Aspects of wearable computing and personal empowerment


There are several aspects and affordances of wearable computing. These are:


Photographic memory: Perfect recall of previously collected information.


Shared memory: In a collective sense, two or more individuals may share in their collective consciousness, so that one may have a recall of information that one need not have experienced personally.


Connected collective humanistic intelligence: In a collective sense, two or more individuals may collaborate while one or more of them is doing another primary task.


Personal safety: In contrast to a centralized surveillance network built into the architecture of the city, a personal safety system is built into the architecture (clothing) of the individual.


Tetherless operation: Wearable computing affords and requires mobility, and the freedom from the need to be connected by wire to an

electrical outlet, or communications line.


Synergy: Rather than attempting to emulate human intelligence in the computer, as is a common goal of research in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the goal of wearable computing is to produce a synergistic combination of human and machine, in which the human performs tasks that it is better at, while the computer performs tasks that it is better at. Over an extended period of time, the wearable computer begins to function as a true extension of the mind and body, and no longer feels as if it is a separate entity. In fact, the user will often adapt to the apparatus to such a degree, that when taking it off, its absence will feel uncomfortable, in the same way that we adapt to shoes and clothing to such a degree that being without them most of us would feel extremely uncomfortable whether in a public setting, or in an environment in which we have come to be accustomed to the protection that shoes and clothing provide. This intimate and constant bonding is such that the combined capabilities of the resulting synergistic whole far exceeds the sum of either. Synergy, in which the human being and computer become elements of each other's feedback loop, is often called Humanistic Intelligence (HI).


Quality of life: Wearable computing is capable of enhancing day--to--day experiences, not just in the workplace, but in all facets of daily life. It has the capability to enhance the quality of life for many people.