|
|
|
|
 |
INTERVIEW: Bruce Thomas (University of South Australia)
Innovations in Wearables and Virtual Reality
New developments in wearable technology, virtual reality, and augment reality research are poised to change everything from healthcare to gaming. We recently asked Professor Bruce Thomas to tell us about the research in these areas taking place at the Wearable Computer lab at the University of South Australia. 
CIRCUIT CELLAR: In 1997, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and MIT hosted the first IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers. How has research in the area changed since the late 1990s?
BRUCE: I remember the 1997 conference well. We presented one of our first wearable computer papers there. Some differences are: People do not build their own wearable computers anymore. Back then you had to hack your own system. Today you buy a smartphone and you have all the computing power you need. We now use Mac minis, and this replaces about five or six components when we started. The research now is very focused on contextual aware computing. In 1997 the focus was on all disciplines of computer science. There is less work on garment integrated systems today. A large advantage is there are many computing and wearable platforms to start with.
CIRCUIT CELLAR: How did the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of South Australia come into being in 1998?
BRUCE: Someone in the Australian Defense Science and Technology Organization (a defense lab) showed me two Phoenix 486 belt mounted wearable computers with Private Eye head-mounted displays (HMDs). He told me this was the next big thing for defense, and he asked how I can help him out with some research. He wanted to use the new Sony Glasstron see-through displays. The first thing I thought of was, "This would be great for outdoor augmented reality."
CIRCUIT CELLAR: Which of the Lab's current projects most interests you at this time?
BRUCE: We are interested in portable haptic devices. Dr. Ross Smith is leading the research effort into this. This involves layered jamming placed in a mitten to provide mobile haptic sensations to the user. This was presented at the International Symposium on Wearable Computing in 2014. We are continuing this work. Continue Reading
|
| |
|
| |
|
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
Sponsored by NetBurner, Administered by Circuit Cellar
Spot the schematic error for a chance to win! Put your technical skills to test. The August Electrical Engineering Challenge (sponsored by NetBurner) is now live.
THE CHALLENGE
|
| |
Find the error in this schematic and submit your answer via the online Submission Form
|
Find the error in the nearby schematic, which is also provided on the EE Challenge webpage. Submit your answer via the online submission form by the deadline of August 20, 2015 (2 PM EST).
PRIZES
Circuit Cellar will randomly select 2 prize winners from the pool of respondents who submit the correct answer. One person will receive a NetBurner MOD54415 LC Development Kit ($129 value). A second person will receive a Circuit Cellar Digital Subscription (1 year).
|
| |
|
Circuit Cellar #301
August 2015
Simple Embedded Serial Communications | Recording .3GPP Files | Image Processing for Security | Wearable Tech Innovation | Ground Loops 101 | PSoC Programmable Logic | Embedded Wireless Systems | Vintage Electronic Calculators | Laser Sensor Exploration | Custom Peripheral Cores for Digital Sensor Interfaces | And More
|
| |
|
|
|
