CA2275784C

CA2275784C - Wristwatch-based videoconferencing system

Info

Publication number: CA2275784C
Application number: CA002275784A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Steve Mann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-06-29
Filing date: 1999-06-29
Publication date: 2000-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-29
Also published as: CA2275784A1

Abstract

A wristworn videoconferencing system is described. In particular, a wearable camera with viewfinder function incorporated into a wristwatch display screen that also electronically simulates the hour hand and minute hand of a traditional wristwatch, results in a device that resembles a fashionably modern timepiece, but which also has the possibly hidden videoconferencing capability. The electronically simulated hands showing the time of day may be overlayed onto the live video of the viewfinder function, or on live video received from a remote site, or a combination of both live video feeds. Pressing a SECRET button causes the electronically displayed clockface with electronically simulated hour hand and minute hand to become opaque and block the live video from being seen. Pressing an OPEN button returns the clockface to a transparent mode, allowing a videoconference to continue.

Description

y~y ~.a~ ;~FRTV
i::~-Jt~N 2 ~ 1999 pp~pR~ETE INTELLECTUELLE
Patent Application ~~'~'v - . ruCT
of W. Steve G. Mann for WRISTWATCH-BASED VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEM
of which the following is a specification:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to a portable videoconferencing system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A wearable camera system called WearCam, that has web-based videoconferenc-ing capability, has been disclosed in, for example, IEEE Computer, Vol 30, No

2, or equivalently http:~~wearcam.org~ieeecomputer.html (see also http:~~wearcomp.org~wearpubs.html), as well as in Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol 86, No 11, or equivalently http:~~hi.eecg.toronto.edu~hi.htrr Unfortunately embodiments of the WearCam invention typically require special prepa-ration such as special clothing, and special wiring of the body a-priori. Such systems will work for those dedicated to being constantly wired with various computational and sensory apparatus incorporated into special clothing, but there are a good many individuals who may wish to obtain a similar kind of convenience with a lesser change of lifestyle.
The invention is related to the general ideas of personal electronic devices such as wristwat<:hes, that can be used naturally in ordinary day-to-day life.
There is also an important connection to portable computers, mobile computing, and wearable computers (See for example, IEEE Computer, Vol 30 No 2).
L1.S. Pat. No.4780864 describes a combination wristwatch and bike computer.
U.S. Pat. No.5852401 held by Casio corp., describes a distress sending wristwatch that transmits the last known GPS location it has sensed, during time of distress.

U.S. Pat. No.S i 38104 describes a wristwatch that senses EKG.
L1.S. Pat. No.4106283 describes a wristwatch television.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The basic principle of the invention is that a camera and display mounted in a wristwatch can be used as part of a videoconferencing system, based on a wearable computer equipped with wireless communications capability.
Ordinarily, it is quite difficult to build all of the components of a videophone into a wristwatch. However, many people who wear a wristwatch also wear other personal electronics devices such as a pager. portable music player, or wearable cellular telephone, as well as a wearable computer of some kind. Since these devices are already on the body, a wristwatch containing both a camera and display can function as a point of contact for videoconferencing. With a body worn computer accepting input from a camera in the wristwatch, and with the display of the wristwatch being responsive to an output of the computer, a complete videoconferencing system is easily attained using today's technology.
In some embodiments, the camera may be worn elsewhere on the body. In other embodiments, some or all of the function of the processor may be incorporated directly in a wristworn housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect this invention provides a method of positioning a wristwatch borne camera to take a still picture or motion picture, while viewing a wristwatch borne video display that shows the picture signal.
In another aspect this invention provides a means of recording a picture where the spatial extent (field of view of the image may be ascertained from a wristwatch borne video display that shows the picture signal from a wearable camera located elsewhere on the body.

