From: ljb@SEI.CMU.EDU (Len Bass)
Subject: CFP: Wearable Computers Special Issue
Date: 30 Sep 1997 14:21:08 GMT
Message-ID: <60r1sk$oc7@news.sei.cmu.edu>
Organization: Software Engineering Institute



 ***********************CALL FOR PAPERS*****************************

  Baltzer Science Publishers in cooperation with  ACM announce a
       Special Issue of the Journal on Special Topics in Mobile
                Networking and Applications (MONET)

                               on

                      WEARABLE COMPUTERS

                      with guest editors


               Prof. Dan Siewiorek and Dr. Len Bass
		Carnegie Mellon University
		Pittsburgh, Pa


OVERVIEW:

The information processing industry is undergoing a paradigm
shift. Commencing in 1960 information processing was concentrated in
mainframe computers operated by central staff and accessed by
custom-built programs executed in batch mode.  By 1970 the invention
of the time-sharing operating system allowed users to interact with
their information on-line.  However, time-sharing systems were still
centrally based with most of the computing cycles devoted to
information manipulation rather than the human computer interface.
With the advent of the personal computer in the early 1980's a
substantial portion of the computing power could be dedicated to the
single user.  New paradigms such as the spread sheet allowed the user
to interact with their data on an item-by-item basis looking for
patterns and playing "what if" scenarios.

The convergence of a variety of technologies makes possible a paradigm
shift in information processing for the 1990's.  Continued advances in
semiconductor technology makes possible high performance
microprocessors requiring less power and less space.  Decades of
research in computer science have provided the technology for
hands-off computing using speech and gesturing for input.  Miniature
heads-up displays weighing less than a few ounces have been recently
introduced.  Combined with mobile communication technology, it is
possible for users to access information anywhere.  It is indeed
possible to sense a user's position so that the information can be
superimposed upon the user's workspace.

Wearable computers deal in information rather than programs, becoming
tools in the user's environment much like a pencil or a reference
book.  The wearable computer provides automatic, portable access to
information.  Furthermore, the information can be automatically
accumulated by the system as the user interacts with and modifies the
environment thereby eliminating the costly and error-prone process of
information acquisition.  Much like personal computers allow
accountants and bookkeepers to merge their information space with
their workspace (i.e., a sheet of paper) wearable computers allow
mobile processing and the superposition of information on the user's
workspace.


SCOPE: 

This special issue will concentrate on the problems associated with
constructing, using and evaluating wearable computers. A
representative sampling of topics is provided below:

        o  Ergonomics of wearable computers
        o  Future of wearable computing
        o  Human interface issues, including hands-free user interfaces,
           speech recognition, mobility-challenged users, user evaluations,
           and health issues
        o  Operating system issues
        o  Social implications of wearable computers
        o  Software architectures for wearable computers
        o  Wearable computers and training, including performance support
           systems
        o  Wearable computing applications, including computer-supported
           collaborative work, computer-supported cooperative living,
           ubiquitous computing, personal imaging, consumer applications,
           industrial applications, and military applications
        o  Wearable computing hardware, including head-mounted display
           technologies, batteries, power management, heat dissipation
           techniques, industrial design techniques, and manufacturing
	   packaging issues
        o  Wearable computing networks, including wireless networks, on-body
           networks, the World Wide Web, and networked vs. standalone
	   computers

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE:

	MANUSCRIPT DUE: Jan 15, 1998
	ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION: April 15, 1998
	FINAL MANUSCRIPT DUE: June 15, 1998

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Authors should email an electronic Postscript copy of their paper to
ljb@sei.cmu.edu by Jan. 15, 1998. Submissions should be limited to 20
double space pags excluding figures, graphs and illustrations. If
email submission is impossible then six (6) couples of the paper
(double-sided if possible) should be sent by the due date to:

	Len Bass
        Software Engineering Institute
        Carnegie Mellon University
        Pittsburgh, Pa 15213
        Office phone: (412) 268-6763
        Fax: (412) 268-5758



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Len Bass, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pa 15213 
Office: (412) 268-6763 , Fax: (412) 268-5758, internet: ljb@sei.cmu.edu