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[[File:Thad-Starner.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Thad Starner]]
===Description===
Thad Starner is founder and director of the Contextual Computing Group at the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing. Before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1999, Starner gained international recognition as a leader in the field of wearable computing for his doctoral work on wearable computing and contextual awareness at the MIT Media Laboratory.<ref>Starner, Thad. ''Wearable Computing and Contextual Awareness''. Doctoral dissertation, Alex Pentland, advisor. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 1999.</ref> He is a co-founder of the IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) and a co-founder and first member of the MIT Wearable Computing Project. Starner has consulted for Fortune 500 companies and authored over fifty peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.


Thad Starner is founder and director of the Contextual Computing Group at Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing. Before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1999, Starner gained international recognition as a leader in the field of wearable computing for his doctoral work involving ``Wearable Computing and Contextual Awareness'' at the MIT Media Laboratory. An advocate of continuous-access, everyday-use systems, Thad has worn his custom wearable computer in such a manner since 1993, arguably the longest such experience. Thad is a co-founder of the IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) and co-founder and first member of the MIT Wearable Computing Project. Starner has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and is always looking for a good game of table tennis.
===The Lizzy===
Starner is perhaps best known as a strong proponent of wearable computing. An advocate of continuous-access, everyday-use systems, he wore his custom wearable computer in that manner from 1993 onward — one of the longest continuous experiments of its kind. He designed the hardware for his system, dubbed "The Lizzy," based on the wearable "hip PC" designed by Doug Platt, who built Starner's original machine. The system consisted of custom parts from a Park Enterprises kit, a Private Eye head-mounted display, and a [[Mobile Text Entry|Twiddler]] chorded keyboard.


tarner is probably most well known for being a strong advocate for wearable computing. During his time at the MIT Media Lab, Starner, already responsible for helping creating one of the earliest high-accuracy on-line cursive handwriting recognition systems in 1993 as an Associate Scientist with BBN's Speech Systems Group, became one of the world's leading experts on the subject. Starner is also a co-founder of the IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) and co-founder and first member of the MIT Wearable Computing Project, where he was one of the first 6 cyborgs involved. Since 1993, Starner has been wearing his own customized wearable computer system full time, arguably one of the longest, if not the longest, such instance. He designed the hardware for his system, dubbed "The Lizzy", based on designs of the wearable "hip PC" designed by Doug Platt, who built Starner's original wearable. The original system consisted of custom parts from a kit made by Park Enterprises, a Private Eye display, and a Twiddler chorded keyboard. As of January 29, 2008, Starner's setup has evolved to include a heads-up display showing 640x480 screen resolution, a Twiddler, and an OQO Model 1 Ultra-Mobile PC (though the specifications listed suggest an OQO Model 01+) with a GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 30GB hard disk, USB2, Firewire, and Wi-Fi built in, as well as a mobile phone with cellular Internet access as well.
In addition to augmenting the outside world, having a computer on at all times improved Starner's composure while giving talks; he has described having a speech impediment and being able to speak more clearly when prompted by the machine.<ref>Biography adapted from Starner, Thad. Curriculum Vitae. GATech.edu. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~thad/01_cv.htm Accessed Oct 2011.</ref>


Some of the benefits he receives from wearing a computer include being able to type and access the Internet while walking around or talking to others allowing him to take notes on a conversation in real-time, opening up notes on a certain subject and e-mailing them at any time or even having two conversations at once, one online and one face to face, and if he comes across something he doesn't know or recognize, he can instantly find out. In addition to augmenting the outside world, having a computer on at all times improves Starner's nerves while giving talks; Starner claims to have a speech impediment but is able to speak more clearly when prompted by a computer.
===Research===
* '''Wearable computing and contextual awareness.''' The founding argument of Starner's work is that a computer worn continuously can maintain a model of the user's situation — where they are, who they are with, what they are doing — and that this model, not raw processing power, is what makes a wearable useful.
* '''Text entry.''' Starner's group produced the definitive empirical studies of chorded text entry on the Twiddler, establishing that novices reach roughly 26 words per minute after about 400 minutes of practice and that experts substantially exceed the rates achievable on mobile keypads.
* '''Sign language recognition.''' Long-running work on automatic recognition of American Sign Language from wearable and camera-based sensing.
* '''Animal-computer interaction.''' The FIDO project on wearable interfaces for working dogs, allowing assistance and detection dogs to signal to handlers through bite sensors on a vest.
* '''Google Glass.''' Starner served as technical lead on the Google Glass project, bringing two decades of continuous-wear experience to a mass-market attempt at the same form factor — and to the public argument about social acceptability that followed.<ref>[https://gvu.gatech.edu/people/faculty/thad-starner Thad Starner], GVU Center, Georgia Tech.</ref>
 