In another aspect this invention provides the user with a means of determining the composition of the picture from a wristworn display device, so that the user can ascertain the composition of a picture or take a picture or video and transmit images) to one or more remote locations.
In another aspect this invention provides a camera with viewfinder means for col-laboration between the user of the apparatus and one or more other persons at remote locations through the manipulation of virtual objects such as cursors, or computer graphics renderings displayed upon a wristwatch borne camera viewfinder.
In another aspect this invention allows multiple users of the invention, whether at remote locations or side-by-side, or in the same room within each other's field of view, to interact with one another through the collaborative capabilities of the apparatus.
In another aspect this invention allows multiple users of the invention, at remote locations, to collaborate in such a way that a virtual environment is shared in which camera-based camera-tracking of each user results in acquisition of video and subse-quent generation of virtual information being made available to the other(s).
In another aspect this invention allows multiple users of the invention, at different locations, to have a videoconference in a natural and unencumbered manner, such that they can carry on such a videoconference while walking down the street, or doing other day-to-day activities.
In another aspect this invention to facilitates a very close-up camera angle, from slightly below the subject of the picture or video.
In another aspect this invention provides the user with means of sending pictures to least one remote location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The. invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examples which in no way are meant to limit the scope of the invention, but, rather, these examples

3 will serve to illustrate the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates the wristwatch videoconferencing system of the invention in which a camera concealed inside the watch sends video to a covert body-worn com-puter system which transmits the video to a remote site where it is processed by one or more remote experts and advice from the remote experts) is displayed on a computer screen on the face of the watch together with time, date, and video from the camera (for viewfinder purposes, etc.).
FIG. 2 depicts a close-up view of the wristwatch display, which happens to be the display of a body-worn computer running XFree86 on top of the GNUX operating system, which facilitates the display of an "xclock" together with other material such as video from the camera (so the display can function as a viewfinder), and various menu items suitable for a wristwatch videotelephone.
FIG. 3 depicts a strain relief attachable to the inside of a shirt sleeve.
FIG. 4 depicts the block diagram of an embodiment of the invention including various involuntary inputs (biosensors of the invention for measuring physiological quantities) and voluntary inputs (pushbuttons, etc.) that affect the capture of pic-tures or the status of the videoconferencing computer.
FIG. 5a depicts the general appearance of the wristwatch videophone embodiment of the portable video production facility.
FIG. 5b depicts the nontransparent clockface in detail.
FIG. 5c depicts, in detail, a clockface that is either transparent overall, or possibly only polarizationally transparent.
While the invention shall now be described with reference to the preferred em-bodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the intention is not to limit the invention only to the particular embodiments shown but rather to cover all alterations, modifications and equivalent arrangements possible within the scope of appended claims.

