Title :
The invention of the first wearable computer
Author :
Thorp, Edward O.
Author_Institution :
Edward O. Thorpe & Associates, USA
Abstract :
The first wearable computer was conceived in 1955 by the author to predict roulette, culminating in a joint effort at M.I.T. with Claude Shannon in 1960-61. The final operating version was rested in Shannon\´s basement home lab in June of 1961. The cigarette pack sized analog device yielded an expected gain of +44% when betting on the most favored "octant". The Shannons and Thorps tested the computer in Las Vegas in the summer of 1961. The predictions there were consistent with the laboratory expected gain of 44% but a minor hardware problem deferred sustained serious betting. We kept the method and the existence of the computer secret until 1966.
Keywords :
notebook computers; cigarette pack sized analog device; wearable computer; Analog computers; Finishing; Laboratories; Physics computing; Planetary orbits; Planets; Springs; Testing; Wearable computers; Wheels;
Conference_Titel :
Wearable Computers, 1998. Digest of Papers. Second International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-9074-7
DOI :
10.1109/ISWC.1998.729523