On June 5th, Apple ended years of speculation and finally announced a mixed reality (MR) headset. The US$3499 Vision Pro headset confirmed some expectations and confounded others. IDTechEx has been tracking the mixed, augmented and virtual reality markets since 2015, with reports on headsets and accessories and optics available now and a report on displays for AR/VR soon to be released. This insight into the AR/VR industry and associated technologies provides context to IDTechEx's initial analysis of Apple's headset design philosophy.

Consumer technology available today is impressive but still not as cool as promised by many classic sci-fi movies. Our dreams of hoverboards and holograms have been replaced by stagnating smartphone designs and doom-scrolling. Yet things look set to change.

Thursday 27 April 2023 - What is the status and outlook for the wearables industry as a whole? How do the opportunities and challenges vary between wearable sensors and actuators? How is the role of wearables in healthcare evolving? Why wearables for drug-free health management and which technologies have the most commercial potential?

Thursday 13 April 2023 - This webinar will explore these lessons in depth through discussions on; Market trends across key applications for e-textiles; Manufacturing methods and how materials choice for e-textiles have evolved over the years; Examples from notable relevant companies; A review of the current state of the e-textiles market; Potential opportunities and challenges for the industry

Wearable technology is threatening to disrupt aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, with the latest technology offering a drug-free alternative to health management. But which of these competing wearable technologies are the promising candidates to lead the healthcare revolution?

Electronic skin patches have made remarkable progress in the field of healthcare. These wearable electronic devices feature adhesive pads designed to be worn directly on the skin, enabling convenient and non-invasive monitoring of vital signs and biomarkers.

A shirt that can track a person's heart rate, a shoe that can measure gait - the integration of electronic components with textiles to form e-textiles has been a significant research interest for several years.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 - Technological Developments and Applications. Contents that will be covered in this webinar include: An overview of PIC technology; Drivers of increased data demands from data centres; PIC trends in the communications industry; and PIC adoption in other markets

Mirroring the broader social trend of increasing awareness around inclusivity, exhibitors at CES 2023 highlighted the capabilities of consumer electronics to deliver assistive technology. IDTechEx attended the event, held January 5 - 8 in Las Vegas, and report on this key trend across interviews with exhibitors over the four days.

As high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, and even consumers become increasingly data-hungry, hardware struggles to keep pace. In addition, the need for real-time assessments of moving data points - such as for the accurate velocity-mapping of other objects in autonomous systems and facial recognition for security systems - is crucial to an increasingly hands-free society.

Friday 2 December 2022 - How development in optics will help fuel the growth of XR devices for enterprise; How a rethink in product targeting is leading to the end of a troubled decade for consumer AR devices; and How growing adoption of face tracking, eye tracking, and more is marking the beginnings of more natural interactions between humans and machines

Thursday 1 December 2022 - The value of wearable electronic skin patches in healthcare; Electronic skin patches 2022 roundup; Emerging applications of electronic skin patches; and Electronic skin patches outlook for 2023 and beyond

The world of healthcare is undergoing significant change. The stress test of the pandemic, a growing global population, and increasing chronic disease prevalence is pushing care to be more efficient and robust.

As the smartwatch market matures, the capabilities of alternative wearables continue to expand. In the coming years, alternative form factors could begin tempting consumers away. Not only could these devices provide more value - they also have the potential to access new biometrics.

A floor that can feel when you fall, a warmth that wanders from room to room with you; could the house of the future take care of you?

2022 was a turbulent year for Extended Reality (XR). The popularization of the metaverse concept raised massive interest in Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) devices as the gateway to this future vision of the internet, with excitement gathering over an expected revolution in how we communicate.