4 In all aspects of the present invention, references to "camera" mean any device or collection of devices capable of simultaneously determining a quantity of light arriving from a plurality of directions and or at a plurality of locations, or determining some other attribute of light arriving from a plurality of directions and or at a plurality of locations. Similarly references to "display" shall not be limited to just television monitors or traditional televisions used for the display of video from a camera near or distant, but shall also include computer data display means, computer data monitors, other video display devices, still picture display devices, ASCII text display devices and the like.
References to "video" shall include any signal that includes one or more streams of visible pictures, together with one or more audio channels from one or more mi-crophones. Thus the term "video" may, for example, refer to a signal recorded from two cameras and several microphones arranged in an array, to be later processed for beamforming purposes or to be processed in such a way as to project a nullspace toward unwanted audible interference such as the sound of a vacuum cleaner in the appliances section of a Sears department store during the shooting of a documenatary video there. The term "video" shall also be taken to include intermediate representa dons of signals derived from cameras, microphones, and associated auxiliary sensors.
Examples of such intermediate representations shall include, but not be limited to, recording of some number M of audio channels from some number N of microphones, where M may be less than N. Examples of "video" may also include image represen-tations from multiple electromagnetic sensors represented as a single signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH
REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS
Fig 1 depicts a wristwatch videoconferencing system. The wristwatch videoconfer-encing system may have one or more cameras. In particular it may have a camera 150 that points at the wearer, as in traditional videoconferencing, but it may instead have a camera 110 pointing forward such that, for example, while the wearer is in face--to-face conversation with another person video of both the wearer and the other person will be transmitted to one or more remote participants, so that the wearer and the other person can both participate in a conversation with the one or more remote participants. The video from either of cameras 150 and 110 can be displayed on dis-play unit 120, so that display unit 120 functions as a viewfinder to assist the wearer in aiming one of these cameras. Optionally, additional cameras worn elsewhere on the body, such as in eyeglasses or in a necktie, may be aimed using display unit 120 as a viewfinder. The conversation may be recorded, in addition to, or instead of be-ing transmitted, multiple cameras being useful so that both sides of the conversation would be recorded or transmitted.
If the wearer of the wristworn system is also wearing eyeglasses, the eyeglasses may contain a downprism so that the wearer of the special glasses can look downward at a wristwatch or the like, with a portion of the wearer's visual field of view.
The downprisrn can be concealed to look like ordinary bifocal eyeglasses, where the lower portion of the eyeglasses comprises a prism that directs light coming from below into the eyes, so that the wearer can see almost directly downward within a small portion of the view.
Cabling 160 runs from the. cameras) 150 (and 110) inside the wrist strap, emerging at the back of the wrist strap where it will be concealed from view. Cabling runs up the sleeve of the wearer of the watch, to an Internet-connected body-worn computer system, the output of which runs back down cabling 160 out to the display 120. In this way video from camera 150 or 110 may be transmitted or recorded at remote sites, while the wearer of the. wristwatch may be advised by a remote participant on the best approach for dealing with the situation. In other embodiments of the invention, the cabling 160 is eliminated, so that the unit is either entirely self-contained, or communicates wirelessly with a body-worn computer/repeater/internet gateway station or a computer/repeater/internet gateway station carried in a briefcase or the like.
Interaction with the wristwatch version of the invention depicted in Fig 1 may be done through a pen-based or touch-based interface to the screen, in the form of a so-called "pie menu" as described in Callahan, Hopkins, Weiser and Shneiderman, 1988, or by using a "unistroke shorthand" as invented by Goldberg and Richardson, 1993.
Fig 2 depicts a natural choice of pie menu for a wristwatch display. Display is typically a computer screen with 480 pixels down and 640 pixels across, measuring approximately 0.7 inches on the diagonal. Upon display 200 is the image of a clock face, superimposed on top of a video signal from the camera. Time is displayed as a video picture, similar to the way that tune is displayed on a UNIX workstation using the ''xclock" program. Thus the "hands" of the clock 210 are realized by a video image in which pixels are darker (or lighter) in the region of the hands, and in this way the embodiment of the camera invention tells time. In the figure depicted here, the time is 4:03. Thus the device truly looks like an ordinary wristwatch (although one in which the hands are displayed electronically because it is in fact a wristwatch, among other things. It is natural for such a wristwatch clockface to have a circle 220 displayed on the screen, and to have numbers 230 displayed around the periphery of said circle. In this way it is easier to tell time, and also the numbers may be assigned a secondary meaning (e.g. select "0" to stop recording, "4" to kill all processes and halt the processor, "7" to wake up the system from sleep mode, etc.).
Since humans are quite good at telling time, often the numbers are missing from many commercial wristwatches, and some wristwatches do not even have markings for each hour. Instead, we often rely on our heightened sense of visual acuity to discern the angle of the hands upon the clockface. Thus it is no surprise that the clock menu is usable without paying much attention to the face of the clock. The user just needs to stroke the face of the clock in the direction desired (e.g. stroke the clockface in the 2:00 direction to enter the number "2").

