June 20, 2001

Technology Report "The Poles Wearable Expedition"

1. Objectives

Mission: 
Unassisted skiing expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, using wearable computing and testing new software to transmit images.
Duration: 62 days
Members: 2
Objectives: 
1. Operate and carry wearable computing in severe conditions
2. Send images from the central Polar area, using non-stationary equipment
Results: 
1. The wearable units held up (for defects-see below) over entire expedition.
2. The expedition was able to transmit pictures using only mobile equipment.  

More expedition related info at www.thepoles.com


2. Overview

The expedition members wore the computers on their bodies from the start of the expedition to the end. 
During nighttime the technology was stored close to the body, inside sleeping bags.
A solar panel was attached to the sleds, with batteries charged mainly while in camp (midnight sun).
The Orbcomm units, carried in backpacks, performed well in very low temperatures.
The wearable computing was carried in tailor made west's underneath a gore-tex wind jacket. The head-mounted display was tucked into a pocket in the west while skiing.

Computer work was mainly done inside the tent. Daily skiing average time was 10 hours, requiring full discipline in order to maintain daily required distances. The skiers paused for 7 min. every 1 hour 20 min to replenish. There was no time available for computer work during the pauses.

Dispatches were sent daily, requiring the use of computers app. 1,5 hour every day.

Outside temperature ranged from -5 to -30 C. In full sun and the stove going, it could get pretty warm inside the tent. Water bottles placed on the tent floor froze however.

Antarctica is the worlds driest continent, yet the wearables were constantly exposed to water due to heavy perspiration while skiing. On several occasions all equipment froze.

The equipment took severe beating during the expedition, but no single unit (besides a holding screw on the HMD), actually broke from wear and tear. A half wave antenna was run over by a snowmobile, upon starting the expedition from Patriot Hill. Fixed with a stick and ducked-tape, it too worked fine for the duration of the expedition.

3. Technology problems encountered by the expedition:
 

4. Working with wearables - the human interface

Expedition member 1

"Starting out from Patriot Hill I was pulling a sled of 335 lb. The sled was hooked in the mid belt of a climbers backpack. The tech west was carried above a wool long sleeved t-shirt and covered by a 2-layer Gore Tex wind jacket. The west was adjustable and I shortened it so the computer in the back-pocket fitted at my waist. 90 % of the pulling power was on my hips. The west fitted nicely and I had no problems wearing it. Pulling the weight, averaging 9 hours daily, inflicted some damage to my hips, and the first couple of weeks I had open bruises."

"The last 10 % of the pulling power came on my shoulders, and the shoulder straps from the west sometimes interfered with the pack straps causing severe pain. I dismantled the holding pocket for the web cam and also made some adjustments to the straps, but I would probably work on a more convenient solution for the future."

"Starting day 40, I became ill with chest pains, and even though the sled was considerable lighter now (app. 150-200 lb.), I got more sensitive to the load. Some of those days I therefore removed the wearables, and stored them on the sled."

"Working the wearables while skiing was virtually impossible. The high level of concentration gave place for nothing else than skiing and thinking. A couple of times we tried to talk to each other while skiing - that too proved impossible. With a pulse ranging over 120 for 9 hours daily, working with tech would have required us to stop. Bad hypothermia would kick in if we stopped more than 5-7 min. Another problem was the lack of functional input device while skiing. Voice would have been an option, but this version of the VIA computer couldn't support the software."

"Inside the tent, it was a completely different story. We had no problems cropping and resizing images and writing text. Actually we had the same tools as at our office"

"For advanced field work, I never believe a PDA will do the job. You need a fast computer running a full OS. You also need a big display to work on. I still favor the HMD, even though it was a hassle to get it up and running with port replicator and cords. The display is great but the mounting outfit need improvement".

Expedition member 2

"I carried a computer, battery, HMD and finger mouse. The hardest to store in the west were the finger mouse and HMD. The west with the computing setup was easy to carry, and I hardly felt it while skiing. As the expedition proceeded however, I lost much weight and the west thus became harder to carry. It frictioned my hip bones and felt heavy. It was the first thing I removed when in tent."

"I preferred to work with the flat panel display in the beginning, due to that I was accustomed to it from office work. As the expedition went on and equipment failed, I was forced to use the finger mouse and HMD for dispatches and pics. I found editing dispatches a tedious work using the finger mouse, but working the pics easy. Over time I grew accustomed to the HMD display and worked rather easily with it. Because it is so much more convenient to carry the HMD on the body, compared to the rather bulky flat panel display, I would prefer it onwards. However, I never really trusted the HMD quite as much as I learned to trust the flat panel display. The HMD froze at times but would continue operating upon thawing, starting with a lined and discolored display, but clearing in around 20 minutes."

"I found the equipment durable and trustworthy, except for the HMD and the hand operated keymouses. I would prefer a smaller computer unit and especially a better power solution. A sturdier HMD version and a working small keyboard or voice input.

The work with the computing and transmissions took a considerable toll on our time and strength. It took great self discipline to continue the work daily, in a state of exhaustion and deterioration. It was on the other hand also a thrilling and rewarding contribution to a quite monotonous journey."

5. Equipment list
  

Questions: tt@humanedgetech.com