Taunton-based Kopin eyes a lighter headset

Among them is Gekko’s iconic mobile phone from the 1980s - and it’s the size of a brick.

That’s how I see the Golden-i, a potentially powerful, voice-controlled headset from Taunton-based Kopin Corp. (www.kopin.com). The device can control a desktop or a hand-held PC (running Windows 7), a smartphone, or, perhaps, even a supercomputer, via WiFi, Bluetooth, or (if connected to a mobile phone) a cellular data network.

But the Golden-i (www.kopin.com/golden-i) is a chunky monkey (Kopin says its models weigh 3 to 6 ounces): The headset has a computer screen held below one eye by a thick arm. The device, which also has a mini-USB port and a mini-SD card slot, is held in place by a strap behind the head.

Kopin hopes to reshape the Golden-i in coming years into a thin, foldable multimedia device, which consumers would use to manage their digital correspondence and virtual world avatars.

You can control up to seven devices simultaneously from the Golden-i, according to Kopin.

The Golden-i is voice-controlled and recognizes a half-dozen languages. It uses speech-recognition software from Burlington-based Nuance Communications Inc. (www.nuance.com).

Peering into Golden-i’s monocular display is equivalent to looking at a 15-inch computer screen from about 8 inches away, according to Kopin.

For now, Kopin envisions medical workers using the Golden-i without turning their heads to check vital signs, and manufacturers tapping their office PCs from the shop floor.

A utility worker wearing the Golden-i could test lines and consult the laptop in his truck without having to lower his cherry picker to the ground.

Kopin has announced the availability of a $5,000 development kit, which Kopin worked with in the creation of the device. The kit includes the Golden-i headset and Motorola’s MC75 hand-held computer. Motorola has sold a few of the kits already.

Much of the interest in the Golden-i has been coming from university and medical researchers.

Canine care

A cognitive aid for busy dog owners

In her youth, she was as fast as a leopard, and she loved chasing deer and squirrels. And I was all about gadgets that could help me acquire Lotte’s coordinates, whether she was racing up Blue Hills Parkway toward Mattapan Square or had vanished into the woods near my friends’ Westwood home.

But at 11 years old, and with arthritis and a weakened heart, Lotte isn’t much of a flight risk. Rather than a GPS tracking device or an RFID implant, she might benefit more from something like Dog-e-Minder, a $20 cognitive aid for forgetful dog owners and for families in which everyone contributes to the pooch’s care.

The device (www.dogeminder.com) has a backlit screen that displays the last time your dog was walked, fed, and medicated.

You record each of these tasks by pushing the appropriate button on the Dog-e-Minder. The gadget is waterproof, and it’s available in a handful of colors.