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Wearable Technology 2014-2024: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts
E-textiles, wearable electronics, medical diagnostics, smart glasses, smart wristbands and more
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Contents, Table & Figures List
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Wearable technology mainly concerns devices and apparel/textiles. Glasses, jewellery, headgear, belts, armwear, wristwear, legwear, footwear, skin patches, exoskeletons and e-textiles are involved and the device business is already large. As the wearable electronics business powers from over $14 billion in 2014 to over $70 billion in 2024, the dominant sector will remain the healthcare sector which merges medical, fitness and wellness. It has the largest number of big names such as Apple, Accenture, Adidas, Fujitsu, Nike, Philips, Reebock, Samsung, SAP and Roche behind the most promising new developments.
Fig. 1. Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for healthcare by territory
Source: IDTechEx
By the end of the coming decade, advanced informatics as wearable electronics will match the healthcare market, with Google Glass and the best e-wristbands being among the most promising devices so far promising billion dollar sales potential. However, truly disruptive new technology, in the form of e-textiles, will also begin to establish major sales in a few years' time and fashion, industrial, commercial and military applications will burgeon as a consequence. On the other hand, wearable infotainment will be increasingly commoditised by China, following its commoditisation of basic electronics wristwatches and earphones.
The world's largest electronics, software, services and medical companies are among the many giants clashing horns on this so-called "new mobile phone" meaning the next potentially huge market after mobile phones, though rarely a direct replacement. Indeed, the biggest opportunity is medical/health/fitness addressing many of the biggest challenges in society today. Even software companies are saying, "hardware is the new software" because apps can now be modules or hardwired disposables and the intellectual property of the new hardware, such as sensing, energy harvesting/storing woven fibres, may be more disruptive and easily protected. The huge wearable technology market is now entering a rapid growth phase. IDTechEx has examined leading indicators of future wearable technology sales such as relevant Google Trends, patent filings over the years, incidence of diabetes (treatment being a major sector of wearable technology already), cost reduction of the key enabling technologies, increase in functionality that is becoming possible and initial sales of new smart wristwear such as the Samsung watch and fitness monitors. All show that very rapid growth is in prospect.
Fig. 2. The two main types of wearable technology and their typical characteristics
Source: IDTechEx
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| 1. | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS |
| 1.1. | Simple comparison of the two main types of wearable technology with examples |
| 1.1. | What is it? |
| 1.1. | The two main types of wearable technology, their typical characteristics (though not all are exhibited by any one realisation) with examples and allied subjects. |
| 1.2. | Global number of wearable electronic devices in billions 2014-2024 |
| 1.2. | Wearable infotainment is huge and most-popularised but first to be commoditised |
| 1.2. | Global number of wearable electronic devices in billions 2014-2024 |
| 1.3. | Ex-factory unit price of wearable electronic devices in $ 2014-2024 with advanced infotainment showing fast price erosion following past trends and basic infotainment static in price as its previous severe price erosion has hit bo |
| 1.3. | Apparel/textile wearable electronics is not about units sold |
| 1.3. | Ex-factory unit price of wearable electronic devices in US$ 2014-2024 with infotainment showing fastest price erosion continuing past trends |
| 1.4. | Global market value of wearable electronic devices in US$ billions 2014-2024 |
| 1.4. | Market for wearable electronic devices 2014-2024 |
| 1.4. | Global market value of wearable electronic devices in US$ billions 2014-2024 |
| 1.5. | By applicational sector, the number of developers and manufacturers with largest sectors by market number and value for the future shown in red. |
