Russ Hoffman's OS-9 based wearable computer


Below is a brief outline description of the OS-9 based wearable computer being developed by Russ Hoffman (reh@fore.com).

Concept

My idea is to design a wearble OS-9 machine that is, in effect, a general purpose computer. This allows you to run local Un*x apps without requiring remote login. (most Un*x apps have been ported to OS-9, and those that haven't arent difficult). I want a wearable machine which can run any FSF tools and editors, along with other standard applications.

Some secondary goals include low cost and ready availability of parts. I'd like to be able to construct the entire wearable with no "exotic" components, so that virtually anyone can reproduce the work without having difficulty in finding or affording the necessary components.


The choice of OS-9 as it's operating system is for the following reasons:

The system consists of two or three subsystems: The wearable CPU, the wearable ASCII terminal, and the optional RF modem. My primary use for the machine is the office/college campus environment. The system will be primarily used for note-taking and code development. (GCC is available for OS-9).

I have some interesting ideas on ways to connect the wearable to the outside world.

Hardware Description

The wearable ASCII terminal plugs into the console serial port on the wearable 68306 CPU. This allows the display device and the 68306 CPU unit to be developed separately.


Return to Wearables main page Last modified Wed Nov 22 12:45:01 EST 1995