wearable fit-pc2 (looks easy)
Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:09 am
So I was thinking it would be great to equip a fit-pc2 in the following way:
1. Vecro a battery to the bottom.
2. Velcro a frogpad to the top (USB version, why bother with bluetooth if we're attaching the units together anyway?)
http://www.frogpad.com/
3. Clip the whole thing to your belt or strap it to your arm or leg
I think strapping to your thigh on the side of your typing hand would work best because it would give a natural and relaxed arm position while retaining the ability to move/angle the keyboard itself with your leg in order to look at the keys or reposition the keyboard for extra typing precision/comfort (all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of the two setups shown above).
4. Connect to a Vuzix VR920 3D-headtracking display visor
This 3 ounce unit is USB powered and there is an opensource driver for the headtracking. So it should be possible to get at least 2D mouse functionality out of it (ie turn your head to move mouse pointer up/down/left/right).
http://www.mygnu.de/index.php/2009/03/v ... for-linux/
Pros:
-Smaller and more ergonomic than a netbook; No more hunching over a desk or trying to type with the tiny netbook keyboard on your chest (that's where I like to put my netbook in order to bring the screen closer to my face when laying down).
-Probably uses less power than a netbook.
-Relatively cheap (~$800), modular/upgradable, and made completely from retail parts with no disassembly or hacking.
Cons:
-Not as cheap as a netbook.
-640x480 resolution is low. However, this might help speed up the underpowered fit-pc; Alternatively, a scrolling 640x480 view of a higher resolution desktop might be very natural with the visor (not sure if nonubuntu users know what I'm talking about, but such a scrolling desktop is easy to setup in ubuntu).
-External cabling and separate casing for battery, keyboard, etc will add a lot of dangling bulk and weight. Total unit should still be small, but could be much smaller. Of course in return you get modularity/upgradability, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
-You need a VGA2USB or VGA2DVI-D connector to mate the VR920 to the DVI-D only fit-pc2, which adds even more bulk/weight and consumes more power. Maybe it'd be better to use a fit-pc slim, especially since the resolution is only 640x480?
Has anyone tried this setup? Am I missing something? I don't really understand why the guy at http://www.wearablepersonalcomputer.com/ did so much hacking to achieve a similar setup with his fit-pc when he could have built the whole thing with finished retail products (he even mentions all the products above on his site).
1. Vecro a battery to the bottom.
2. Velcro a frogpad to the top (USB version, why bother with bluetooth if we're attaching the units together anyway?)
http://www.frogpad.com/
3. Clip the whole thing to your belt or strap it to your arm or leg
I think strapping to your thigh on the side of your typing hand would work best because it would give a natural and relaxed arm position while retaining the ability to move/angle the keyboard itself with your leg in order to look at the keys or reposition the keyboard for extra typing precision/comfort (all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of the two setups shown above).
4. Connect to a Vuzix VR920 3D-headtracking display visor
This 3 ounce unit is USB powered and there is an opensource driver for the headtracking. So it should be possible to get at least 2D mouse functionality out of it (ie turn your head to move mouse pointer up/down/left/right).
http://www.mygnu.de/index.php/2009/03/v ... for-linux/
Pros:
-Smaller and more ergonomic than a netbook; No more hunching over a desk or trying to type with the tiny netbook keyboard on your chest (that's where I like to put my netbook in order to bring the screen closer to my face when laying down).
-Probably uses less power than a netbook.
-Relatively cheap (~$800), modular/upgradable, and made completely from retail parts with no disassembly or hacking.
Cons:
-Not as cheap as a netbook.
-640x480 resolution is low. However, this might help speed up the underpowered fit-pc; Alternatively, a scrolling 640x480 view of a higher resolution desktop might be very natural with the visor (not sure if nonubuntu users know what I'm talking about, but such a scrolling desktop is easy to setup in ubuntu).
-External cabling and separate casing for battery, keyboard, etc will add a lot of dangling bulk and weight. Total unit should still be small, but could be much smaller. Of course in return you get modularity/upgradability, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
-You need a VGA2USB or VGA2DVI-D connector to mate the VR920 to the DVI-D only fit-pc2, which adds even more bulk/weight and consumes more power. Maybe it'd be better to use a fit-pc slim, especially since the resolution is only 640x480?
Has anyone tried this setup? Am I missing something? I don't really understand why the guy at http://www.wearablepersonalcomputer.com/ did so much hacking to achieve a similar setup with his fit-pc when he could have built the whole thing with finished retail products (he even mentions all the products above on his site).