DIGITAL JEWELRY AS A WEARABLE COMPUTER

ABSTRACT
Mobile computing is beginning to break the chains that tie us to our desks, but many of
today's mobile devices can still be a bit awkward to carry around. In the next age of
computing, there will be an explosion of computer parts across our bodies, rather than
across our desktops. Jewelry is worn for many reasons for aesthetics, to impress others,
or as a symbol of affiliation or commitment. Basically, ewelry adorns the body, and has
very little practical purpose. !owever, researchers are looking to change the way we
think about the beads and bobbles we wear. "he combination of microcomputer devices
and increasing computer power has allowed several companies to begin producing
fashion ewelry with embedded intelligence i.e., #igital ewelry. #igital ewelry can best
be defined as wireless, wearable computers that allow you to communicate by ways of e$
mail, voicemail, and voice communication. "his visionary paper concentrates on how
instead of one single device, e g% cell phones will be broken up into their basic
components and packaged as various pieces of digital ewelry. It also enlightens on how
various computeri&ed ewelry 'like ear$rings, necklace, ring, bracelet, etc.,( will work
with mobile embedded intelligence. It seems that everything we access today is under
lock and key. )ven the devices we use are protected by passwords. It can be frustrating
trying to keep with all of the passwords and keys needed to access any door or computer
program. "his paper discusses about a new Java$based, computeri&ed ring that will
automatically unlock doors and log on to computers.
1.0 INTRODUCTION:
May be not today, may be not tomorrow, but it will definitely come. "he latest computer
cra&e has been to be able to wear wireless computers. "he *omputer +ashion ,ave,
-#igital Jewelry- looks to be the next si&&ling fashion trend of the technological wave. In
the next wave of mobile computing devices, our ewelry might double as our cell phones,
personal digital assistants '.#/s( and 0.1 receivers.
"he combination of shrinking computer devices and increasing computer power has
allowed several companies to begin producing fashion ewelry with embedded
intelligence. "oday, manufacturers can place millions of transistors on a microchip, which
can be used to make small devices that store tons of digital data. #igital Jewelry appears
to be one of the biggest growing promotions of its time. Imagine being able to e$mail
your boss ust by talking into your necklace, or by picking up messages through your
watch. "he whole concept behind this is to be able to communicate to others by means of
wireless appliances. "he other key factor of this concept market is to stay fashionable at
the same time. *ellular phones are often said to be attached to our ears in this day an age.
2et they can tend to be an eye sore.
2.0 HOW DIGITAL JEWELRY WORKS
1oon, cell phones will take a totally new form, appearing to have no form at all. Instead
of one single device, cell phones will be broken up into their basic components and
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packaged as various pieces of digital ewelry. )ach piece of ewelry will contain a
fraction of the components found in a conventional mobile phone. "ogether, the digital$
ewelry cell phone should work ust like a conventional cell phone.
"he various components that are inside a cell phone%
Microphone,
3eceiver,
"ouch pad,
#isplay,
*ircuit board,
/ntenna,
Battery.
IBM has developed a prototype of a cell phone that consists of several pieces of digital
ewelry that will work together wirelessly, possibly with Bluetooth wireless technology,
to perform the functions of the above components.
!ere are the pieces of computeri&ed$ewelry phone and their functions%
Earrin! $ 1peakers embedded into these earrings will be the phone's receiver.
N"#$%a#" $ 4sers will talk into the necklace's embedded microphone.
Rin $ .erhaps the most interesting piece of the phone, this -magic decoder ring5 is
e6uipped with light$emitting diodes '7)#s( that flash to indicate an incoming call. It can
also be programmed to flash different colors to identify a particular caller or indicate the
importance of a call.
Bra#"%"& $ )6uipped with a video graphics array '80/( display, this wrist display could
also be used as a caller identifier that flashes the name and phone number of the caller.
,ith a ewelry phone, the keypad and dialing function could be integrated into the
bracelet, or else dumped altogether $$ it's likely that voice$recognition software will be
used to make calls, a capability that is already commonplace in many of today's cell
phones. 1imply say the name of the person you want to call and the phone will dial that
person. IBM is also working on a miniature rechargeable battery to power these
components.
