Advanced Information

Systems Analysis and

Design
Software system on low
powered wearable
devices

Submitted by
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Muthu Kumaran Raj Arumugam

Table of contents
Introduction... 3
Architecture... 5
Embedded Operating Systems.. 7
Wearable devices... 8
Functioning 8
Working.... 10
Android Wear... 10
Android Wear User Interface12
Other UI features.. 14
Sending and Syncing Data... 15
Wearable Data Sync. 16
Benefits 17
Disadvantages.. 18
Recommendations 19
References 20

Introduction:
Wearable technology, a key driver of the Internet of Things, is prevalent in the
commercial markets. It is the first wave of growth in the world of Internet of
Everything. The driving technology behind the world of wearable device are low
power processors, mobile sensors and wireless networking fitted into devices attached
to the human body. The technology brings together cutting-edge features like voice,
motion and gesture controls. These devices are enabled not by the hardware and
aesthetics

but

by

the

operating

system

(OS).

The operating system (OS) is the one that drives the smartwatches and other wearable
devices. Major operating systems in the market are Android Wear, Tizen and Linux.
The fundamental idea behind such wearable devices is to usher in a world where
everything is smart and interconnected. At the heart of every single discussion
involving the Internet of Things, wearable devices demonstrate new capabilities
brought about by pervasive connectivity.
Wearable technology has improved and evolved over a period of time and wrist
watches which used user interfaces. Wearable computing is now going mainstream
with the launch of numerous smartwatches and Google Glass. Apart from mobile
computing, these user interfaces are used for the purpose of navigation, educational
and accessibility.
The basic attributes of wearable devices are:
Low power
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Connected
Intelligent
Compact
Environment aware

Cisco defines the Internet of Everything (IoE) as bringing together people, process,
data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever
before-turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences,
and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries.
And wearable technology is the forefront of Internet of Everything.
Cisco defines the Internet of Things (IoT) as the network of physical objects accessed
through the Internet, as defined by technology analysts and visionaries. These objects
contain embedded technology to interact with internal states or the external
environment. In other words, when objects can sense and communicate, it changes how
and where decisions are made, and who makes them.

Architecture:
The most important component of operating systems in wearable devices is the kernel.
The kernel is the middleware between the software and hardware. Various software
tasks, power management and various other functions and how it is solved are
determined by the kernel.

Block diagram of a wearable smartwatch.

Some of the most common hardware are:
Microprocessors without IPS: MIPS, has its own instruction-set and processor
series. In operating systems such as Android Wear which employ Java, MIPS
processors should run most applications. MIPS has provisions for powerful

graphics, processor support and low power consumption. This is very ideal for a
highly efficient wearable devices platform.
ARM Cortex M: The Cortex M series is based on reduced instruction set
computing and offers a chipset which has ultra low power for basic wearable
devices. These provide good performance and power consumption which is very
low.
Cortex A: The main aspect of Aseries of cortex is graphics and the central
processing power. As a wearables platform, manufacturers continue churning out
low-battery life wearable devices which are based with Cortex A.
Intel Chip: The Intel chip is based on the x86 platform is based on the x86
instruction set. The chipset is credited with a number of innovations in both
manufacturing and technological. These include the smallest manufacturing
process available in the market and the tri-gate resistors. It is widely expected
that upcoming wearable devices will contain Intels x86.

Embedded Operating Systems:

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The open source operating systems were built from scratch and adapted for wearables
are referred to as embedded operating systems. Wearable devices which are purposebuilt do not need powerful internal components or high level code. Many wearable
devices dont even require any kind of display for showing information. This is the
reason why these OS use MIPS, M series of Cortex, and other systems with low power.

Some popular operating systems based on open source:

Linux: Many wearable devices in the market use linux kernel and it is the base
for of all operating systems which adapt it. Major operating systems like
Android Wear which is adapted from Android and Tizen OS use Linux.
GNU: The second most widely used kernel in hardware is GNU and are used by
many wearable computer systems.
Berkeley Software Distribution: Some wearable devices also use the unix kernel
of BSD.
Mach: Apples wearable devices and other products such as iPhone and desktops
is partly powered by Mach kernel.