| 1.5. | Wearable technology $50 billion i-investment frenzy |
| 1.5. | Google trends for wearable technology |
| 1.6. | Oculus VR and Beats Electronics products |
| 1.6. | Common requirements |
| 1.6. | Examples of the surge of investment in wearable electronics |
| 1.7. | Examples of wearable products that merge the functions medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness. |
| 1.7. | Typical technical needs |
| 1.7. | Some trends towards wearable electronics |
| 1.8. | IDTechEx adaptation of the Boston matrix for some product and technology sub-sectors of potentially mainstream wearable electronics. High market growth at top. |
| 1.8. | Merging of applications |
| 1.8. | Some of the major global issues being tackled by wearable electronics for medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness. |
| 1.9. | Some of the benefits brought by moving to wearable electronic and electric solutions are shown below |
| 1.9. | The more heroic agenda |
| 1.9. | Regional bias of IDTechEx Boston matrix for wearable electronics. High market growth at top. |
| 1.10. | Location of wearable technology planned and offered by 550 manufacturers |
| 1.10. | Where the profit will be made |
| 1.10. | When the largest applicational sectors of advanced wearable electronics will first reach major sales levels |
| 1.11. | Some impediments to the growth of a further large market for wearable electronics and some solutions with the most widespread problems impacting sales the most being highlighted in red |
| 1.11. | Clarity from the Boston IDTechEx matrix |
| 1.11. | Where 550 developers and manufacturers and manufacturers of wearable electronics want their products to go on the human body |
| 1.12. | How apps and services still matter |
| 1.12. | Strong regional bias |
| 1.12. | Some failures of wearable electronics with reasons |
| 1.13. | Some of the more significant technology integration that will be used in wearable electronics 2014-2024. |
| 1.13. | Very fragmented industry |
| 1.13. | Watches go against the trend of people wanting bigger displays so they can do more with them |
| 1.14. | Google glass. Lenses are not essential. |
| 1.14. | Why software and services giants get involved |
| 1.14. | Examples of wearable electronics ideas, products and enabling materials with potential identified as over or under $5 billion |
| 1.15. | Trend to disposable |
| 1.15. | HID RFID buttons |
| 1.16. | Necomimi |
| 1.16. | Examples of types and multiple uses |
| 1.16.1. | Smart watches, internet enabled Timex, Sony, Samsung, Apple, Google |
| 1.16.2. | Google Glass, Android Wearable, Qualcomm collaboration USA |
| 1.16.3. | HID laundry buttons Switzerland |
| 1.16.4. | Neurowear Necomimi Japan, 4D Force Germany - brainwave monitoring and control |
| 1.16.5. | T-Ink heated and smart apparel USA |
| 1.16.6. | Nike, Adidas smart shoes, wristwear etc USA |
| 1.16.7. | Military exoskeletons |
| 1.17. | Impediments |
| 1.17. | 4D Force in action |
| 1.17.1. | Battery endurance before recharge |
| 1.17.2. | Cost |
| 1.18. | Failures |
| 1.18. | T-Ink heated apparel and its printed functionality USA |
| 1.19. | E-textile and flexible wearable sensors patent trends 1988-2013 |
| 1.19. | Key enabling technology |
| 1.20. | Market size and forecasts |
| 1.20. | Number of patent documents with the term "wearable sensor" by application year. |
| 1.20.1. | Wearable electronics market potential by type |
| 1.21. | Forecasts |
| 1.21. | Market share of leaders in wearable full body activity trackers |
| 1.21.1. | What sectors are meaningful in forecasts? |
| 1.21.2. | Wearable devices have numbers and unit value |
| 1.21.3. | Very different forecasts |
| 1.21.4. | Definitely a fast growing business |
| 1.21.5. | Wearable electronics as part of the mobile phone (cellphone) business |
| 1.21.6. | Wearable camera market |
| 1.22. | Vandrico Solutions view of the past and future |
| 1.22. | The big opportunity for connected devices according to Qualcomm |
| 1.23. | Plastic Logic view of wearables |
| 1.24. | One of the wearable camera leaders Ambarella has the following results following twelvefold growth since 2010 |
| 1.25. | Vandrico Solutions - the past |
| 1.26. | Vandrico Solutions - the present |
| 1.27. | Vandrico Solutions - the future |
| 2. | THE MOBILE PHONE BUSINESS EXPANDS TO WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY |
| 2.1. | Examples of identified future needs and need for improved hardware/firmware and/or system/infrastructure changes are needed to achieve them |
