Wearable Technology

This article looks into some of the differences in requirements in AR and VR head mounted displays.

IDTechEx attended the second innoLAE conference, which took place on the 1st and 2nd of February 2016 in Cambridge (UK). It was organised by the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large-Area Electronics.

A portable system informs users about their surroundings by applying pressure to the head and acts as a navigation aid for the visually impaired.

IDTechEx interviewed Hong Choi, the CTO/R&D Manager at Kopin corporation. Kopin span out of MIT over 30 years ago, and has been developing microdisplay technologies, starting with a $55m DARPA project in the early 1990s. Today, the company is focused on the wearable technology market, and particularly on near-eye computing. This profile also mentions their work on high-capacity, SiO-C anode lithium-ion batteries, developed with Hitachi Maxell.

Video interview taken at the UICO stand at IDTechEx Wearable USA event.

Video interview taken with the Holst Centre at the Printed Electronics USA event.

Hivox Biotek are a Taiwan-based company making wellness and healthcare devices, in particular several wearable devices including EMS patches, watches, blood pressure monitors and others. They sell around 2 million units annually, with a strong customer base in Asia, but also with sales via retail partners across the US and Europe.

This profile concerns the smart eyewear work from Epson, and specifically the Moverio products. Epson have had smart eyewear products available on the market for several years, and continue to offer the BT-200 and the new Pro BT-2000 versions their eyewear platform on general sale. They are targeting the enterprise sector and have developed a reliable and mature platform described as 'a workhorse for any developer of specific applications in the augmented reality field'.

Ricoh has developed a printed bi-stable electrochomic ink used that can be used in smartglasses. This profile reports on this technology.

In the first of a five part series of articles on thin, flexible, printed and micro-batteries, IDTechEx analyst Xiaoxi He gives an overview of the broad application sectors and markets that batteries with new form factors serve.

A team of engineers, designers and medics are hoping their tremor-reducing glove will vastly improve the lives of millions of people living with Parkinson's disease.

IDTechEx are hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 16 February 2016.

Researchers say this device is the first fully integrated electronic system that can provide continuous, non-invasive monitoring of multiple biochemicals in sweat.

The IDTechEx Launchpad initiative is open to early-stage start-ups, universities, newly spun-out companies, research labs and government labs who can demonstrate a working prototype or product that highlights new advances in any of the related event topics of: 3d printing, electric vehicles, energy harvesting, graphene, internet of things, printed electronics, sensors, or wearable technology.

Healthcare practitioners may one day be able to physically screen for breast cancer using pressure-sensitive rubber gloves to detect tutors.

IDTechEx the leader in market research on emerging technologies is seeking high-calibre analysts to rapidly expand its operations globally.

Electronic prescribing app for the Apple Watch, one of the first electronic prescribing smartwatch apps available to U.S. healthcare providers.

Video interview with Flexible Circuit Technologies at the IDTechEx Wearable USA exhibition.

With the roll-to-roll overmoulding manufacturing process developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, components can be easily overmoulded into durable electronics products such as wearable sports solutions, toys and, for instance, household appliances equipped with an overmoulded solar cell.

If the buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show is any indication of things to come (and it usually is), 2016 is expected to be the year of virtual reality.