Wearable Camcorders–They Sit On Your Ear

We are so fascinated with video capture today and the devices keep getting better, smaller and more capable. Of course in healthcare this could offer some either interesting or not so interesting possibilities. If use by a surgery group to broadcast something like for OR Live this could be good, but on the other hand so you want your patient video taping all your consults? Yes, this could get interesting and as the camera move grows, so could the rules and regulations. We already have seen staff in hospitals get in trouble for taking pictures of patients with violating privacy rules.

After a while though, the fascination seems to rub off unless a video is being created let’s say for a web view or a presentation. These even stream direct to the web, much like what I do with my phone with QIK. Right now the ear camcorder works with Droids but says more smart phones will be added. So what’s that on your ear, is is just a blue tooth headset or am I being recorded <grin>. BD

Small, lightweight, hands-free cameras — worn on a headband, for example, or tucked over an ear — will record life’s memorable moments as they unfold, even if you are busy holding your infant son or erupting in cheers at your daughter’s basketball game. And by attaching one of these cameras to your snowboard, you can even capture your own amazing race down a mountainside.

Cameras worn on helmets or harnesses have been popular during the last decade for specialized uses like skydiving or auto racing. But a new generation of devices that cost around $200, some of them recording in high-definition, may move wearable cameras into the mainstream, offering a new dimension in first-person documentation.

The Looxcie ($199), a small wearable camcorder introduced recently, loops over the ear. The camera is built into a Bluetooth headset that streams digital images wirelessly to Android phones that use a free Looxcie app. From there, the clips can go directly to e-mail, said Romulus Pereira, chief executive of Looxcie, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Soon the company will offer apps that make the camera compatible with other smartphones, he said.