| 2.1. | Some statistics relevant to the potential for mobile phone use |
| 2.1. | Breakneck speed |
| 2.2. | Needs driven by new behaviour and demographics |
| 2.2. | Tightly rollable display promised by Samsung |
| 2.2. | Some emerging mobile phone candidate technologies and the demands they may help to satisfy in the future |
| 2.3. | Structure of the value offering of IPS vs RTLS |
| 2.3. | Future needs |
| 2.4. | Technology required |
| 2.4. | IPS principle of operation |
| 2.5. | GPS location (left) compared with the more detailed IPS (right) |
| 2.5. | Hardware is key for future mobile phones |
| 2.5.1. | Unique hardware gains market share |
| 2.5.2. | Sensor fusion for positioning |
| 2.5.3. | Inertial navigation |
| 2.5.4. | Tipping the balance |
| 2.5.5. | The race for flexible wearable phones |
| 2.6. | Healthcare diagnostics and more |
| 2.6. | Digital cash options |
| 2.7. | Power requirements of small electronic products including Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and GSM mobile phones and the types of battery employed |
| 2.7. | Sensor fusion |
| 2.8. | Internet of Things |
| 2.9. | Indoor Positioning Systems IPS |
| 2.9.1. | Location then full positioning even in 3D |
| 2.10. | Near Field Communication NFC |
| 2.11. | Key enabling technologies - hardware |
| 2.12. | Electrical power, multiple energy harvesting |
| 2.13. | Impediments to progress |
| 2.14. | The dark side |
| 2.15. | Why mobile phones may stay a bigger market than their wearable derivatives |
| 2.16. | Lessons from Samsung Future Technology Needs, London 16 June 2014 |
| 2.17. | Structural components are the future |
| 3. | WEARABLE ELECTRONICS AS PART OF THE SENSOR BUSINESS |
| 3.1. | Sensors |
| 3.1. | Emerging wearable MEMS sensor technologies and applications |
| 3.2. | Diabetes epidemic in figures |
| 3.2. | Healthcare |
| 4. | WEARABLE ELECTRONICS AS PART OF THE WRISTWATCH MARKET |
| 4.1. | Watch industry statistics |
| 4.1. | Swiss watch production mechanical vs electronic |
| 4.2. | Wristwatch market including mechanical watches |
| 4.2. | Basic wristwatches: number billion, $ unit price ex-factory, total yearly market value $ billion 2014 |
| 5. | PRINTED ELECTRONICS ENABLES WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY |
| 5.1. | Description and analysis of the main technology components of printed and potentially printed electronics |
| 5.1. | Market forecast by component type for 2013-2023 in US $ billions, for printed and potentially printed electronics including organic, inorganic and composites |
| 5.1. | Market Potential and Profitability |
| 5.2. | Total market size 2013 to 2023 |
| 5.2. | Market value $ billions of only printed electronics 2013-2023 |
| 5.2. | Current opportunity, market size and profitability |
| 5.3. | Market forecast by component type for 2013-2023 in US $ billions, for printed and potentially printed electronics including organic, inorganic and composites |
| 5.3. | Total market value of printed versus non-printed electronics 2013-2023 US$ billion |
| 5.3. | Printed versus non-printed electronics |
| 5.4. | Flexible/conformal versus rigid electronics |
| 5.4. | Market value $ billions of only flexible/conformal electronics 2013-2023 |
| 5.4. | Market value $ billions of only printed electronics 2013-2023 |
| 5.5. | Total market value of printed versus non-printed electronics 2013-2023 US$ billion |
| 5.5. | Total market value of flexible versus non-flexible electronics 2013-2023 in US$ billion |
| 5.5. | Market by territory |
| 5.6. | The long term view |
| 5.6. | Market by Territory 2013-2023 in US$ billion |
| 5.6. | Market value $ billions of only flexible/conformal electronics 2013-2023 |
| 5.7. | Total market value of flexible/conformal versus rigid electronics 2013-2023 in US$ billion |
| 5.7. | Examples of organic and inorganic electronics and electrics potentially tackling different technologies and applications |
| 5.8. | The potential annual global sales of each type by 2023 in US$ billions and percentage |
| 5.8. | The market for printed and potentially printed electronics by territory in $ billion 2013-2035 |
| 5.9. | Possible breakdown of the market for printed and potentially printed electronics in 2035 by numbers and value |
| 5.9. | The potential annual global sales of each type by 2035 in US$ billions |
| 6. | RFID (RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION) IS USED IN WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY |
