Wearable Technology

Quad Industries is a Belgian contract manufacturer of printed electronics that also offers product development services. This profile is based on a presentation given by Quad Industries but hosted by IMEC as part of its 'Europractice webinar series', and includes details of some application examples.

Tuesday 2 November 2021 - A Summary of Key Market Data and Trends. This webinar will cover major trends in each sector of wearable technology, presenting data about the current state of the market as well as a general outlook for each sector

Over the past decade, wearables have progressed from a niche curiosity on the fringes of the consumer electronics sector, to being a key strategic element for many of the largest technology companies in the world. The total market for wearable technology products has doubled in annual revenue since 2015, generating nearly $80bn in revenue in 2020. However, with momentum, product trends, and focuses shifting all the time, it is important to stay ahead of the competition and consider the trends which will drive the sector over the coming years and decades.

How can doctors make sure a dressed wound is healing without taking off the bandage? This is a conundrum, because removing a bandage can disrupt the healing process. Technology presented in a new study in open-access journal Frontiers in Physics could help.

A new method of 'sliding' delicate high-performance electronics onto flexible surfaces could enable future developments in electronics, scientists say. Engineers claim they have found a way to solve one of the key problems of contact printing - a method of planting electronics onto bendable plastic surfaces to create flexible electronic circuits and devices.

"Robotic" textiles could help performers and athletes train their breathing, and potentially help patients recovering from postsurgery breathing changes.

NanoCnet is an early-stage company making conductive inks and other products based on their proprietary "silver nanostrand" technology, high aspect ratio silver nanoparticles with an oblong cross section. They state that these are more stable and much cheaper to make than silver nanowires whilst fulfilling a similar function.

Noninvasive glucose monitoring devices are not currently commercially available in the United States, so people with diabetes must collect blood samples or use sensors embedded under the skin to measure their blood sugar levels. Now, with a new wearable device, less intrusive glucose monitoring could become the norm.

I spoke to Pedro Pena, head of European marketing at Asada Mesh, at a TechBlick virtual event in Ocotber 2021. We discussed new uses for their stainless steel meshes and their growth during the pandemic.

I spoke to the Chief Marketing Officer of Meta at the October 2021 TechBlick Printed and Flexible Electronics online conference who detailed Meta's acquisiton of Nanotech Security, a firm making devices for banknote security, in early October 2021.

I interviewed Dr Andy Behr about Panasonic's new Beyolex printed electronics substrate at the TechBlick Printed and Flexible Electronics online conference.

To collect accurate images of a patient's brain, the patient must be still and confined in a tube-like MRI scanner for a long period of time. To better assess their brain function and behavioral health, however, they should move naturally and freely during a scan. Researchers have proposed a solution to both clearly visualize and accurately assess the brain via photoacoustic imaging with a stretchable, flexible material.

eScent has completed its first concept project to develop a re-usable, enhanced FFP3 facemask which offers "personalised protection assurance" via a patented self-administered scent delivery system to help reduce mental distress.

Once limited to science-fiction, drones and facial recognition technology are now being harnessed to help save Australia's koalas.

Engineers have developed a type of wearable they call a "biosymbiotic device," which has several unprecedented benefits. Not only are the devices custom 3D-printed and based on body scans of wearers, but they can operate continuously using a combination of wireless power transfer and compact energy storage.

SteadySense is a wearable skin patch industry company with core hardware in temperature monitoring. Their current focus is on temperature-based ovulation monitoring in the fertility technology sector. IDTechEx analysts James Hayward and Andy Ko interviewed SteadySense CEO and founder Werner Koele in 30 Sep 2021.

Researchers have developed a sensor that could diagnose a heart attack in less than 30 minutes. Currently, it takes health care professionals hours to diagnose a heart attack. Initial results from an echocardiogram can quickly show indications of heart disease, but to confirm a patient is having a heart attack, a blood sample and analysis is required. Those results can take up to eight hours.

Attaching electronic components such as integrated circuits and LEDs to substrates is an essential aspect of electronics manufacturing. While conventional lead-free solder excels at the task for conventional rigid PCBs, it is not so well suited for emerging applications that require components to be attached to flexible substrates or conformal surfaces.

In medicine, as well as in the healthcare and medical device industries, different conditions, specialisms, products, and companies alike are often organized around specific therapeutic areas. Whilst this is an excellent and efficient way to enable adequate specialization, there are also cases where a more general approach to patient monitoring is required.

A team of bioengineers has invented a novel soft and flexible self-powered bioelectronic device. The technology converts human body motions — from bending an elbow to subtle movements such as a pulse on one's wrist — into electricity that could be used to power wearable and implantable diagnostic sensors.