WEARCOMP; 3 defining characteristics

• First defining characteristic:

1. Wearable: apparatus within prosthetic territory of individual;
   • Facilitates use of apparatus while engaged in other activities.
   • Makes apparatus differ from desktop computing:
   • Computing becomes secondary activity,
   • One or more other primary activities can be performed at same time.
   • ``personal'' computing to the extreme:
   • apparatus within user's personal space from user's perspective
   • apparatus within user's personal space from others' perspective:
     • Example: far less likely that one would be asked to leave one's clothing at the front counter when entering a museum or department store than it would be that one would be asked to leave one's briefcase at the front counter;
     • This barrier to removal helps contribute to true power of long-term synergy with apparatus.
     • Long term synergy assists human+computer becoming inextricably intertwined.

Contact info: Professor Steve Mann, University of Toronto, Department of Electrical Engineering, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4 mann@eecg.toronto.edu.