Olympus' new wearable user interface technologies open the way to computing anywhere and anytime Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce its new wearable user interface technologies. Employing gestures and other hand movements for input, the system is an ideal match for new wearable PCs. Wearable PCs are the smallest and lightest of all. The devices must be small and light enough to be worn comfortably, while input and display should be easy. Many available solutions rely on speech recognition or a small input device to replace bulky keyboards.
Visual output is handled by a display worn like eyeglasses.
Speech recognition systems are already widely used for input, but they are ineffective in a noisy environment - and an input device for a wearable PC must work anywhere. Still another current alternative is a glove interface that senses the shape of the hand and fingers. Since this system requires complicated mechanisms and processing, however, it is unsuited to an interface worn constantly. Instead of detecting the shape of the hands, the system simplifies gestures and other hand movements, then converts them to data. Input requires only a hand movement, and a person can hold an object or take notes - a feature that goes beyond the limitations of a conventional glove interface.