In addition to changing the way we make phone calls, digital ewelry will also affect how
we deal with the ever$increasing bombardment of e$mail. Imagine that the same ring that
flashes for phone calls could also inform you that e$mail is piling up in your inbox. "his
flashing alert could also indicate the urgency of the e$mail. "wo of the most identifiable
components of a personal computer are the mouse and monitor. "hese devices are as
familiar to us today as a television set.
2
.
'IG: "he eyepiece above displays images and data received wirelessly from the
*ommunicator's belt module.
"he mouse$ring that IBM is developing will use the company's Tra#$ P(in& &"#)n(%(*
to wirelessly move the cursor on a computer$monitor display. 2ou're probably most
familiar with "rack .oint as the little button embedded in the keyboard of some laptops.
IBM 3esearchers have transferred "rack .oint technology to a ring, which looks
something like a black$pearl ring. 9n top of the ring is a little black ball that users will
swivel to move the cursor, in the same way that the "rack .oint button on a laptop is
used.
"his "rack .oint ring will be very valuable when monitors shrink to the si&e of watch
face. In the coming age of ubi6uitous computing, displays will no longer be tied to
desktops or wall screens. Instead, you'll wear the display like a pair of sunglasses or a
bracelet. 3esearchers are overcoming several obstacles facing these new wearable
displays, the most important of which is the readability of information displayed on these
tiny devices
'IG: IBM )a! +","%(-"+ a -r(&(&*-" .ra#"%"& +i!-%a*
*harmed "echnology is already marketing its digital ewelry, including a futuristic$
looking eyepiece display. "he eyepiece is the display component of the company's
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*harmed *ommunicator, a wearable, wireless, broadband$Internet device that can be
controlled by voice, pen or handheld keypad. "he *ommunicator can be used as an M.:
player, video player and cell phone. "he *ommunicator runs on the company's 7inux$
based ;anix operating system.
OTHER DESIGNS A/AILABLE:
GARNET0RING:
"he picture above is of a ring containing a microprocessor. It vibrates to let you know
that you have received a message from someone.
GARNET BROACH
/bove is a picture of a garnet broach containing a microphone. "his enables you to
record messages ust by pressing a small button on the side.
RED RUBY NECKLACE
"he necklace above has a microphone built in. /ll you need to do to use it, press a small
button at the back. "hen you can proceed to record your message.
THE JA/A RING
It seems that everything we access today is under lock and key. )ven the devices we use
are protected by passwords. It can be frustrating trying to keep with all of the passwords
and keys needed to access any door or computer program. #allas 1emiconductor is
developing a new Java$based, computeri&ed ring that will automatically unlock doors and
log on to computers.
4
'IG: T)" Ja,a Rin #an ." -r(ra11"+ &( i," *(2 a##"!! &( ","r* +((r an+
+",i#".
"he Java 3ing, first introduced at Java 9ne *onference, has been tested at *elebration
1chool, an innovative <$=> school ust outside 9rlando, +7. "he rings given to students
are programmed with Java applets that communicate with host applications on networked
systems. /pplets are small applications that are designed to be run within another
application. "he Java 3ing is snapped into a reader, called a Blue #ot receptor, to allow
communication between a host system and the Java 3ing.
"he Java 3ing is a stainless$steel ring, =?$millimeters '@.? inches( in diameter, which
houses a =$million$transistor processor, called an iButton. "he ring has =:A <B of 3/M,
:> <B of 39M, a real$time clock and a Java virtual machine, which is a piece of
software that recogni&es the Java language and translates it for the user's computer
system.
Mobile computing is beginning to break the chains that tie us to our desks, but many of
today's mobile devices can still be a bit awkward to carry around. In the next age of
computing, we will see an explosion of computer parts across our bodies, rather than
across our desktops. #igital ewelry, designed to supplement the personal computer, will
be the evolution in digital technology that makes computer elements entirely compatible
with the human form.
