Players ofFallout 3will no doubt draw some similarities between the conceptual design image above and the Pip-Boy 3000 so integral to the game. Working with HP Labs, the US Armyhas been developinga device to replace much of the equipment soldiers currently carry in their packs. Using an e-ink screen with the components stamped on to flexible plastic, thewrist-mounted display unitcould replace field laptops, GPS units and radios as early as 2011.
Right now, the technology is only capable of outputting a monochrome image (just like the Pip-Boy) but it is expected that the device will have a color display by the time it is ready for deployment. It’s currently undergoing field testing, but the tech seems to be durable. “you may strike these things with a mallet, and they just keep on working,” claims HP’s director of information surfaces, Carl Taussig.
As I’m sure is the case with a lot of sci-fi fans and tech nerds, I’ve long prayed for the day that I can have a computer on my wrist, however impractical it may be for my everyday needs. With devices like this in development, my dreams of having a big ass screen on my forearm seem just a little bit closer today.
