This wristwatch videoconferencing system running the videoconferencing application underneath a transparent oclock, is running XF86 under the GNUX (GNU+Linux) operating system. In this picture, Eric Moncrief is wearing the watch, and Stephen Ross is pictured on the XF86 screen as a 24 bit true colour visual. WristWatchComputer designed and built by Steve Mann, 1998.

A closeup view of the wristcam is shown here:

where we can see the individual buttons corresponding to some of the functions built in.
A SECRET function, when selected, conceals the videoconferencing window by turning off the transparency of the oclock, so that the watch then looks like an ordinary watch (just showing the clock filling the entire 640x480 pixel screen). The OPEN function cancels the SECRET function and opens the videoconferencing session up again.

Here is a closeup of the screen, showing a recorded video sequence of images (in the tjp file format which comprises a tarfile of jpegs numbered v0000000.jpg, v0000001.jpg, v0000002.jpg, etc.), playing behind a transparent oclock:

The current embodiment of the invention requires the support of a separate device that is ordinarily concealed underneath clothing (that device processes the images and transmits live video to the Internet at about 7 frames per second in full 24 bit color).

The computer programs, such as the VideoOrbits electronic newsgathering programs developed as part of this research are distributed freely under GNU GPL.

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