Message from the General Chair

Summary form only given. Welcome to the Eighth International Symposium on Wearable Computers! ISWC is a showcase of the top research in wearable computing, with a combination of presentations, posters, demonstrations, and, last but not least, the gadget show. I hope you will find the conference informative and stimulating. ISWC has always focused on implementation technologies and applications. As technology has evolved, we are now seeing an interest in novel platforms that are inherently wearable, such as electronic textiles, as well as an interest in applications that are becoming more feasible, particularly in the area of medicine. While the underlying technology has improved greatly since the first ISWC, some higher level issues still remain. This is exemplified by the continued attention on the humancomputer interface and on context awareness. For wearable computing to be successful, we must find both implicit and explicit techniques for interacting with devices. Furthermore, we must evaluate these techniques closely to ensure that they are robust across the full range of population and social situations.