The entry of numbers on a touch sensitive clockface in the context of the current invention may be done as vectors (e.g. with no regard to location, only regard to direction). Thus a stroke from left to right is regarded as the number "3"
regardless of where the stroke begins or ends. A downwards stroke (e.g. from top to bottom is regarded as the number "6" regardless of where the stroke begins or ends, and so on.
Thus telephone numbers can be easily entered into the device, and similarly an alphabet 240 can be constructed much like the alphabet of an automated DTMF
answering system used for voicemail and the like in telephony.
Such a menu may be implemented with touchscreen, or alternatively small push-buttons around the periphery of the clock face may be used. Since there are 12 pushbuttons on a telephone, and there are also 12 hours on a clock face, there can be a one to one correspondence between the numbers of the clockface and those of the telephone. The hours 10:00 and 11:00 are used for the symbols "*" and "#" of the telephone touchpad.
The data entered by way of the clock face menu is typically combined with the videoconferncing capability of the wristwatch. Of course the amount of information exchanged may be less than that in traditional desktop computers using a two-handed keyboard, but the clock face menu is sufficient for entering a person's name, which may be sent to notify a remote participant who the wearer is talking to.
Due to direct contact between the watch and the body, the pulse (heart rate), as well as skin conductivity (sweatiness index) of the wearer, and other similar physio-logical information may be determined and this information may be conveyed to one or more remote sites for personal safety, or new forms of communication.
Fig 3 depicts the strain relief for the wristwatch embodiment in which the sender sending pictures from camera to computer and from computer to display comprise wires.
Wires 160 run inside a shirtsleeve of the wearer, who is wearing a long sleeved shirt. Wires 160 are anchored inside the shirtsleeve at a point between the wrist and elbow, or at a point between the elbow and shoulder, or at one or more other points inside the shirt.
Cabling 160 runs up the forearm and is strain relieved inside the sleeve of the forearm with forearm strain relief 310. It then runs through a small loop 320 located at the elbow joint of the arm. Loop 320 provides enough slack that the arm can fold at the elbow without tugging at cabling 160, hence ensuring that cabling 160 will have a long life. Strain relief 330 is a further strain relief that clips to the inside of the shirt at the aftarm, near the biceps. Loop 340 is located at the shoulder joint to allow enough slack for the arm to rotate at the shoulder. Optional strain relief 350 is a further strain relief that clips inside the shirt at the torso area of the body.
l~ of all three strain reliefs 310, 330, and 350 are necessary, but preferably there is at least one such strain relief used.
Fig 4 depicts an embodiment of the invention in block diagram form. Processor 400 receives input from camera 410. Processor 400 may also send information back to camera 410 by way of camera control input 411, so that shutter speed, integration time, aperture, focus, or the like can be controlled by processor 400.
Alternatively, camera 410 may have a bidirectional lint: sending packets of video to processor 400 with a high level protocol that involves bidirectional communication to confirm re-ceived packets and possibly retransmit when packets are lost. In this way control input 411 is not explicitly needed, and may be absorbed into a packet protocol that encompasses bidirectional data. communications between processor 400 and camera 410.
Display 420 is responsive to an output of processor 400 so that it can show the wearer of the wristwatch the time of day, which is kept by a realtime clock of proces-sor 400. Time of day is typically kept within a clock that has its own battery backup so that when processor 400 is turned off and later turned on, the time is still correct.
Time is typically set once, e.g. using the GNUX (GNUS-Linux) date command, fol-lowed by the GNUX /sbin/clock -w command, and then remains correct thereafter.

