icon : an exploration into learning across distances with a wearable device

Abstract

There are 7 billion people on this planet. Each one of us is a learner and a teacher. Collectively we hold the entire of humanity's knowledge and boundless compassion. We enrich our lives every single day by unknowingly learning and teaching small things to others. We have a plethora of tools to communicate at our disposal, tools that make it possible to learn and teach others. However these tools don't operate in our natural hands-on learning environments. They demand their own computational enclosures either on our desks, laps, palms or in front of our eyes. Moreover, they don't support a seamless transfer of intentions that can be achieved by an effective communication tool. This thesis proposes, documents and reflects on the creation a wearable shoulder-worn wearable communication device 'icon' and a set of tools 'iconHub' and 'iconView' that try to facilitate learning across distances between people, while offering a eyes-free and hands-free experience.