The recent internepcon show held at Tokyo's Big Site in Japan saw 83,557 visitors crowd into combined exhibit halls and conference sessions. Some of the largest crowds were in the conference sessions and on exhibit floors featuring automotive and wearable electronics. Aisles of the wearable electronics hall were packed, where 156 exhibitors provided a glimpse into the latest gadgets. The wearables exhibit aisles were filled with the latest smartglasses. Sharp's booth had an hour wait for a three-minute demo of the company's new smart-glasses. Smartglasses are targeted for augmented reality that enables hands-free navigation, phone access, instant translations, and game interaction. Many are targeted at the workplace in critical jobs such as aerospace or medical applications. Workers performing airplane repair can see details of a specific job: for example, which size bolt goes into which hole and with what torque. Conference presentations showed live video-sharing during onsite operations with engineers consulting managers, providing direction to remote workers, or tracking work-in-process. During surgery the glasses could display a patient's vital signs or operation procedures in a heads-up display. Rug-gedized versions with longer battery life may be less visually appealing, but allow full-day use. Some versions (FIGURE 2) are trending toward higher fashion (on models, at least).
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