The wearable technology is perhaps the most prolific industry in the technology industry nowadays. From devices that measure the levels of physical activity, to the famous Google Glass, there are few giant companies that invest in this field. What you may not know about most, is that the history of this technology began as an attempt to deceive the casino! The first wearable devices were invented back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, in order gamblers to measure their cards better and improve their chances on the roulette table.
See below the brief history of wearable art:
1961: Professor of Mathematics, MIT , Edward Thorp, revealed that he had created and successfully used the first ” wearable computer ” to hack the roulette table . The Thorp and his partner Claude Shannon found that the device improves by 44 % the player’s chances of winning.
1972: The Keith Taft invented a ” wearable ” computing device to have an advantage in blackjack. He named his device «George» and worked with his toes . She stopped using it when he lost over $ 4,000 in a weekend.
1975: The first wristwatch-calculator, the Pulsar Calculator, was released in late 1975, knowing a big success. The president Gerald Ford showed interest in the limited edition model, worth 3,950 dollars, thereby causing uproar in the media.
1981: Steve Mann joined a 6502 computer with a steel backpack to control a camera equipment. He was a pioneer in the creation of many wearable devices for photographic equipment.
1987: Marketed the first hearing aid. It didn’t enjoy great success due to its large size and low battery performance.
1994: Thirteen years after the backpack, Steve Mann invented the Wearable Wireless Webcam and started to upload photos on the internet by 1996. Many believe that Mann was the first lifelogger.
2000: The first Bluetooth headset is produced.
2003: The Vitatron C-Series was the first fully digital pacemaker in the world. Doctors could download information of the patient within 18 seconds.
2006: The Nike partnered with Apple to create the Nike + iPod.
2009: Glacier Computers released the W200 Wearable Computer, which was designed specifically for those who want to have access to a wealth of information but also to have their hands free. The device was waterproof and had a weight of just 285 grams.
2012: The smart Pebble Kickstarter watch came in with an initial goal to raise 100,000 dollars and reached over 10 million.
2013: Google unveils the Google Glass.
The year of 2014 has been baptized by many as the year of «wearable», with the international technology conferences flooding with innovative wearable technology devices.
By Nicole P.