3.0 TECHNICAL SPECI'ICATIONS O' DIGITAL JEWELRY
#igital ewelry devices consist of a screen or display for information, most likely
consisting of B$=?$segment, or dot matrix 7)#s, 7*#s, or other technologies such as
electroluminescent material ')7( or others, which could become an optional display. 1o
too, an audiovisual or other 'display' could consist of a speaker, a single flashing light, a
sensor of some kind 'such as a temperature driven )7 display(, or other informational
aesthetic. "he display layer 'd( sits on a face of the device, which is enclosed in some
material such as plastic, metal, crystal, or other material. It has external switches and
buttons on its side and a data$port for accessing the programmable electronic circuit
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inside. / microcontroller that is a surface mounted device '1M#( on a printed circuit
board '.*B( with resistors '3( and capacitors '*( are the internal 'guts' of the ewelry.
4.0 DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES:
"he digital ewelry display, for instance, every alphabet and number system has found
representation within the electronics realm and 'dot$matrix' 'a matrix of single 7)#s( is
used to display *hinese and Japanese and other character sets, as can the alternative
display for 7*#s 'li6uid$crystal$displays( also be used, as often found in watches, given
the specifications and uses for the )MJ device and its design parameters.
"he digital ewelry display itself can be both an illuminated symbol and an information
device, or one or another conception and form factor. +or educational purposes though, a
device, which can display alpha numeric, is of prime importance to basic literacy of how
numbers, letters, code, and electronics find their integration in a cultural device.
#igital Jewelry can be made in many different si&es and shapes with a variety of
materials ranging from plastic and metal to rubber and glass. "hey utili&e electromagnetic
properties and electronics to display information through a screen or display of some
kind. "his could range from 7)# B$segment, =?$segment, dot matrix, and other
programmable 7)#s devices to 7*#s, 97)#s, and other displays, which are all driven
by the self$contained ewelry devices themselves.
"he #igital ewelry devices can also have multiple$functions as both wearable art and
even as a type of communication device with infrared 'I3( transmission and reception
displays.
ELECTROMAGNETIC BEADS
"he closest comparison to this model is that of 'beads' which are strung together to make
a custom necklace or bracelet, with interchangeable electromagnetic component systems
or devices. 9ne bead may be a capacitor on the inside, and a solar panel on the outside
'=(, another bead may have an internal resistor '>(, which feed power into a programmed
microcontroller bead which drives an external screen ':(, with other options available in a
variety of bead configurations which compose a circuit, including beads with a pie&o
element 'A(, voltage regulator, crystal, or rechargeable battery 'C( as part of the modular
ewel circuit.
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"he number of data pins on the microcontroller needs to be enough to easily program the
display layer plus the switches without overly complex and advanced coding methods
+I0% "he key to the device's ability to work effectively is a balancing of electronic
components within the circuit with a light$duty processing and limited power
consumption re6uired for the display 'd( layer
PROTOTYPES O' DIGITAL JEWELRY
7
:
'IG: *omplete !I9D necklace showing all >? letters of the 3oman alphabet extended
in A$dimensional space$time. Metal with leather cord
'IG: .rogrammable !I9D ring with =?$segment 7)# display
5.0 CONCLUSION:
#igital ewelry can best be defined as wireless, wearable computers that allow you to
communicate by ways of e$mail, voicemail, and voice communication. "he ewelry
pieces work as a set. +or example, imagine that your set consists of earrings, a necklace,
and a watch. 2ou can pick$up your messages and display them on your watch. In order to
hear the message, if it's a voice message, you can listen to it in your earrings. If you want
to send out a message, you can talk into your necklace and it will allow you send a voice
message. "he works much like that of a cellular phone. It does almost all the same
functions but looks nicer. )ach piece has a small button on the backside of the accessory
that when pressed activates the piece. 2ou then use each piece accordingly. 2ou may also,
once marketed, choose to buy extra pieces for the set. "his may include a ring that has a
vibrating chip in it. "he ring would vibrate to inform you of any incoming messages.
"he basic idea behind the digital ewelry concept is to have the convenience of wireless,
wearable computers while remaining fashionably sound. It is hoped to be marketable
soon, however, several bugs remain. *harging capabilities and cost are ust a sample of
the problems that lurk.
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