Parvus Corporation unveiled the Zypad WR1100, a rugged, wrist-worn personal computer at MILCOM 2008 in San Diego. The new gear conforms with MIL-STD-810F environmental and MIL-STD-461E EMI requirements, suitable for military and defense applications. The x86 compatible modular computer can be worn comfortably on the user’s wrist for hands-free operation. It can be configured to access any remote host system through its integrated wired and/or wireless interfaces using its Linux operating system.
The unit integrates a number of innovative features, including 802.11 and Bluetooth/Zigbee interfaces, a GPS receiver, electronic compass, biometric fingerprint sensor, and a tilt-and-dead reckoning system that detects the position of the user’s arm and sets the system to standby mode when the arm is hanging down beside the body. The wearable PC can be configured for specific missions by replacing a mission specific module. If the user wishes to switch from a GPS receiver to a GPRS module, for example, this can be done through a simple, plug-and-play, hot swap operation. The battery module can also be easily removed and replaced in the field with hot swapping functionality.
