Tech
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1919: Light Bulb Tie
In the early 20th century, Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti introduced a light bulb tie he had rigged, which flashed for emphasis during his speeches.
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1961: First Wearable Computer
MIT mathematics professor Edward Thorp came up with the first wearable computer, which allowed the wearer to successfully cheat at roulette by programming probability equations into the device.
Image: Engadget
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1970: Pulsar Digital Watch
For the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, director Stanley Kubrick asked the Hamilton Watch Company to create a futuristic clock. Two years later, that popular clock was turned into the first digital watch. The 18K gold model, which retailed for $1,500, debuted on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in May 1970.
Image: Hamilton Watch Company
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1979: Sony Walkman TPS-L2
Sony's iconic portable cassette players first went on sale in the summer of 1979 for $150. Reportedly, the founder, Masaru Ibuka, wanted a way to listen to opera on the go.
Image: Minimally Minimal
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1991: The Ice Jacket
Massimo Osti, otherwise known as the godfather of sportswear, invented "The Ice Jacket" in 1991 under his Stone Island label. Inspired by the mood rings of the 70s, the jacket changed color with temperature variations.
Image: Moda.San.Beniculturali.It
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1999: MBRACELET
In 1999, Studio5050 created the "mbracelet," a prototype that had the ability to store, share and collect information. In particular, the inventors claimed the bracelet had the ability to compute financial transactions with ATM machines. Alas, mainstream markets weren't impressed.
Image: Studio5050
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2000: ICD+ Jacket
The first commercial wearable electronic garment was developed by Dutch tech company Philips in collaboration with Levi's. The head designer on the project was none other than Massimo Osti. The jacket was structured with different pockets for MP3 players and cell phones, and rigged so that your MP3 player silenced when your phone rang. As genius as that sounds, the jacket was a hard sell with the public.
Image: Levi's
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2000: The Airplane Dress
In his Spring/Summer 2000 collection, designer Hussein Chalayan constructed the "Airplane Dress," also referred to as the "Remote Control Dress." The design, made from fiberglass and resin, was created with the same technology used by aircraft engineers to enable machines to fly by remote control.
