The future of wearable computers: from assisting the disabled to serving as secretaries, wearable technologies will see...

Wearable computers offer hands-free access to pieces of information in two seconds or less--a major improvement m efficiency over laptops arid personal digital assistants, says wearable computer guru Thad Stainer, an assistant professor at Georgia institute of Technology's College of Computing. Add a tiny camera and microphone to the wearables, and their capabilities could boom exponentially.

Wearable computers equipped with integrated cameras and microphones could soon be able to "see" and "hear" as we do. In Stainer's vision, these breakthroughs will lead to wearable computers that function as virtual secretaries, or "intelligent assistants," that would be far more organized, reliable, and efficient than their human counterparts.

"The idea is to make ... something that can watch your environment, watch what you're doing, have some sort of idea of your commitments and your goals, and try to make your interactions with the physical and virtual worlds seamless," Stainer says.

For instance, the computer would be able to screen cell phone calls, determine their urgency, and transmit the callers' identification and messages to a heads-up monitor so small it can be clipped to a pair of eyeglasses. The computer, which might also listen to conversations, could pull up a calendar of the days or weeks being discussed in order to help the wearer schedule appointments quicker and easier.

Various incarnations of wearable computers are already used for both business and recreation. Some land surveyors rely on rugged, lightweight wearables that are loaded with industry-specific software and designed to ensure readability in direct sunlight. Portable MP3 players are wearable computers dedicated to music, and Starner believes their commercial success is a step toward wider use of wearable computers in the mainstream.

"I think we'll see these consumer electronics kind of merge into a general purpose device that's carried on the body," Starner says. "1 think all these different devices will be bought as separate components and all fit into a body network. That's the environment that I see wearable computers going, and I think we're just starting to see this sort of thing."

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology, 177 North Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30332. Telephone 1-404-894-0870; Web site www.innovations.gatech.edu.