Wearable computers for the 21st century.

What happens when man and machine become one? Today, there are thousands of people leading satisfying lives with items such as pacemakers and artificial prosthetics, thanks to the enormous advances in the field of biomechanics. What if this technology were taken one step further and used to help us achieve a more-than-normal human existence? The answer is "wearable computers," futuristic personal computers without the restrictions of a desk, chair, or computer screen, according to Thad Starner, a Ph.D. candidate in media arts and sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"The technology is advancing so rapidly that soon wearable computers may become undetectable upon casual inspection. The current hardware is inconvenient and obtrusive." His first version consists of a small display that sits in front of the eye, a one-handed chorded keyboard and mouse, a central processing unit with an 85-megabyte hard drive, and a cellular telephone with modem. The entire model fits conveniently in a shoulder bag.

Starner began using his prototype in the summer of 1993 and since then has input more than 2,000,000 characters and developed several "enhanced-reality" features to assist any person who meets, greets, and interacts with the outside world. One such feature is the Remembrance Agent. How many times...