| 6.1. | Total RFID Market Projections in US dollar billions 2012-2024 |
| 6.1. | RFID Market 2014-2024 |
| 6.2. | Market Size by Application Type 2012-2024 |
| 6.2. | Market Size by Application type $ billions 2014-2024 |
| 7. | ANALYSIS OF OVER 550 DEVELOPERS AND MANUFACTURERS OF WEARABLE ELECTRONICS BY APPLICATION |
| 7.1. | Global distribution of some generally useful technologies by organisation with those likely to contribute to billions of dollars of extra sales of wearable electronics, though not on their own, highlighted in red. |
| 7.1. | Global distribution of some generally useful technologies by country |
| 7.2. | Global distribution of some generally useful technologies by territory |
| 7.2. | Examples of wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for healthcare including medical, fitness, wellness and heated apparel. Shown in red are examples of advanced technology likely to be the basis of billions of dollars o |
| 7.3. | Examples of wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for infotainment. Shown in red are some of the technologies likely to power billions of dollars of extra market over the coming decade, though not on their own. |
| 7.3. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for healthcare by country |
| 7.4. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for healthcare by territory |
| 7.4. | Examples of wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for industrial, emergency services, commercial laundry, schools, prisons, clubs and military purposes. The full number is of the order of three hundred. Shown in red ar |
| 7.5. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers in fashion and apparel not primarily medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness, military, industrial, commercial. The true number is of the order of two hundred. Some advanced technol |
| 7.5. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for infotainment by country |
| 7.6. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for infotainment by territory |
| 7.7. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for industrial, emergency services, commercial laundry, schools, prisons, clubs and military purposes by country |
| 7.8. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers for industrial, emergency services, commercial laundry, schools, prisons, clubs and military purposes by territory |
| 7.9. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers in fashion and apparel not primarily medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness, military, industrial, commercial by country |
| 7.10. | Wearable electronics developers and manufacturers in fashion and apparel not primarily medical, healthcare, fitness, wellness, military, industrial, commercial by territory |
| 7.11. | Total global wearable electronics developers and manufacturers by country |
| 7.12. | Total global wearable electronics developers and manufacturers by territory |
| 8. | ANALYSIS BY LOCATION ON THE PERSON |
| 8.1. | De-duplicated list of manufacturers and suppliers of wearable technology by location on the person |
| 8.1. | Location of the wearable technology on the person |
| 9. | INTERVIEWS AND CONFERENCE REPORT IN 2014 |
| 9.1. | Wearable technology value chain and issues |
| 9.1. | Interviews |
| 9.1.1. | Accenture USA |
| 9.1.2. | Anitra Technologies UG Germany |
| 9.1.3. | Antje Paul Knessel Netherlands and Germany |
| 9.1.4. | Conductr Canada |
| 9.1.5. | Eyeqido Germany |
| 9.1.6. | ICE Germany |
| 9.1.7. | Intel USA |
| 9.1.8. | NanJing KeLiWei Electronic Equipment China |
| 9.1.9. | Sony Japan |
| 9.1.10. | Sunfriend Corp |
| 9.1.11. | SwiftAlarm Germany |
| 9.1.12. | ULOCS Sweden |
| 9.2. | IDTechEx company profiles |
| 9.2. | EnOcean conclusions |
| 9.2.1. | adidas |
| 9.2.2. | MC10 |
| 9.2.3. | Reebok International |
| 9.3. | Forms of wearable today |
| 9.3. | Report on Wearable technology Conference Munich Germany January 2014 |
| 9.4. | Report on Wearable Tech London March 2014 |
| 9.4. | Trend of healthcare |
| 9.5. | Nick Hunn slides |
| 9.6. | Samsung and ST Microelectronics slides |
| 9.7. | Texas Instruments slides |
| 9.8. | Qualcomm and Bosch slides |
| 9.9. | Roche Accu-Check |
| IDTECHEX RESEARCH REPORTS | |
| IDTECHEX CONSULTANCY | |
| TABLES | |
| FIGURES |
The market for wearable technology will reach $70 billion by 2024.
Report Statistics
| Pages | 237 |
|---|---|
| Tables | 35 |
| Figures | 69 |
| Forecasts to | 2024 |
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