Golden-i: A credible device that poses as a convenient wearable computer!

When it boils down to wearable computer systems, the highfalutin concepts come dime a dozen. And unfortunately, very few of them actually follow the credible path to commercialization. But this time for a righteous change, Kopin Corporation has contrived their plausible version of a wearable computer technology, christened as the Golden-i (yes, in allusion to James Bond!). Licensed and marketed by Motorola Solutions, the developers expect the final product to be commercially available by the end of this year.

Golden-i

Envisaged as a head mounted device, the Golden-i will basically pose as a full fledged PC, infused with an operating system of Windows CE. But the real innovation lies in the user-machine interaction mechanism, where you can literally control the system by your easy gestures and voice. This is done by an in-built accelerometer that maps out your head's motional attribute, and correspondingly triggers the scrolling. Moreover, there is a dual microphone feature for mitigating the surrounding sound, thus allowing clearer comprehension and improved processing (by the device) of your own voice.

Obviously, the conception is not just limited to the head mounted component. It is attached to an expansive 44-inch display, which is exhibited below the user's line of sight. In this case, the developers have utilized the technique of pseudo perception, where the broad screen can appear to be conveniently diminished to 15-inches within your realm of focus.

Coming to the 'power train' of the wearable computer, the device is infused with a robust TI OMAP 3730 processor (clocked at 1 GHz speed), 512 MB of RAM, along with 512 MB of internal flash storage. The overall level of the specs is quite high enough to 'fuel' the Windows CE OS (as a matter of fact, the operating system is optimized for devices that have minimal storage). As for user friendly features, the contraption comes with the conventional set up of a microSD card slot, a mini-USB on-the-go slot, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and low-power Wi-Fi connectivity. But the best part is that Verizon Wireless has already decided to provide their high speed 4G dongle, thus solving connectivity issues in most areas of United States.

Finally coming to the issue of Golden-i's commercial appeal, both Kopin Corporation and Motorola Solutions look forth for its primary usage in the field of large industries, starting from heavy manufacturing to public health. As a matter of fact, the companies have already made their package available as a software development kit (SDK) for a price of $2500. This kit in turn can be customized according to the industry's individual preference, helped on by a slew of incorporated tutorials within the package.

Now, the initial target can be large scale industries, but this does not necessarily mean that we ordinary consumers would never get the opportunity to possess one of this bantam beauties. Yes, the only question remains is - when? But going by the level of progression, the polished final product may be available to us much sooner than expected.

Via: TheVerge