In today's world, computing has become mobile. We use laptops and phones to send emails and search the Net. We use our computers virtually everywhere, even when we fly. But to be truly mobile, computers would have to work in all environments, even hostile ones. Thanks to the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), one such environment has been conquered. Computers have moved under water.
The WetPC® is thought to be the first wearable underwater computer in the world. It consists of a small PC contained in waterproof housing, which is mounted on the diver's air tank. The PC is connected to a waterproof virtual display HUD on the diver's mask, as well as to a waterproof Kord® Pad, attached to either the diver's belt or chest. The Kord® Pad assumes the role and functions of a keyboard. It's a hi-tech chordic graphical user interface (CGUI) that is operated with 5 keys or buttons.
The Kord® Pad is intended for easy one-handed use and is ambidextrous, so it can be used just as well by left-handed people as by right-handers. Current chordic systems require users to learn and remember various chord routines for specific commands. The unique chording system of the Kord® Pad is different because it tells the user which buttons to press and in what order. In other words, "what you see is what you press".
People who have used Kord® Pad's chordic system say that in addition to it being so easy to use (faster than a mouse), they develop muscle memory for the various characters and commands so that they can work more quickly and efficiently. Apparently even novice users develop complete confidence within minutes of picking up the device.
Equipped with GPS and an acoustic navigation system, the WetPC® is ideal for underwater tasks requiring positioning and mapping. Salvage divers, for example, who need graphical and contextual data about the terrain in which they're searching, would find the WetPC® invaluable.
WetPC® would assist the efficiency and accuracy of searches conducted by police divers by keeping track of where they are as well as where they've been. Oceanographers and scientists could use it to map and monitor underwater ecosystems. It could even be used by Navies when they search for unexploded mines and other nasty weapons. In fact the digital technology of the Kord® Pad would be especially handy because it's unaffected by bumps and vibrations, such as the kind caused by accidental contact with a mine. To ensure absolute safety, however, they would also need digital divers.
The uses for underwater computers are as limitless as the uses for those on land. They tend, however, to be for specialised purposes. While you can't sit on the sea bed and surf the Net for the latest news on Paris Hilton yet, it's only a matter of time.
Recommended site: http://wetpc.com.au/html/technology/wearable.htm
Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Star Business Internet internet service provider and website hosting one of the leading Internet service companies specialising in business website hosting in the UK
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