Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is becoming an increasingly common topic of scientific research and display, specifically close to home here in Boston. The Boston Science Museum recently held a fashion show by a company called Seamless, which develops clothing designs that incorporate technology in some way. Some great examples at the show were

• a dress that stores kinetic energy from the body's movement, which can be used later to charge phones, iPods, or laptops
• a ring that displays the number of Google hits a famous person has
• a dress that lights up to show the strength of a nearby WIFI signal
• jackets with scrolling LED light messages on the back
• jewelry with solar panels that collect and store light so that the pieces glow when placed in the dark

Another notable site for wearable technology is felehoo.com, which sells "wearable digital technology." This is basically a computer screen with backpack straps on it and was developed for advertisement purposes.

The future of wearable technology is wide open, and I think that we will continue to see advances, especially in the advertising world. I think designs like the LED banner jacket will be more popular for spreading a message than the wearable computer, which seems bulky and unrealistic. However, I think we will also continue to see an increase in jewelry technology, specifically touch screen bracelets and necklaces for watching videos and playing games.

Here's a link to the fashion show video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoyNqCsksdg&feature=fvst