Wearable technology, tech togs, or fashion electronics are clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies. The designs often incorporate practical functions and features as well as making a statement or establishing a technological look.

History

The calculator watch

Calculator watch

A calculator watch is a watch with a calculator built into it.- History :Calculator watches first appeared in the Mid 1970s introduced by Pulsar and Hewlett Packard. Several watch manufacturers have made calculator watches over the years, but the Japanese electronics company Casio produced the...

, introduced in the 1980s, was one original piece of widespread worn electronics.

Ilya Fridman designed a Bluetooth headset into a pair of earrings with a hidden microphone. The Spy TIE includes a color video camera and USB Heating Gloves keep hands warm when plugged in.

The tweeter

Tweeter

A tweeter is a loudspeaker designed to produce high audio frequencies, typically from around 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz . Some tweeters can manage response up to 65 kHz...

 can wear a "Pocket Tweet" using a Java application and cutting out and applying a Twitter text bubble to a person's shirt, one example of Do-it-yourself wearable tech that was part of an art exhibit for the Wearable Technology AIR project in spring 2009.

Wearable technology has applications in monitoring and realtime feedback for athletes as well. The decreasing cost of processing power and other components is encouraging widespread adoption and availability.

Prototypes

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....

 teamed up with the London College of Fashion for a contest to design digital clothing, and the winner was a cocktail dress with Bluetooth

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...

 technology making it light up when a call is received. Zach "Hoeken Smith" of MakerBot

MakerBot Industries

MakerBot Industries is a Brooklyn, New York-based company founded in January 2009 by Bre Pettis, Adam Mayer, and Zach "Hoeken" Smith producing open source hardware, specifically 3D printers...

 fame made keyboard pants during a "Fashion Hacking" workshop at a New York City creative collective.

Prototypes for digital eyewear with heads up display (HUD) are being developed. The US military employs headgear with displays for soldiers using a technology called holographic optics.

Festivals and shows

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

's 5 Days Off

5 Days Off

5 Days Off is a festival that includes music and cultural events in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It started in 2001 as spin-off of Ghent, Belgium's Ten Days Off festival. The 2009 festival included artists, photography and other events such as a free show called “Wearable Technology: Powered Art and...

festival included a free show called "Wearable Technology: Powered Art and Fashion."

External links

• Do It Yourself Wearable Technology
• Wear your heart on your sleeve article from physics.org