The convergence of a variety of technologies makes possible a paradigm shift in information processing for the 1990's. Continued advances in semiconductor technology makes possible high performance microprocessors requiring less power and less space. Decades of research in computer science have provided the technology for hands-off computing using speech and gesturing for input. Miniature heads-up displays weighing less than a few ounces have been recently introduced. Combined with mobile communication technology, it is possible for users to access information anywhere. It is indeed possible to sense a user's position so that the information can be superimposed upon the user's workspace.
Wearable computers deal in information rather than programs, becoming tools in the user's environment much like a pencil or a reference book. The wearable computer provides automatic, portable access to information. Furthermore, the information can be automatically accumulated by the system as the user interacts with or modifies the environment thereby eliminating the costly and error-prone process of information acquisition. Much like personal computers allow accountants and bookkeepers to merge their information space with their workspace (i.e., a sheet of paper) wearable computers allow mobile processing and the intergration of information with the user's work, much like power tools that are used in construction work.
Maintenance and plant operation applications are characterized by a large volume of information that varies slowly over time. For example, even simple aircraft will have over 100,000 manual pages. But due to operational changes and upgrades, half of these pages are obsoleted every six months. Rather than distribute CD-ROMs for each maintenance person and running the risk of a maintenance procedure being performed on obsolete information, maintenance facilities usually maintain a centralized data base to which maintenance personnel make inquiries for the relevant manual sections on demand. A typical request consists of approximately ten pages of text and schematic drawings. Changes to the centralized information base can occur on a weekly basis.
The trend is towards more customization in manufacturing. In aircraft manufacturing no two aircraft on an assembly line are identical. The aircraft may belong to different airlines or be configured for different missions. For example, an aircraft intended for the short range market may have its galley in a different location than an aircraft configured for transcontinental service. Customization extends to other industries. One leading manufacturer produces over 70,000 trucks per year, representing over 20,000 different configurations. When personnel doing manufacturing or scheduled maintenance arrive for a days work they receive a list of job orders which describe the tasks and include documentation such as text and schematic drawings. Thus this information can be expected to change on a daily or even hourly basis.
There are times, however, when an individual requires assistance from experienced personnel. Historically this assistance has been provided by an apprenticeship program wherein a novice observes and works with an experienced worker. Today, with down-sizing and productivity improvement goals, teams of people are geographically distributed yet are expected to pool their knowledge to solve immediate problems. A simple example of this is the "Help Desk" where in an experienced person is contacted for audio and visual assistance in solving a problem. The Help Desk can service many people in the field simultaneously. An extension of Help Desks is a team of personnel such as police and firefighters who are joining together to resolve an emergency situation. Information can be expected to change on a minute-by-minute and sometimes even second-by-second basis.
Among the most challenging questions facing mobile system designers is that of human interface design. As computing devices move from the desktop to more mobile environments, many conventions of human interfacing must be reconsidered for their effectiveness. How does the mobile system user supply input while performing tasks that preclude the use of a keyboard? What layout of visual information most effectively describes system state or task-related data.
To maximize the effectiveness of wearable systems in mobile computing environments, interface design must be carefully matched with user tasks. By constructing mental models of user actions, interface elements may be chosen and tuned to meet the software and hardware requirements of specific procedures.
The following pages outline the series of wearable computers developed at Carnegie Mellon to address the challenges of wearable computer design. This work is being sponsored by DARPA ETO, with additional support from Daimler-Benz, Intel, and DEC.
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