A computer accustomed to your accent may recognize your words from lapel or headset microphone input better than a stranger a meter away.

The computer is built into a backpack that connects to your sweater, which has a flexible black and white display* on the front. After a slight pause, the computer instructs your sweater to subtitle your sentence so that others can verify what they might have missed.

Inside the backpack a control panel has an interface for computer-generated translation and display options.

*I read that these are possible with E-ink, microspheres with charged ink particles that will move to the surface or to the back depending on the state of a small electromagnet behind. These microspheres and electromagnets mount to some flexible material.
-- Ketchupybread, Apr 27 2009

Thesis a one duffle-eyed ear!
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 27 2009


[+] Make it a T-shirt, though - a sweater is a bit much in a noisy nightclub.
-- moomintroll, Apr 28 2009


<squints through the cloud to read sweater>

WHY IS THAT WEIRDO STARING AT MY TITS?
-- theleopard, Apr 28 2009


Display the subtitles in cyrillic, to give yourself a pirated look.
-- loonquawl, Apr 28 2009


Yes, some of the proposed forms of electronic paper would do this. I'm rather keen on the system that uses spheres that are half-black, half-white and whose orientation can be controlled.

When you're not talking you could set it to display your favourite Twitter feed.
-- Aristotle, Apr 28 2009



random, halfbakery