Viewpoint

❖ Steve Mann Smart Clothing: The Shift to Wearable Computing

mart clothing—-the combination of tallest in Cambridge in order to get some degree of mobile multimedia, wireless communi- connectivity from nearby cities. This gives me Inter- cation, and wearable computing—-offers net access but because the system is experimental, it the potential to make personal comput- is down some of the time, so I am not always able to Sers even more personal. stay online. In the early 1980s, when I first experimented with Having an Internet-connected computer wired wearable computing and wireless communications, within my clothing has allowed me to read my email people thought some of the apparatus I wore looked via my smart glasses (eyeglasses with miniature sen- quite strange, so I didn’t wear it much; it was both sor array and cathode-ray tube), say, while standing physically and socially awkward. People were in line at the bank. shocked by the visceral combination of human and The miniature cameras and computer screen machine. Even later, with the advent of portable and inside my eyeglasses provide me with a dual-adapta- laptop computers, people were still taken aback by tion space. Unlike the standard multimedia comput- the combination of a human wearing a computer— er, cameras and microphones point where I’m there was something markedly different in the way looking, not at me. This provides the computer with others perceived a system attached to my body my perspective, and permits me to explore some of rather than carried in a briefcase. When I did wear the more fundamental issues in visual memory and it, I basked in a tremendous sense of self-empower- computer-mediated reality. Other sensors such as ment, for it seemed the computer was more part of infrared and radar, enhance and extend my sensory me than it was a separate tool. capabilities, allowing me to explore some new con- My was cepts in synthetic synesthesia, not the first with wireless com- which might someday be of munications. Thomas Bass, in his assistance to the visually chal- book The Eudaemonic Pie, describes lenged. In the future, perhaps shoe-based computers of the we’ll become cyborgian—-our 1970s designed and built by clothing will significantly physicists and other researchers enhance our capabilities with- in California, for the purpose of out requiring any conscious assisting them at playing roulette. thought or effort. It was remarkable they were able With the advent of the to design these computer systems World-Wide Web, I’ve explored to be so unobtrusive as to pass connectivity of a new form. If the ultimate test of unobtrusive- you take a look at http:// ness—the casino test—-where wearcam.org, you may be look- they would survive the scrutiny of ing at whatever I am looking at croupiers and pit bosses. right now. The Wearable Wire- My goals were different: I was more interested in functionality and capability than in conceal- The author and his wear- ment, and ended up with a more able multimedia comput- cumbersome system, although er/personal visual over the years, it has become small- assistant. The apparatus er and lighter to the point I can includes a miniature com- now wear it for extended periods. puter screen and sensor On my hat, an antenna wire- array in the eyeglasses, lessly connects to the Internet Internet connection, and a through a network of antennas multimedia computer with I’ve erected on rooftops of vari- special-purpose video pro- ous buildings, including the cessing hardware.

COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM August 1996/Vol. 39, No. 8 23 Viewpoint

In the future, perhaps we’ll become cyborgian—-our clothing will significantly enhance our capabilities without requiring any conscious thought or effort. less Webcam has been both an exploration of a new here is a fundamental difference in the form of personal visual connectivity and a personal perception people have about their imaging system. Personal imaging includes a visual own clothing as compared to an issued memory prosthetic that serves as a visual sketchpad uniform. Although people can become with which to take notes. A personal imaging system Tquite familiar with their uniforms, may also be useful as a tool for visual artists and the whether worn in the military, certain workplaces, or next generation of photographers. schools, the individuality of personal clothing, and My wearable system currently has 64MB of RAM, the pleasures associated with its selection and wear- a Pentium 90 processor, and a 1.2GB hard drive. ing, should be extended to computing. The full Smart glasses, smart shoes (with an array of sensors power and enjoyment of this synergy between that provide information about my footsteps), and human and machine will be realized only when the smart undergarments electronically sense, for exam- computer is owned, operated, and controlled by the ple, my heart rate, skin resistance, and body temper- wearer, giving rise to truly personal computing. ature. Should someone pull out a gun and demand Examples of at the extreme my money, my smart clothing might respond appro- opposite to the personal wearable are ID transpon- priately (video capture/transmission at maximal ders that have been rejected by many employees, frame rate, and so forth) by virtue of the sudden and the monitoring devices attached to some crimi- increase in heart rate without any increase in physi- nals [3]. cal exertion. These devices are owned, operated, and con- As a personal safety device, ubiquitous use of trolled by a remote entity; some have the capability smart clothing may have the potential to turn the to provide the wearer with an electrical corrective world into a small-town community—-a global vil- signal (euphemism for electric shock) when the lage—as barriers of time and space fall. However, wearer does something against the will of the entity privacy is indeed an important consideration and that controls the system (e.g., ventures outside a pre- part of my inspiration. What I envision is an alterna- scribed boundary). This prospect is as Orwellian as tive to the proliferation of Orwellian pole-top surveil- pole-top cameras. I hope we don’t see a lance cameras. Government-installed surveillance future in which people (such as employees of a par- cameras are typical of many U.K. cities, and coming ticular company) are required to wear smart cloth- to U.S. cities soon. (In Baltimore, the government is ing so a manager can see or record exactly what any already installing a large network of video surveil- particular employee does at any time. lance cameras throughout the city.) I am hoping, Smart clothing has the potential to provide a very however, that instead of asking the government to intimate form of interaction with the wearer, as it install cameras everywhere to reduce crime, we might exists within the wearer’s personal space. As such, begin wearing cameras. What I envision is more like there is both the danger it could violate this person- David Brin’s Earth than George Orwell’s 1984. al space,and offer the safety and capability to pro- Privacy will also be an important consideration vide the wearer greater control. I do foresee that with respect to the various sensors we may choose to like the cellular telephone, pager, pocket calcula- wear. For example, smart clothing may some day be tor, notebook computer, pocket organizer, and interoperable and interconnected, so that it keeps wristwatch, eventually wearable computer systems track of our physical condition and allows us to will be owned, operated, and controlled by the decrypt this information for evaluation by a doctor. wearer—much like one’s own clothes. C The recent proliferation of wearable computers (such companies as Phoenix Group Inc., CPSI, and References Intervision are currently making wearable comput- 1. Bass, T. The Eudaemonic Pie. Houghton Mifflin Company, ers) suggests we’re moving in the direction of smart Boston, 1985. 2. Finger, S., et al. Rapid design and manufacture of wearable clothing. However, many of the wearable applica- computers. Commun. ACM 39, 2 (Feb. 1996), 63–67. tions envisioned, such as the land warrior (military), 3. Hosher, J., Sennott, J., and Winkler, M. Keeping tabs on crim- the intelligent maintenance aid, or various applica- inals. IEEE Spec. (Feb. 1995), 26–32. tions in the workplace [2] would be better described Steve Mann ([email protected]) is a researcher at MIT in as smart uniforms. A smart uniform can be issued to Cambridge, Mass. a soldier or employee at the start of a job, and then taken away after the job is completed. ©ACM 0002-0782/96/0800 $3.50

24 August 1996/Vol. 39, No. 8 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM