Creating a "Wearable" PC

It seems that with each passing day our electronic devices get smaller and smaller. With all of the new advances and "sci-fi geeks" thrusting the world into futuristic times, it has only been a matter of waiting for a fully wearable PC. That time has already come. While you will be hard pressed to go to a store and buy one of these gadgets, you can easily piece one together. The only problem with this is the high price. This final barrier has been blown out of the water now. While tooling around on the internet recently, I have found that you can build your own wearable computer with full laptop or even desktop functionality for under a thousand. While this is still high, it is much more realistic than the five or six in years past. There are several ways that you can do this as well. From using the new Google phone as a hard drive, to investing in a TIQIT, you can embed your computer into your clothing and never be without your connection to the virtual world.

Some of you may be asking why this technology would be useful. There are many different reasons for this (the reason not the question). For anyone that is on the go with their work, this is a great tool to incorporate. The fact that you will not have to carry around a laptop, cell phone, disks, and all the other gadgets that you have to lug around to declare yourself mobile, is just one of the many advantages. If you use a smart phone, like the Nexus One, as a base for this system, you can even use the voice activated benefits and constantly have the device turned on. The never ending connection to the world is a must for many of us that make our living online. These are also great for those occasions when you don't really want to, or are not able to, pull out your laptop and check everything. What if you are traveling and you don't want to unpack and then repack your computer just to check your e-mail or whatever? With a wearable device, you take no table space, no unpack/repack time, and you can do it all while walking down the street. If you think a laptop is convenient, just try a wearable and you will never go back.

The first thing that you will want to do when creating your wearable PC, is learn how to sew. You don't have to be Betsy Ross, but a little skill with a needle would be nice. You will need to make small cuts and attach Velcro or buttons on the pouches that will house your device. Knowing how to sew a cover flap would be useful as well, but we will get to that. For this example, a suit coat will be used. You can actually use any type of clothing that you wish. The main problem would be where to attach the necessary hardware like the key board. While there are some keyboards out there that wrap around your wrist, these tend to be a little aesthetically bland and bulky. You may want to attach a small flexible keyboard to the sleeve of the garment, so a long sleeved one would be a must. If you want to make things easier in the creation, you can always just roll up a flexible keyboard and keep it in your pocket until you need to use it. Here is a list of the things that you will need to get started: the garment to mount it in (you could use pockets, but that isn't as cool), a keyboard, an eyeglass mounted keyboard, a touchpad mouse from a laptop, the hard drive, and an imagination.

Once you have chosen whether you want this sewn directly into a garment, installed in one but easily removable (this is the suggested method), or just use the pockets of your clothes (not as cool), you will want to pick your hard drive. There are two really great alternatives on the market right now. The first is a smart phone. This option may be a little more difficult to build on since they do not often have the connections for a keyboard and monitor. They do offer the convenience of being easily found and can double as a cell phone as well. There are some hook ups on the market that can be used to connect these devices, but that makes it a little more costly. The other alternative (which I will be using for this article) is a TIQIT. Many of you may have never heard of this little device. It is a fully functioning computer that is the size of a Blackberry. These do not use a mobile browser and are not restricted like many a mobile device. You can download, upload, and run any program you want on these. They also make a docking station for them. This means that you can use this as your sole computer. When at the office, plug it into the docking station for your full size monitor and keyboard. When you have to go anywhere, it slips right into your pocket. When you get home, slap it into another docking station and keep trucking away like you have a desktop. It runs the full operating system of a desktop as well, so there is no period of discovering how it works. You can run Windows, Linux, or Unix on these and they all work beautifully.

Now that you have decided on the hard drive, it is time to get the hardware. I would recommend a flexible keyboard. These can easily be wrist mounted in the clothing, or, like I mentioned earlier, you can just stuff it in a pocket and only pull it out when needed. There are some curved keyboards that have been designed for wrist use as well. The big thing is that you are comfortable with it. If you use a TIQIT or smart phone for this, you may be happy with the keyboard that is already installed. This would save a little money, but once again, wouldn't give the full effect of having a wearable PC.

The monitor is a simple choice. Right now there is only one true eyeglass mounted monitor on the market. This is put out by Personal Monitor. The best one is the new wireless version that they offer. This will also cut down on the sewing and cables that you have to install in the clothes. This is a small monitor that mounts on a pair of glasses (use your own or the ones included) and gives the same display as a 26" screen. This display is also set up to allow you to see around the display, so you could walk and view at the same time. A few years back, IBM ran a commercial for one they were developing that was just a glass in the pair of glasses. For some reason, they have not released this yet. There may be better versions on the market, but this was the best I could find.

After you get all the pieces together, you can start to plan out your computer. You can either make a pocket in the coat, or just use the inside pocket to hold the hard drive. This is the easiest method. This will also allow you easy access to the device so you can pull it out and transfer it to your docking station or whatever you need to do with it. You may want to run the cables out of the bottom of the pocket so that you don't have them clogging up the opening. When doing this, you will want to sew around the areas you cut to keep fraying to a minimum. For any cables running out of the pocket or through the jacket, you will want to sew a couple loops of thread around the cable every few inches to keep it secure. You will want to have a charger, keyboard, monitor, and mouse cable (if needed) coming out of the bottom. You may want to cut the pocket on two of the sides so it is more of a flap. this will make it easier to plug in the cables if you have them.

Once you have your hard drive "installed", it is time for the rest of your hardware. The mouse fits nice in a side pocket. You can cover it with a flap of fabric to protect it from damage. You may also want to get an on/switch to install on it so you do not inadvertently open or close programs. You will also want to avoid a pants pocket for the mouse. This may get you in trouble if people think you are being a pervert while you are using your mouse. By keeping the mouse in a pocket, you can further conceal your cables. A wireless mouse may be nice, but these often need a surface to glide on. You can use your leg, but the effect is not the same. The keyboard can be attached nicely to the arm of the coat. You can get a flap to cover it so that it is less noticeable as well. A few wraps of thread around the board should keep it in place. You want these wraps to go between the keys or you will be typing every time the fabric moves. About five locations of five to ten threads should keep it in place. You can run the cord through the inside of the sleeve and then run it through a hole under the actual keyboard. This will hide the cords and look cleaner.

All that is left is plugging everything in. For the most part, these pieces are all inexpensive and can found with a little internet searching. If you want to get really advanced, you can create your own hard drive and sew it into the back of your suit coat. This makes it so you can not wash the jacket, but it really adds to the effect. If you use your imagination a little, you can come up with all sorts of designs and ideas for wearable PC's. These are perfect for business people and sci-fi fans alike. With all the tech advances that have been released or are set for release this year, wearable computers could easily find their way under the tree next Christmas, or sooner.