World’s first wearable computer? 300-year-old Chinese abacus ring was used during the Qing Dynasty to help traders

13:04 • 20.03.14
Science/tech

Wearable technology is thought to be the latest trend sweeping the digital world. But the concept isn’t as new as you might think, reports the Daily Mail.


Back in the 17th century, one pioneering designer in China created a functioning ‘smart ring’.


Developed in the Qing Dynasty era (1644-1911), the ring features a 1.2cm long, 0.7cm wide abacus that sits on the finger.


The Zhusuan, or China's abacus, has seven rods with seven beads on each rod.


Despite its small size, the rings still works as a counting tool, allowing traders to make quick calculations.


The origins of the ring are unknown. However, the beads are far too small to be moved using fingers, according to ChinaCulture.org.


"It seems that the beads can only be moved by small tools such as pins,” the site writes.


“However, this is no problem for this abacus’s primary user — the ancient Chinese lady, for she only needs to pick one from her many hairpins.”


The Chinese abacus is thought to have been created by a famous mathematician Cheng Dawei of the Ming Dynasty between 1368 and 1644.


A typical elementary abacus has 10 parallel wires strung between two boards on a frame, with nine beads on each wire.


Each bead has a value of 10, a multiple or sub multiple of 10. For example, all of the beads on a particular wire can have a value of 1.


To represent 155, for instance, five beads on a wire are separated from the others on the tens wire, and one bead on the hundreds wire.


While the abacus ring may not be able to make phone calls, it proves that wearable technology might not be as radical a concept as some people think.


 

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