From November 13 to 14, KAIST held the 2014 Wearable Computer Competition at the KI Building (E4), marking the 10th anniversary of the competition’s inauguration. The competition promotes the fusion of technology and fashion, prompting its participants to embed information technology (IT) functions into the everyday clothing.

Wearable computers are miniature electronic gadgets worn by the bearer, either on the body or on top of clothing. Such devices are marked by their portability, and recently they have been able to provide internet-based services via smartphone interaction. The use of wearable computers largely falls into the following two categories: health and entertainment. This year’s competition saw participants bring forth six healthcare products and nine recreation-tailored ones.

Jee-Hoon Lee, a graduate student from Sungkyunkwan University, introduced his smart wig for cancer patients embarrassed by the resulting hair loss. The product also alerts the patient should his or her heart rate or body temperature reach critical proportions. However, the real attention-grabber in the exhibition was a smart helmet made for motorcycle riders. The helmet displays live rear-view footage, navigation, and katalk message notifications on a screen installed in the front glass of the helmet. Other notable products included a uniform that enables one to flip through keynote slides by means of movement detection and voice recognition, and navigation insoles that use motion sensors.

Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo from the KAIST Department of Electrical Engineering, who was also the chairman of the competition, said, “Wearable devices such as smart watches, glasses, and clothing are gathering great interest. This event is a great opportunity to hear the students’ creative ideas and have a look at state-of-the-art wearable technology.”

The competition was followed by the third annual wearable computer workshop on the convergence of wearable technology, which was attended by experts from the leading IT companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and KT.