 a common fashion accessory by 2025. "We're going to allow technology more intimately into our lives wearing them like a wedding ring, a watch, your glasses," says Astro Teller, CEO of BodyMedia, a Pittsburgh-based wearable computer manufacturer. NUTS AND BITS-TELECOM HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND MORE Figure 2-1 Lightweight, wireless computer. Wearable computers have already revolutionized communications in many fields, including firefighting and emergency medical services, where informa- tion must flow fast in adverse work environments. George Elvin, a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, thinks that lightweight, wireless computers may similarly transform the construction industry in the not-too-distant future (Fig. 2-1). "Building design and con- struction has been called the world's largest industry," says Elvin. "It is also one of the most inefficient." Consensus estimates suggest that as much as 30 percent of building project costs are wasted through poor management of the design-construction process, says Elvin. "This waste represents more than $10 billion in the United States every year that could be directed toward improved design, better SMART FABRICS materials, and related improvements to our built environment." In an effort to improve building industry efficiency, Elvin recently led a study that exam- ined the effects of using wireless-enabled portable computers to complete integrated design-construction projects. The study looked at systems that can be strapped to a toolbelt as well as pen-based electronic tablets. Elvin says the study aimed to "measure the accuracy, timeliness, complete- ness, and efficiency of information exchange enabled by wearable computers." The study was based on interviews with architects and contractors, construction- site observations, and data from controlled experiments at the Illinois Building Research Council. In those experiments, three small structures were built using different communications devices: traditional paper documents, a p