Augmentation

MIThril, a borglab production. Richard W. DeVaul, Jonathan Gips, Michael Sung, Sandy Pentland

Applications that extend the user's capabilities.

Augmentation is where the wearable makes it easier for you to do a task. It permits you to perform at a higher level than you would be capable of without the wearable. Ideally, it is context-aware, and is able to perform its augmentation without much user intervention. The following examples show a range of possibilities.

Non-Wearable Examples

Hammers, flashlights, and megaphones.

Hammers extend our capabilities to deliver force to nails. Flashlights augment our ability to see in the dark. Megaphones increase our voice-volume capabilities. You can come up with a hundred thousand more such examples. Augmentation is a big category because it is essentially the goal of every tool in existence.

Roulette-wheel predictor

A device to predict where the roulette ball will land, increasing the bettor's odds. Augments the predictive powers of the bettor.

The system was a cigarette-pack sized analog computer with 4 push buttons. A data-taker would use the buttons to indicate the speed of the roulette wheel, and the computer would then send tones via radio to a bettor's hearing aid. The system was invented in 1961. It and its successors were the first to produce better than even odds on a gambling game.

Face recognition

A system that identifies faces for you. Augments your memory for faces.

The wearable carries around a camera which locates and identifies faces. As soon as it recognizes a face, it displays the name of the person on a screen in front of your eyes. If you're unsure of the person's name or have forgotten it, this can be very useful. The information should be presented unobtrusively, so that if you don't need it, it doesn't interrupt you, and also so that the people around you aren't constantly reminded of your augmented powers!

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Wearable Applications
Ryan D. Williams
The second annual "I Wanna Be a Cyborg" event, a borglab production.