Computer History Museum of Mountain View, Calif., and the Georgia Institute of Technology will launch a 12-week exhibit about the evolution of mobile, wearable technology, entitled “On You: A Story of Wearable Computing.”
The 70-piece traveling exhibit opens June 30, with artifacts ranging from some of the earliest virtual reality headsets, to one-of-a-kind prototypes, to conductive embroidery used in smart clothing today. Displaying consumer, professional and “maker” devices, and the exhibit explores four challenges along the road to making a consumer wearable computer: power and heat, networking, mobile input and displays.
“Almost since the inception of personal computing, we’ve looked for ways to carry it with us and make everyday tasks faster, easier or more accurate,” says Clint Zeagler, research scientist at Georgia Tech’s Wearable Computing Center in the Institute for People & Technology. “This exhibit shows the many devices that have been attempted or used, and new, current devices that leverage miniaturized sensors or wireless mobile networks so that technology is ‘there when you need it and gone when you don’t.’”
The exhibit was created and curated by Zeagler with Thad Starner, professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing and a technical lead for Google Glass; Kevin Shankwiler, designer and assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial Design; Yoni Kaplan, designer; and Tavenner M. Hall, author. The “On You” exhibit is made possible through the generosity of presented by Micron Technology.
“Wearable technology is just the latest evidence of computing’s transformation of the economy and society,” said John Hollar, president and CEO of the Computer History Museum. “Anyone interested in how wearables are changing personal health, fashion, sports and even animal-to-human interaction will find this fascinating. We’re delighted to be the exhibit’s first museum stop in the United States.”
California marks the exhibit’'sfirst stop to the United States after successful tours to CHI 2014 in Toronto, Canada; multiple stops in Munich and Berlin, Germany; and the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China.
On You: A Story of Wearable Computing
June 30 – Sept. 20, 2015
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043
(650) 810-1010 | computerhistory.org
Featured activities
Member Brunch June 30, 10 a.m.
VIP Opening Reception June 30, 6 p.m.
“CHM Soundbytes Lecture” with Thad Starner Aug. 3, Noon
Georgia Tech Friends & Alumni Reception Sept. 19, 5 p.m.
The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation’s leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 21,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry and business. Online as @georgiatech and www.gatech.edu
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history as the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs, and moving images.
The Museum brings computer history to life through large-scale exhibits, an acclaimed speaker series, a dynamic website, docent-led tours, and an award-winning education program. The Museum’s signature exhibition is “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing,” described by USA Today as “the Valley’s answer to the Smithsonian.” Other current exhibits include “Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2,” “IBM 1401 Demo Lab,” “PDP-1 Demo Lab,” and “Where To? A History of Autonomous Vehicles.”
For more information and updates, call (650) 810-1059, visit www.computerhistory.org, check us out on Facebook, follow @computerhistory on Twitter, and read the Museum blog @chm.
Georgia Tech: Tara La Bouff
Georgia Institute of Technology
(602) 770-0264
CHM: PR Team
pr@computerhistory.org
(650) 810-1059