A global. positioning system built into the wristwatch may receive satellite signals so that the clock would automatically be set appropriately for a given time zone, and in this case, the time may be set to UTC or GMT at all times, with a correction for the time displayed in a given timezone.
In many embodiments, there is at least one microphone built into the watch for recording the audio portion of the video that is recorded by the camera 410.
Moreover.
the microphone can also serve as a speech recognizes to accept commands from the user.
To watch previously recorded video upon display 420 there is typically one or two earpieces 440 that carry the audio portion of the video displayed on display 420, earpieces) 440 being responsive to an output of processor 400.
At least some of the functionality of processor 400 is typically controlled by vol-untary inputs 450 which may include pushbutton switches on the wristworn housing.
Additionally, heart rate, or full EKG waveform information determined from sensors in the watchband may also feed into processor 400. Other physiological quantities of the wearer, such as blood volume, blood flow related, etc., and a measure of sweatiness or skin conductivity may also feed into processor 400. These involuntary inputs 460 can be used by processor 400 to make inferences about such things as video capture frame rate, or whether or not to take one or more still pictures.
Additional outputs 470 may include direct electrical stimulation of the skin by wa,y of a very small electric shock or the like, so that the wearer can unobtrusively obtain information from processor 400. Such information may include the time of day, encoded as various combinations of electric shocks. Vibrotactile devices may be used in place of electrodes, so that vibration is used instead of the electric shocks. A
combination of electric shocks and vibration may also be used to give greater overall resolution, allowing a. larger number of distinctly perceptible output channels to be used.
Fig 5a depicts a wristwatch videophone embodiment of the portable video pro-duction facility, showing the buttons 500 on the watch, which may be used to set the time, select various modes, open up a secret videoconferencing channel, choose the form of encryption, select image compression quality, video capture frame rate, etc., as well as choose which clockface will be displayed.
The clock is represented electronically as an array of time-varying pixels, with a clockface 510 that has electronically represented hands upon it. Behind clockface 510 there is the main window 521 of the screen 520, showing the text of this patent ap-plication, which was prepared using the wristwatch-based computer with an external keyboard plugged into it.
The wristwatch has a watchband made in two sections, a first inward portion 540, with velcro receptor and a second outward portion 550 with velcro hooks. The inward portion 540 of the watchband is used for concealing wiring running to and from the wristwatch, connecting it with other bodyworn devices. In a wireless embodiment of the invention, antennas or electrodes or other body contacts are placed in either or both of the watchband portions. In the wireless embodiment, the watchband is preferably made of nonconductive material such as nonconductive cloth. The anten-nas or electrodes or other body contacts may be woven into the fabric, in the form of conductive fabrics, or conductive threads within nonconductive fabrics.
Fig 5b depicts a closeup of the screen 520 of the wristwatch videophone embodi-ment of the portable video production facility. A clockface 510 has an electronically represented minute hand 511 and hour hand 512, as well as a second hand 513.
The second hand provides a lively appearance to the oclock, and would convince the aver-age person looking at the screen 520 that the apparatus was a wristwatch, especially if main window 521 were blacked out by selecting a blackout option from buttons 500. Pressing one of buttons 500 will then reveal the secret window 521 behind the clockface, whereupon the secret text of this patent application appears.
The oclock has displayed a jewel 514 so that a person asking the wearer what time it is can Eeasily read the time even if the watch is seen upside down or sideways from the extended arm of the wearer. The "O"-shaped border 515 also helps further to define the shape of the oclock.
The oclock has a large border 519 that hides part or all of window 521, so that the clock is easier to read, and also so that the main window 521 is harder to read. A
single pressing of one of buttons 500 rapidly conceals window 521 behind clockshroud 519, which in actual use fills completely the screen 520 rather than just part of the screen as illustrated in the drawing. Thus the clockshroud would extend outward all the way to the edges of screen 520, so that none of main window 521 would be visible.
Text cursor 522 would also be hidden by clockshroud 519.
Computer system 174 typically runs the GNUX (GNU-1-Linux) operating system with XF86 variant of X-windows. Screen 520 is typically 640 by 480 pixels in true 24 bit color, so that good image fidelity results. The GNLTX (GNU+Linux~ command oclock -transparent -geometry 480x480+80+0 is typically used to provide a nice clockface that fills almost the entire screen, centered on the screen, yet may be made transparent by the wearer so that live video can be seen in the root window beneath it. In this manner, the entire apparatus has the appearance of an ordinary wristwatch, even when it is in operation as a videoconferencing system.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "oclock" shall be taken to mean any electronically displayed round clock face with electronically displayed hands, and not just that which typically runs under UNIX, GNUX, or X-windows. The oclock may comprise only two electronically displayed hands, a minute hand and an hour hand, or it may also include an electronically displayed sweep second hand, to give the clock a more lively appearance. An oclock may include an "O"-shaped ring encircling around the outside of the hands, but it is not necessary that this ring be present.
The clockface may or may not have numbers, depending on personal taste. It may also have an electronically displayed "jewel" at the top of the clockface, to make it easier for others to see the time, even if shown the display of the watch upside-down or sideways (as might be the case when onlookers ask the wearer for the time.

