"What to Wear: Why Not a Computer?"
Wired News (10/10/02); Frishberg, Manny

Various projects are underway to develop wearable computing devices that could be beneficial for both ordinary and not-so-ordinary users.
Georgia Institute of Technology researcher Thad Starner says that wearable computers would be very useful for tasks such as note-taking and scheduling reminders. He maintains that such easily-available devices can be taken for granted and used without interrupting other user activities. Starner predicts that laptops, notebooks, and even desktops will eventually be replaced with a single pocket-sized instrument. Fellow Georgia Tech researcher Maribeth Gandy believes wearable computers will be especially helpful for disabled users: Their availability and constant presence could be combined with designs that do not attract attention to the users' handicaps. Gandy is part of a team developing a standard for a universal control interface that would give cell phones, PDAs, and other wearable controls the ability to read hand gestures. Another project involves a head-mounted visual display that controls wireless devices via captioning, tele-health systems that monitor patients' vital signs in real time, and global positioning system-enabled "way-finding systems" that could relay directions to people with memory problems, or help caretakers find persons who have wandered off.
http://www.wired.com/news/gizmos/0,1452,55669,00.html

"Human Handshake Opens Data Stream"
New Scientist Online (10/02/02); Knight, Will

Japanese telecoms firm NTT and its subsidiary NTT DoCoMo have developed a system that allows two PDA-equipped people to transfer electronic data by shaking hands, according to the Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The system relies on the conductivity of skin to transfer up to 10 megabits of data per second, say sources at the two firms. Wearable computing expert David May of UK's Bristol University says the system could be useful for transferring large amounts of data securely. "If you rely on a wireless connection then you are vulnerable to eavesdropping," he says. But the system's speed of 10 megabits-per-second was achieved in lab settings, not under normal conditions. Possible uses for the system include transferring email addresses, digital business cards, and other relevant data.
Furthermore, the system could be used as an automatic authentication tool as people touch door knobs or computers. The companies say the modified PDAs would not have to be attached directly to the skin since they could rely on the conductivity of clothing.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992891