With his work on Blade Runner and other movies, designer Syd Mead did as much as almost anybody to shape our vision of the future. And in a new interview with Fast Co Design, he explains why the term “wearable technology” is meaningless — and what it takes for wearables to become must-wears.
Here’s an excerpt from Mead’s comments, which are worth reading in their entirety:
Wearable technology is a term that is mindlessly inclusive. I mean, a special gym shoe with built-in pedometer and duration memory functions is “wearable technology.” Wrist devices that monitor heartbeat, general blood consistency, etc., are “wearable technology,” as are sweat-absorption clothing, electrically charged gloves, and other cold weather gear, and certainly visual augmentation devices.
I’ve been rendering many of these “new” ideas for decades. I illustrated both a fashion helmet [pictured above] in the ’60s that combined a read-out screen for the wearer, a video pickup, and other functions that enabled the wearer to be reminded, guided, and allowed to upload….
Fashion is a temporary affectation. Fashion that’s timeless is actually a practical response to need.
Check out the whole thing over at Fast Co Design.