The clockface of the oclock will typically be transparent so that only the hands, and possibly a jewel or "O"-shaped ring encircling around the outside of the hands will block what is underneath. The hands and possibly a jewel or "O"-shaped ring encircling around the outside of the hands may also be rendered partially transpar-ent, either by selection of an alpha blending parameter, or by other means, such as e:rcl-usive or of the pixel values in the region defined by these hands and possibly other clockface features.
F'ig 5c. depicts a closeup of the screen 520 in secret mode, after a single pressing of one of the buttons 500 unconceals window 521 by making clockshroud 519 disappear.
In this mode the portion of the screen 5'?9 that was covered by clockshroud 519 can now be read. Moreover, the jewel is eliminated, because this secret mode is for the eyes of the wearer only, and there is no longer a need to tell time when the clock is being observed from odd viewpoints. The second hand is also eliminated so it is not distracting to the wearer, who can now more easily read the entire screen 520.
A small handheld chortling keyboard such as that sold under the tradename Twid-dler (TNf) manufactured by Handykey Corp, can be used to type with. A wireless version of a chortling keyboard may also be concealed in a pocket, so that with one hand in a pocket, the wearer can type short messages or computer commands while looking a.t the wristwatch display 620.
Text cursor .522 thus functions in a normal fashion once window 520 is selected.
There may be multiple windows like window 521, and some of these may be text, some may be graphics, and some may be live video or still pictures. Window 521 may be used to display live video from the camera, or it may be used to play back video.
Microphones and one or more earpieces are also part of the apparatus for use as a video recorder and player.
The function of the apparatus that allows windows to be quickly concealed by an opaque clock, or the like, is called a SECRETER, and the function of the apparatus that allows windows to be revealed is called an OPENER.

A SECRETER may perform a variety of functions such as hiding windows under an opap_ie barrier, or under a clock, and making the clock become more complex and busy. The OPENER. may perform a variety of functions such as making the clock simpler, more transparent, or perhaps causing the clock to disappear altogether.
The OPENER may cause the clock hands to exclusive or with the background, so that the wearer can see right through the hands themselves.
Alternatively, some ore all of the information on the screen may be polarizationally covert, so that it is visible only while wearing polarized glasses. Material that is visible to everyone, such as the clockface, is not polarizationally dependent.
Material meant for the wearer only to see is polarizationally dependent, so that, for example, right circular polarized light represents the image for the wearer to see, and left circular polarized light is produced in the negative of the image, so that it cancels the right circularly polarized light, except for the wearer who wears special polarizing glasses that filter out the left circularly polarized negational light, which then no longer cancels the right circularly polarized light.
BENEFITS OF THE INVENTION
One benefit of the invention is to provide videoconferencing capability in a small portable device that is easy to use.
Furthermore, the invention is useful as a new communications medium, in the context of natural collaboration among people on the move. The utility of video-conferencing is widely recognized, thus a wristworn videoconferencing system that is easy to use is also of clear benefit.
One way in which the invention can be useful for telepresence is in the creation of video orbits (collections of pictures that exist in approximately the same orbit of the projective group of coordinate transformations). A video orbit can be constructed using the wristwatch-based videoconferencing system while rotating the wrist in a natural way. It can be panned around a fixed point, so that video recorded from the camera can be used to assemble a panorama or orbit of greater spatial extent than a single picture.
Moreover, the invention may perform other useful tasks such as functioning as a computer display, to show information such as stock quotations, short news items, or messages, upon the display of a wristwatch that also shows time and camera output.
The wristworn display terminal may also be useful to show the output of cameras at a remote site, such as for keeping an eye on the home while traveling. By confer-encing into a remotely mounted security camera, one can have greater peace of mind with regard to a babysitter, or the like. The safety aspects of the present invention pertain to the ability of videoconferencing to provide visual information with regards to a remote view to a loved one, or to a space that one is about to enter. For example, a view inside or around one's car, prior to entering an underground parking garage, can help avoid or deter crime before it happens.
OTHER EMBODIMENTS
From the foregoing description, it will thus be evident that the present invention provides a design for a hand-held or wrist-worn camera with viewfinder means.
As various changes can be made in the above embodiments and operating methods with-out departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Variations or modifications to the design and construction of this invention, within the scope of the appended claims, may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the disclosure herein. Such variations or modifications, if within the spirit of this invention, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to patent protection issuing upon this invention.

