Wearable Computing: Creativity from Head to Toe

Wearable electronics are nothing new. After all, wristwatches and hearing aids are the same as the emerging technology that is generating so many headlines (minus the connectivity, of course).

Providing telecommunications functionality to things we wear is the huge step. The most noteworthy devices so far are networked glasses, and the biggest player is Google, with its Google Glass. But the category is set to explode: Juniper Research predicts that 130 million wearable devices will be deployed by 2018.

But Google Glass is just the tip of the iceberg. Where there is opportunity, a million smart entrepreneurs will follow. Glasses have become almost standard. Wearable bands now track workouts and keep track of patients. Other devices on the horizon include smart wigs and even smart tattoos.

Every nook and cranny of the human body soon will be covered by microprocessors and sensors. Here are some wearable computing devices available now, and some to look for in the future.