How far are you willing to go to have immediate access to technology, integrated as seamlessly as possible into your life? Lots of people use Bluetooth headsets once in a while, but there's also a large minority that seems to have them glued to its ears 24/7. Sure, that enables you to pick up a call at a moment's notice and enter a conversation without interrupting whatever you're doing, but there's still something awkward-looking about strapping gadgets to your head.

What if this is just the first step, and the future holds even more gadgets that people adopt as extensions to their bodies? Some MIT students have put together a demo of what they see as the future of wearable technology.

The system combines a digital video camera with a pico projector for its input/output system, and uses a compact computer to process its data. The camera sees what you see and detects your hand motions to control the system. For example, if you put up your hands like you're holding a camera, the computer takes and stores a snapshot. Other gestures turn on the projector, letting you interact with the system's menus just by reaching out and touching them. The camera tracks your movements and responds as if you were interacting with a real touchscreen display.

Although the system started off with a bulky helmet-mounted camera, the team has been successful in reducing its size, with further optimizations always possible. If someone's able to perfect and commercialize the technology, we can totally see it catching on with the Bluetooth headset crowd. Why wait for people to call you when you can get instant email updates, projected onto any convenient surface for you to read without having to pull out your smartphone or laptop?

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