Japanese researchers build PC that can be worn on ear

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The tiny, 17 gram personal computer can be controlled with the blink of an eye or the click of a tongue.

A tiny personal computer dubbed "Earclip-type Wearable PC" has been developed by Japanese scientists that can be worn on the ear. The device can be controlled with facial expressions like a blink of an eye or the click of a tongue.

The device is being developed at the Hiroshima City university. It comes with a microchip and data storage. The 17-gram (0.59-ounce) wireless device supports Bluetooth and is equipped with a GPS, compass, gyro-sensor, barometer, battery, speaker and a microphone. The wearable technology also comes equipped with infra-red sensors to monitor movements inside the user’s ear which helps it recognizing the facial expression that is being made

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"Supposing I climb a mountain, look at the sky at night and see a bright star up there, it could tell me what it is," Hiroshima engineer Kazuhiro Taniguchi stated.

"As it knows what altitude I'm at, which direction I'm looking and at what angle, it could tell me, 'The bright star you are seeing now is Sirius'." he says.

The device can be used as a companion to a smartphone or MP3 allowing users to browse through menus with just a blink of an eye. It could also be used in monitoring elderly relatives’ health and diet, and double as a hearing aid. The built-in accelerometer can detect if the user falls over which triggers a phone call to their relatives or an ambulance. Researchers say that the device may be commercialized by April 2016.

Wearable technology is on the rise with Samsung, Huawei and others revealing new devices at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Samsung's new Galaxy Gear smart watch will run on an open source OS Tizen. Motorola is also planning to launch a new smartwatch later this year.