Claims

The embodiments cf the invention in which I claim an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:

1. A wearable videoconferencing system including a wristworn housing, said housing containing an electronic display, said wearable videoconferencing system including an electronic camera and processor responsive to an input of said camera, said display being responsive to an output of said processor.

2. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim1 where said camera is borne by said wristworn housing.

3. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim2 or 1 where said camera is nonretractably mounted so that it is in the same physical position whether or not it is actually being used.

4. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim2 or 1 where said camera is covertly concealed within said housing.

5. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim1 further including a wireless communications system connected to said processor.

6. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 5, where said display is responsive to light entering a camera of a second videoconferencing system.

7. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 5, where said wearable videoconferencing system is a first videoconferencing system, and further including a second videoconferencing system, said first videoconferencing system responsive to light entering a camera of said second videoconferencing system, and said display of said second videoconferencing system responsive to light entering the camera of said first videoconferencing system.

8. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 further including eyeglasses with downprism.

9. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 where said camera is borne by eyeglasses.

10. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 9 said eyeglasses further including a downprism.

11. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 where said housing has the appearance of an ordinary wristwatch, where said display functions as a viewfinder for said camera, and where said display also shows time of day information.

12. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 further including at least one electrode in contact with the body of a wearer of said wearable videoconferencing system, said at least one electrode located in a watchband attached to said wristworn housing.

13. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 further including at least one sensor for measuring at least one physiological quantity of a wearer of said wearable videoconferencing system, said processor responsive to an input from said sensor.

14. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 13, said physiological quantity being heart rate, said wearable videoconferencing system further including a sweatiness sensor, said processor also responsive to an output of said sweatiness sensor, said processor controlling capture of pictures from said camera in response to heart rate and sweatiness of a wearer of said wearable videoconferencing system.

15. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 1 further including a microphone, said wearable videoconferencing system including a speech recognizer, said speech recognizer controlling the operation of said processor.

16. The wearable videoconferencing system of of Claim 1 where said display is responsive to an output of said camera.

17. A wristwatch video conversation transmission system including the features of Claim 1 where said camera is a first camera, and where said wristwatch video conversation capture system further includes a second camera where said second camera is mounted in said housing such that when the wearer of said housing is looking at said display in a manner similar to the manner that one normally looks at a wristwatch to check the time of day, that said second camera will be pointed at the face of said wearer.

18. A wristwatch videoconferencing system including the features of Claim 1 where said wristwatch videoconferencing system further includes means for wireless transmission of the video signals from said camera to at least one remote location.

19. A wristwatch videoconferencing system including the features of Claim 1 where said processor is a computer system wirelessly connected to a computer network, and where said wristwatch videoconferencing system further includes transmitter for sending video signals to a remote location while interacting with one or more remote entities by way of an input device borne by said housing.

20. A wristwatch videoconferencing system including the features of Claim 1 where said processor is a computer system that includes a recorder for recording video signals from said camera, and where said wristwatch video recording system includes an input device for a wearer of said housing to interact with said wristwatch video recording system to control said recorder.

