Wearable Technology

Forecasts taken from IDTechEx report "E-textiles and Smart Clothing 2020-2030: Technologies, Markets and Players"

Investment and development in haptics is accelerating, and the supply chain providing the actuators, drivers and software behind these key components is evolving at a faster pace every year. IDTechEx's latest report on haptics, "Haptics 2021-2031: Technologies, Market & Players", predicts that the industry will be worth nearly $5bn in 2025.

Stretchable electronic circuits are critical for soft robotics, wearable technologies, and biomedical applications. The current ways of making them, though, have limited their potential.

A new preparation technique fabricates thin, silicone-based patches that rapidly wick water away from the skin. The technique could reduce the redness and itching caused by wearable biosensors that trap sweat beneath them.

An eco-friendly energy-harvesting smart sensor could help make roads safer by identifying potentially dangerous driver behaviour.

Robotic clothing that is entirely soft and could help people to move more easily is a step closer to reality thanks to the development of a new flexible and lightweight power system for soft robotics.

The world's first self-powered cycling helmet which integrates an innovative light-harvesting material, which can convert any light source, indoor or outdoor, into electrical power.

Phone systems change every ten years. 5G communications is now rolling out worldwide. It is time to plan 6G communications for 2030! Although little is decided - not even the frequency - much can be said about the extremely ambitious 6G objectives and challenges. This article gives the IDTechEx appraisal of 6G communications 2021-2041.

Although lactate-measuring wearable sensors have already been proposed, most of them are composed of materials that can cause irritation of the skin. To address this problem, a team of scientists recently carried out a study to bring us a more comfortable and practical sensor.

Engineers have developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer's levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.

We've all felt stressed at some point, whether in our personal or professional lives or in response to exceptional circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic. But until now there has been no way to quantify stress levels in an objective manner.

Researchers have developed a new, low-cost wearable device that transforms the human body into a biological battery.

In a time of COVID-19 restrictions and minimal travel, many people are turning to virtual doctor appointments and consultations as a safer alternative to in-person doctor visits. Researchers at are working to make this new wave of telemedicine more successful by creating an oxygen-sensing patch printed on a flexible, disposable bandage that can interact with a smartphone. This smart bandage could enable remote monitoring for the early detection of illnesses such as pressure ulcers, allowing for immediate treatment or intervention.

Conductive Transfers is an early-stage UK-based company that has developed an innovative approach for manufacturing stretchable electronics based around transfer printing. They are targeting wide range of applications including medical devices and printed heaters for automotive interiors.

Electrically Conductive Adhesives: Fundamental Principles, Materials and Uses

Researchers have developed a wearable sensor that can detect illegal drugs in sweat by using a flexible, wearable sensor.

A soft, flexible sensor system created with electrically conductive yarns could help map problematic pressure points in the socket of an amputee's prosthetic limb, researchers report in a new study.

Creative Materials are manufacturer of functional materials, based in Ayer, Massachusetts, for applications in printed, wearable, and medical electronics, among other applications. Tecnology Analyst Thomas Lynch from IDTechEx spoke to their Vice-President of sales, Matt Ganslaw, about their work with electrically conductive adhesives.

In this article we introduce some guidelines useful in formulating your strategy. In other articles we have given the latest on tools that are useful such as the profitability V curve and the experience curve.

Hikers, soldiers and school children all know the burden of a heavy backpack. But now, researchers have developed a prototype that not only makes loads feel about 20% lighter, but also harvests energy from human movements to power small electronics.