===Relevance to Cyborg Anthropology===
Starner is the closest thing the field has to a long-term participant observer of its central claim. Wearing a computer continuously since 1993 makes him a single-subject longitudinal study in what happens when a machine becomes a permanent part of a person's cognitive and social equipment — including the parts nobody designs for: how others react, what the device does to conversation, and what its absence feels like.
 
===Related Reading===
* [[Mobile Text Entry]]
* [[Wearable Computing]]
* [[Simulation and Augmentation: Issues of Wearable Computers]]
* [[Sandy Pentland]]
* [[Cyborg Animals]]
* [[Media Lab at MIT]]
 
===References===
<references/>


[[Category:People]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Book Pages]]
[[Category:Finished]]
[[Category:Wearable Computing]]
[[Category:Wearable Computing]]
[[Category:Ubiquitous Computing]]

Latest revision as of 14:00, 25 August 2026

Description

Thad Starner is founder and director of the Contextual Computing Group at the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing. Before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1999, Starner gained international recognition as a leader in the field of wearable computing for his doctoral work on wearable computing and contextual awareness at the MIT Media Laboratory.[1] He is a co-founder of the IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) and a co-founder and first member of the MIT Wearable Computing Project. Starner has consulted for Fortune 500 companies and authored over fifty peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

The Lizzy

Starner is perhaps best known as a strong proponent of wearable computing. An advocate of continuous-access, everyday-use systems, he wore his custom wearable computer in that manner from 1993 onward — one of the longest continuous experiments of its kind. He designed the hardware for his system, dubbed "The Lizzy," based on the wearable "hip PC" designed by Doug Platt, who built Starner's original machine. The system consisted of custom parts from a Park Enterprises kit, a Private Eye head-mounted display, and a Twiddler chorded keyboard.

In addition to augmenting the outside world, having a computer on at all times improved Starner's composure while giving talks; he has described having a speech impediment and being able to speak more clearly when prompted by the machine.[2]

Research

  • Wearable computing and contextual awareness. The founding argument of Starner's work is that a computer worn continuously can maintain a model of the user's situation — where they are, who they are with, what they are doing — and that this model, not raw processing power, is what makes a wearable useful.
  • Text entry. Starner's group produced the definitive empirical studies of chorded text entry on the Twiddler, establishing that novices reach roughly 26 words per minute after about 400 minutes of practice and that experts substantially exceed the rates achievable on mobile keypads.
  • Sign language recognition. Long-running work on automatic recognition of American Sign Language from wearable and camera-based sensing.
  • Animal-computer interaction. The FIDO project on wearable interfaces for working dogs, allowing assistance and detection dogs to signal to handlers through bite sensors on a vest.
  • Google Glass. Starner served as technical lead on the Google Glass project, bringing two decades of continuous-wear experience to a mass-market attempt at the same form factor — and to the public argument about social acceptability that followed.[3]

Relevance to Cyborg Anthropology

Starner is the closest thing the field has to a long-term participant observer of its central claim. Wearing a computer continuously since 1993 makes him a single-subject longitudinal study in what happens when a machine becomes a permanent part of a person's cognitive and social equipment — including the parts nobody designs for: how others react, what the device does to conversation, and what its absence feels like.

References

  1. ↑ Starner, Thad. Wearable Computing and Contextual Awareness. Doctoral dissertation, Alex Pentland, advisor. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 1999.
  2. ↑ Biography adapted from Starner, Thad. Curriculum Vitae. GATech.edu. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~thad/01_cv.htm Accessed Oct 2011.
  3. ↑ Thad Starner, GVU Center, Georgia Tech.
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