system and built from a kit from Park Enterprises, a Private Eye display on loan from Devon Sean McCullough, and the Twiddler chording keyboard made by Handykey.
He is a pioneer of wearable computing as well as human-computer interaction augmented environments and pattern recognition.


roulette wheelAmerican roulettebetting wheel


The definition of 'wearable computer' may be narrow or broad, extending to smartphones or even ordinary wristwatches.

International Symposium on Wearable Computers

International Symposium on Wearables Computers (ISWC)ISWC
In October 1997, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, and Georgia Tech co-hosted the IEEE International Symposium on Wearables Computers (ISWC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The International Symposium on Wearable Computers or ISWC (pronounced "iz-wic") is one of the most prominent academic conferences on wearable computing and ubiquitous computing.

Claude Shannon

Claude E. ShannonShannonClaude Elwood Shannon


Also in 2002, Xybernaut released a wearable computer called the Xybernaut Poma Wearable PC, Poma for short.
Xybernaut Corporation is a provider of wearable / mobile computing hardware, software, and services.


In the late 2000s, various Chinese companies began producing mobile phones in the form of wristwatches, the descendants of which as of 2013 include the i5 and i6, which are GSM phones with 1.8 inch displays, and the ZGPAX s5 Android wristwatch phone.
The ZGPAX S5 is a wearable computer (or smartwatch) from China that is one line of several different lines of products (including the Kickstarter-backed Omate TrueSmart) that all use a similar chipset and roughly the same specs but with different names, case designs and camera placements.

Timex Datalink

Timex Datalink USBIronman DatalinkTimex Data Link
Timex Datalink is another example of a practical wearable computer.
The Datalink line was introduced in 1994 and it was co-developed with Microsoft as a wearable alternative to mainstream PDAs with additional attributes such as water resistance, that PDAs lacked, and easy programmability.

Augmented reality

ARaugmentedaugmented reality game
Wearable computing is the subject of active research, especially the form-factor and location on the body, with areas of study including user interface design, augmented reality, and pattern recognition.

Land Warrior

Land Warrior SystemLandwarrior
The most extensive military program in the wearables arena is the US Army's Land Warrior system, which will eventually be merged into the Future Force Warrior system.

Activity tracker

Smart bandfitness trackeractivity trackers
Alternatively they may be for specialized purposes such as fitness trackers.
It is a type of wearable computer.


Eye Tap
An EyeTap is a wearable computing device that is worn in front of the eye that acts as a camera to record the scene available to the eye as well as a display to superimpose computer-generated imagery on the original scene available to the eye.

Computer-mediated reality

mediated realitymediated-reality


smart glassesa pair of glassesAR headset
Smartglasses or smart glasses are wearable computer glasses that add information alongside or to what the wearer sees.

Fossil Wrist PDA

AU5005Wrist PDA
In 2002, Fossil, Inc. announced the Fossil Wrist PDA, which ran the Palm OS.

Pebble (watch)

PebblePebble watchPebble Smartwatch
On April 11, 2012, Pebble launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $100,000 for their initial smartwatch model.

Pebble Time

Pebble has released several smartwatches since, including the Pebble Time and the Pebble Round.

Ubiquitous computing

pervasive computingubiquitousPervasive
Google's mission was to produce a mass-market ubiquitous computer that displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can interact with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

Virtual retinal display

retinal projectionretinal scanning displayvirtual retina display