First wearable computer

In 1961, Edward O Thorp and Claude Shannon (both USA) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) invented a computer about the size of a pack of playing cards designed to predict the outcome of roulette wheels. The device was worn strapped to the waist, with foot-switches hidden in a shoe to input the required data. The wearer then received predicted outcomes in the form of sounds through a hidden earpiece.

Thorp, an inventor and computer scientist, teamed up with Shannon, a former code-breaker and cryptographer, to build a device that would time the spinning of the ball on a roulette in order to predict where it would land. On test runs, it gave the wearer a 44% edge in roulette, although its lightweight design proved too delicate for practical use. The device now resides as an exhibit at MIT. Casinos have long since banned any devices that give gamblers an edge.