Wearable devices:
Wearable computers are small in size and electronic devices which are compactly
designed for users. The basis of wearable technology is an electronic device that do
processing of information and data. The wearable devices in todays world are
powerful and the efficiency and compactness has reached a good level. These devices
also have a wide range of features and best fitted to wear on the human body. In terms
of technologies, there has been a great improvement in the components used like
displays, input and output systems and ultra sized batteries.

Functioning:
Wearable technology is prevalent in the consumer, entertainment, sports and fitness
markets and the wearable devices have certain characteristics. Wearable devices must
be small, very low powered in order to achieve long battery life and for internet or
cloud access, these devices must seamlessly connect to a hub or gateway device.
A smartwatch typically contains a wristband and a flip portion apart from a base. The
base contains a processor, user interface and also a transreceiver. By means of a
wireless network, the transceiver can be configured. The user interaction is achieved
by configuring the user interface. The display on the inside provides information to the
user.
The major functions performed in a typical wearable device are done by a processor,
wireless interface, sensors, display units and a battery that supports power
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management. Device components for the wearables are selected based on the
functional and the performance intended for the device to display. All the wearable
devices are heavily dependent on the operating system. These include the user interface
apart from the app programs and device drivers.

Working:
A wearable device such as a smartwatch initially needs to be connected to a mobile
phone for its full operation. This could be done via Bluetooth pairing or using NFC
chips. Upon successful connection between the two devices, the notifications are
enabled by the user on the wrist device. Notifications could range from calls,
messaging, social networks and many more.

Android Wear:
Android Wear is based on Android OS specifically designed for low powered
smartwatches. Wearable devices running the OS for android watches need a compatible
smartphone connected by Bluetooth. Notifications are thus displayed on the watch
from the smartphone. The smartwatch is capable of running specially designed apps
which are downloaded and the Android Wear component is then synced with the watch
over Bluetooth.
Alerts and pending notifications are shown directly on the watch. The fact that an onscreen keyboard is not feasible on a small display is taken care of by Googles voice
recognition feature. The entire OS experience comes directly from Google and hence
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software updates are easy to install and is not dependent on the manufacturers
hardware.
The user interface is about the display of cards, and it is based on search feature that
Google successfully used in its smartphones by prediction means. Swipes are another
feature in the OS. Cards are used to represent notifications or apps, and you can scroll
through them by swiping up or down. More information on a card or to act on it can be
done by a simple swipe to the left. Dismissing an app or a notification can be done by a
right swipe.

At the top of all the cards, the watch face is displayed. The space in the stack is varying
down to see the top card and there is a range of digital and analog options.
A swipe down shows the date and the level of the battery. Other functions like mute
control level and notifications can be turned off by the same swipe down from the
watch face.
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Android Wear User Interface:

The Android Wear UI at a high level consists of two main spaces and
these are centered on the core functions of suggest and demand.
Suggest:

The Suggest context stream is one of the core functions for Android
Wear. Basically, the suggest context consists of a sequence of
notifications and these are time based information, such as incoming
messages or upcoming appointments. The context stream is a
vertical list of cards, each showing a useful or timely piece of
information. Only one card is displayed at a time and users navigate
vertically to move from card to another. Some applications can also
create cards and inject into the stream when useful.

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Demand:

The Demand also known as the cue card is another core functions for Android Wear. A
demand is generally displayed as a large icon and is used in cases where Android Wear
does not suggest through the context stream. This core function is well demonstrated
for messages. When a new email arrives, the demand functions by allowing the user to
swipe to the left thereby showing a host of options such as to reply, navigate or
archive.

Other UI features:

Apart from suggest and demand, Android Wear has other UI features
such as
Home screen It is the default state of the device

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 Watch faces Appears in the background of the Home screen

and display the time
Ambient Mode Saves power by dimming the screen when the
device is not being used.
Date and Battery A swipe down the Home screen reveals the
date and the battery display.
Settings screen Can be used by either using a hardware
button or by using a cur card.
Full screen When a wide range of interaction is needed, this
can be launched right on top of the main stream.

Sending and Syncing Data:

The communication channel between the handheld and wearable apps is provided by
the Wearable Data Layer API. The application programming interface consists of a set
of data objects used by the system to send and synchronize data.

