Cloud computing is a buzzword these days in the age of internet of things. It means to use a computer system instead of having all the hardware & software which resources (hardware & software) are accessible over internet seamlessly from remote location. Cloud computing can be a nebulous and worrying concept for some people, with their data flying off into a server somewhere in the world. Also a high speed internet connection is mandatory.
To solve this problem Bangladeshi computer engineers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have developed a prototype embedded into a jacket that is wearable. That aims to keep the cloud local by wrapping it around the user in the form of a microcomputer-embedded jacket.
Ragib Hasan, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer and information sciences in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, and Rasib Khan, Ph.D., a recent postdoctoral graduate student, presented the concept and prototype of a wearable cloud jacket at the 40th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society International Conference on Computers, Software & Applications (IEEE COMPSAC).
Currently we purchase smart watch, smartphone, an exercise tracker and smart glasses individually and all these devices are expensive indeed. Scientists aimed to bring all these wearable devices into a single computational platform.
Most smart devices are fabricated with processors & RAMs that are nearly 10x slower than desktop & laptop. Vendors are continuously releasing versions of their devices in order to keep up with complex apps and changes in technology, resulting in increased price.
Ragib & Rasib built their prototype with 10 Raspberry Pis (low cost credit card sized computers) for its brain & storage, along with three power banks and a remote touchscreen input. The idea is to better connect all of a user’s devices, and outsource the computing power and storage to the cloud jacket, meaning individual devices can be “dumber” and therefore less expensive. The cloud and the dump terminal devices can communicate with each other over Bluetooth & Wi-Fi network connectivity.
Users can create a hyper-cloud, a much more powerful engine by connecting 7-10 people together wearing such cloud jacket. The jacket can also act as a micro or picocell tower. All of its capabilities can be shared on a private network with other devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
“Our overall approach is to create a generic atmosphere or platform that users can customize to fit their needs,” Rasib said. “The wearable cloud can act as an application platform, so instead of modifying or having to upgrade hardware, this wearable model provides a platform, and developers can build anything on top of it.”
Ragib and Rasib’s wearable cloud concept differs from existing “smart clothing” solutions in that they only act as input devices. Current products such as the Levi’s “Smart Jacket” allow a user to make hand gestures on the jacket to answer a phone call or shuffle through a playlist.
Scientists are more optimistic about the application of this wearable cloud. “Another application area that we can serve with this device is hospital gowns,” says Ragib. “Instead of this, we are placing sensors inside a vest that can be incorporated over the hospital gown itself. We are offering a small form of wearable cloud within the vest so that vest itself can gather information like the temperature of patient and more.” Ragib added.
Reference: (1) http://www.uab.edu/news/innovation/item/7513-wearable-cloud-could-be-less-expensive-more-powerful-form-of-mobile-computing