21. A wristwatch videotelephone including the features of Claim 1 where said processor is a computer system wirelessly connected to a computer network, and where said wristwatch videotelephone further includes means for transmitting video signals to a remote location, and means for a wearer of said housing to interact with said computer.

22. The wristwatch videotelephone as described in Claim 21 where said means of interacting with said computer system is by way of said display, said means of interacting with said computer system comprising data entry using a pie menu.

23. The wristwatch videotelephone as described in Claim 22 where said pie menu is one in which the wearer of the apparatus is presented with 12 choices, where said 12 choices include the numerals 0 through 9 corresponding with the hours from midnight through 9:00 on a clockface presented on said display.

24. The wristwatch videotelephone as described in Claim 23 where said 12 choices further include the symbols "*" and "#" corresponding with the hours of 10:00 and 11:00 on said clockface.

25. A wearable videoconferencing system including a wristworn housing, said housing containing a camera and electronic display, said wearable videoconferencing system further including a processor responsive to an input of said camera, said electronic display being responsive to an output of said processor.

26. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is a bodyworn computer.

27. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is a bodyworn computer running an oclock program.

28. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is a bodyworn computer with wireless communications system.

29. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is also contained in said housing.

30. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is partially located in a watchband attached to said housing.

31. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 further including wireless data communicator. said wireless data communicator connected to an antenna, said antenna being at least partially located in a watchband attached to said housing.

32. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25 where said processor is bodyworn, said wearable videoconferencing system including a first sender for conveying picture signal from said camera to said processor, and a second sender conveying processor signal from said processor to said display.

33. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 32 where said first sender and said second sender are wires, both within a common wiring harness.

34. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 32 where said first sender and said second sender are wires, said wires being attachable with a strain relief to the inside of a shirt sleeve.

35. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 34 where said wires emerge from said housing near the inward side of said housing, and run underneath the inward side of a wrist strap attached to said housing, said wires emerging from a point along the wrist strap that is between the inwardmost point and the downwardmost point when said strap would be worn by a wearer of said wearable videoconferencing system.

36. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 32 where said first sender and said second sender comprise wireless communications.

37. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 32 where at least one of said first sender and said second sender comprises a radio transmitter.

38. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 32 where said first sender and said second sender comprise a single radio transceiver, said single radio transceiver sending picture data from said camera to said processor, and sending display data from said processor to said display.

39. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 25, where said camera is mounted in said housing such that when a wearer of said housing is looking at said display to determine the time of day, that said camera will be pointed at the face of the wearer of said wearable videoconferencing system.

40. The wearable videoconferencing system of of Claim 25 further including an eyeglass-mounted display, said eyeglass-mounted display responsive to an out-put of said camera.

41. A wristworn videoconferencing system including a processor and wristworn lousing. said wristworn housing bearing an electronic display, said electronic display responsive to said processor, said electronic display showing a transparent clock, said electronic display also responsive to a video camera concealed in said wristworn housing, at least one picture from said video camera being visible on said electronic display through said transparent clock.

42. The wristworn videoconferencing system of Claim 41 where said transparent clock is an oclock.

43. The wristworn videoconferencing system of Claim 41 where the hands of said transparent clock are formed by an exclusive or operation with said at least one picture.

44. The wristworn videoconferencing system of Claim 41 where said at least one picture is part of a sequence of pictures comprising live video feed from said camera, and where the hands of said transparent clock are formed by an exclusive or operation with pixel image arrays of pictures of said live video feed.

45. The wristworn videoconferencing system of Claim 41 further including a SECRETER and OPENER.

46. A wearable videoconferencing system comprising a camera, a wristworn housing, and an electronic display borne by said wristworn housing, said display responsive to an output of said camera.

47. The wearable videoconferencing system of Claim 46, said display showing polarizationally covert picture information, visible only to a wearer of special polarized eyeglasses.