User Interfaces For Wearable Computers

Hendrik Witt examines user interfaces for wearable computers and analyses the challenges imposed by the wearable computing paradigm through its dual-task character. He introduces a special software tool as well as the “HotWire” evaluation method to facilitate user interface development and evaluation. Based on the results of different end-user experiments conducted to study the management of interruptions with gesture and speech input in a wearable computing scenario, the author derives design guidelines and general constraints for forthcoming interface designs.

The increasing advances in electronics allows smaller and more powerful devices, bringing wearable computing closer to reality. However, most wearable computers are very distinguished and placed on clothes and accessories. This book tries to tackle this phenomenon by introducing a new wearable computing subfield called beauty technology. By using the body's surface as an interactive platform, the integration of technology into beauty products is explored and can be applied directly to ones skin, fingernails, and hair adding new functionality to beauty products using technology in a personal, seamless and fashionable way. An interdisciplinary approach is taken, exploring the design of Beauty Technologies such as Conductive Makeup, Tech Nails, Hairware and FX e-makeup in order to create novel interfaces for Human Computer Interaction.

The confluence of decades of computer science and computer engineering research in multimodal interaction (e.g., speech and gesture recognition), machine learning (e.g., classification and feature extraction), software (e.g., web browsers, distributed agents), electronics (e.g., energy-efficient microprocessors, head-mounted displays), design methodology in user-centered design, and rapid prototyping have enabled a new class of computers—wearable computers. The lecture takes the viewpoint of a potential designer or researcher in wearable computing. Designing wearable computers requires attention to many different factors because of the computer’s closeness to the body and its use while performing other tasks. For the purposes of discussion, we have created the UCAMP framework, which consists of the following factors: user, corporal, attention, manipulation, and perception. Each of these factors and their importance is described. A number of example prototypes developed by the authors, as well as by other researchers, are used to illustrate these concepts. Wearable computers have established their first foothold in several application domains, such as vehicle and aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, inspection, language translation, and other areas. The lecture continues by describing the next step in the evolution of wearable computers, namely, context awareness. Context-aware computing takes into account a user’s state and surroundings, and the mobile computer modifies its behavior based on this information. A user’s context can be quite rich, consisting of attributes such as physical location, physiological state, personal history, daily behavioral patterns, and so forth. If a human assistant were given such context, he or she would make decisions in a proactive fashion, anticipating user needs, and acting as a proactive assistant. The goal is to enable mobile computers to play an analogous role, exploiting context information to significantly reduce demands on human attention. Context-aware intelligent agents can deliver relevant information when a user needs that information. These data make possible many exciting new applications, such as augmented reality, context-aware collaboration, and augmented manufacturing. The combined studies and research reported in this lecture suggest a number of useful guidelines for designing wearable computing devices. Also included with the guidelines is a list of questions that designers should consider when beginning to design a wearable computer. The research directions section emphasizes remaining challenges and trends in the areas of user interface, modalities of interaction, and wearable cognitive augmentation. Finally, we summarize the most important challenges and conclude with a projection of future directions in wearable computing. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Wearable Computing UCAMP / Design Guidelines for Wearable Computing / Research Directions / Conclusions and Future Challenges

A thorough introduction to the development and applications of intelligent wearable interfaces As mobile computing, sensing technology, and artificial intelligence become more advanced and their applications more widespread, the area of intelligent wearable interfaces is growing in importance. This emerging form of human-machine interaction has infinite possibilities for enhancing humans' capabilities in communications, actions, monitoring, and control. Intelligent Wearable Interfaces is a collection of the efforts the authors have made in this area at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. They introduce methodologies to develop a variety of intelligent wearable interfaces and cover practical implementations of systems for real-life applications. A number of novel intelligent wearable interface systems are examined, including: Network architecture for wearable robots Wearable interface for automatic language translation Intelligent cap interface for wheelchair control Intelligent shoes for human-computer interface Fingertip human-computer interface Ubiquitous 3D digital writing instrument Intelligent mobile human airbag system This book is a valuable reference for researchers, designers, engineers, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of human-machine interactions,rehabilitation engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

This book offers the reader a comprehensive view of the design space of wearable computers, cutting across multiple application domains and interaction modalities. Besides providing several examples of wearable technologies, Wearable Interaction illustrates how to create and to assess interactive wearables considering human factors in design decisions related to input entry and output responses. The book also discusses the impacts of form factors and contexts of use in the design of wearable interaction. Miniaturized components, flexible materials, and sewable electronics toolkits exemplify advances in technology that facilitated the design and development of wearable technologies. Despite such advances, creating wearable interfaces that are efficient is still challenging. The new affordances of on-body interfaces require the consideration of new interaction paradigms, so that the design decisions for the user interaction take into account key limitations in the interaction surfaces of wearables concerning input entry, processing power for output responses, and in the time and attention that wearers dedicate to complete their interaction. Under such constraints, creating interfaces with high usability levels is complex. Also, because wearables are worn continuously and in close contact with the human body, on-body interfaces must be carefully designed to neither disturb nor overwhelm wearers. The context of use and the potential of wearable technologies must be both well understood to provide users with relevant information and services using appropriate approaches and without overloading them with notifications. Wearable Interaction explains thoroughly how interactive wearables have been created taking into account the needs of end users as well as the vast potential that wearable technologies offer. Readers from academia, industry or government will learn how wearables can be designed and developed to facilitate human activities and tasks across different sectors.

Now may be the perfect time to enter the wearables industry. With the range of products that have appeared in recent years, you can determine which ideas resonate with users and which don’t before leaping into the market. In this practical guide, author Scott Sullivan examines the current wearables ecosystem and then demonstrates the impact that service design in particular will have on these types of devices going forward. You’ll learn about the history and influence of activity trackers, smartwatches, wearable cameras, the controversial Google Glass experiment, and other devices that have come out of the recent Wild West period. This book also dives into many other aspects of wearables design, including tools for creating new products and methodologies for measuring their usefulness. You’ll explore: Emerging types of wearable technologies How to design services around wearable devices Key concepts that govern service design Prototyping processes and tools such as Arduino and Processing The importance of storytelling for introducing new wearables How wearables will change our relationship with computers

"This book compiles authoritative research from scholars worldwide, covering the issues surrounding the influx of information technology to the office environment, from choice and effective use of technologies to necessary participants in the virtual workplace"--Provided by publisher.

Advances in technology continue to alter the ways in which we conduct our lives, from the private sphere to how we interact with others in public. As these innovations become more integrated into modern society, their applications become increasingly relevant in various facets of life. Wearable Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly material on the development and implementation of wearables within various environments, emphasizing the valuable resources offered by these advances. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics, such as assistive technologies, data storage, and health and fitness applications, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for researchers, academics, professionals, students, and practitioners interested in the emerging applications of wearable technologies.