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An application that is on a wearable device usually utilizes some of the capabilities of a

paired handheld device. This requires the presence of two separate Android apps one
on the wearable device and the other on the smartphone. Bluetooth link connects the
two devices for the apps to communicate with one another.
The access to the data layer of a data communications link between the two devices is
provided by a wearable message API. On the sending side, message move down the
protocol stack across the bluetooth link and the message is then stacked up on the
receiving side.

Message flow through wearable communication link

Wearable Data Sync:

The synchronization of either messages or data is done by the wearable data layer.
While data is usually wrapped in a DataMap object, message is a single text string.

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A DataMap is a collection of one or more of data types and these are stored as key or
value pairs. A DataMap is used by wearable apps to encapsulate the data that is
exchanged over the wearable data layer.
Access to the data layer of a data communications link between the two devices is
provided by the wearable access API. Similar to messages, the application data on the
sending side moves down the protocol stack across the bluetooth link. On the receiving
side, the data is then stacked up.

Data flow using DataMap

Benefits:

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Wearable devices leverages the power of personal information while keeping it private
by changing the settings. In brief, wearables eliminate the need for multiple devices by
integrating all into a single device beneficial across numerous industries and to the
common man.
Higher productivity: The recent influx of wearable technology in the business
world has improved the productivity at work and the organizations efficiency.
These companies also use wearable smart glasses to save money by solving a
host of issues.
Augmentation: The reach and capabilities of a person are extended by wearable
computing. Enhanced communication, sending, memory, logistical skills and
recognition are provided by wearables. It enhances and empowers the individual
wearing the device in his day to day activities in an optimum way.
Healthcare and medical: It is very useful in the healthcare industry where vital
signs are monitored using sensors and helps in drug delivery products.
Consolidation: Wearables eliminate the need for redundant batteries, wireless
network interfaces and packaging. The wearable devices are compact and stay
connected in a smart world helping the user in a wide array of fields.

Disadvantages:

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 Security: If left unattended or unsecured, wearables can be openings for security

and privacy breaches. Wearable devices in organizations are connected to the
companys server and if the wearables fall in the wrong hands, stealing
information about a person or companys secrets poses a very high security risk.
Less versatile: Wearable devices are not as versatile as smartphones or tablets in
some areas. It is difficult to type an email in a watch or using the voice
recognition feature in a noisy environment. The small display of few inches is a
deterrent when it comes to messaging or sending mails in the absence of a
keypad or onscreen keyboard.
Small and expensive: Tasks like browsing the internet or watching a video are
harder to accomplish in wearables due to the small size in most of the
smartwatches and bands. These are much smaller in dimensions than the regular
smartphones and are expensive on the market.

Recommendations:
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The existing and future wearables are likely to fall under any one of the below
categories:

Wristband
Jewelry
Glasses
Clothing
Embedded

My recommendations for the wearables are:

For wristband, jewelry and embedded wearables it is very vital and imperative to
verify the user. This should be checked by verifying the password provided by ones
authenticated self.
For glasses, it is necessary for natural abilities to be enhanced through augmented
sensory perception. It is also recommended that features be put in place for
communication to occur through an onboard interface.
For wearables in clothing, the most important usage is to record and catalog ones
personal medical or experiences to cloud storage. Better behavior can be achieved
through responsive coaching. It is also recommended to install chips that track the
wellbeing of a person and reflecting it through an emotional mirror.

References:
http://android-wear-docs.readthedocs.org/en/latest/explore.html#i-have-anandroid-watch
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 http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/trends/iot/overview.html
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2489723/mobile-wireless/android-weardeep-dive-review-a-smart-start-to-smartwatch-software.html
https://gigaom.com/2014/04/08/ineda-systems-gets-17m-for-a-new-chip-designaimed-at-wearables-and-data-centers
http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/mithril/intro/topic2.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/salesforce/2014/09/07/wearable-tech-business/
http://developer.android.com/design/wear/index.html#Other
http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/application.jsp?
code=APLSMARTWATCH
http://source.android.com/devices/tech/power.html
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/innov/IoE.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_technology
http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/TechnologyMedia-Telecommunications/gx-tmt-2014prediction-wearables.pdf
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-wear
http://developer.android.com/training/building-wearables.html
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/portable-devices/google-android-wear-whatyou-need-to-know-1235025#articleContent

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