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Following the collaboration lead set by other garment and tech manufacturers, the group said it is working on a wearable device which will have everything for the wired user. They see the device been worn by a variety of people, from nurses to postal workers to maintenance people.
Hitachi is linking up with Shimadzu Corporation, Colorado MicroDisplay Inc and Xybernaut Corporation in the venture.
The appliance will include a wearable display that allows hands-free viewing of a PC class high-resolution screen image. There will be a control unit that supplies images, including streaming video, to the display and provides wireless access to the Internet.
The control unit is powered by a Hitachi SH-r 32-bit RISC processor and Microsoft Windows CE 3.0. The device will weigh just 230 grams in prototype form.
According to the project developers, WIA can be an ideal solution for a range of business applications, from call centre and maintenance services to environments requiring worker mobility such as postal and logistics, health care and hospitality industries. The device can also be used by people in remote or isolated environments, such as patients in health care facilities who could have access to the Internet and electronic books through pointing devices designed for wearable systems.
Shimadu Corporation developed the wearable display; Hitachi developed the control unit; Colorado MicroDisplay Inc, the microdisplay and interface chipset; while Colarado MicroDisplay partnered with Hitachi to manufacture the display interfaces.
Xybernaut Corporation will assist those companies to explore the business opportunities of WIA.
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