Internet of Things & Wearable Technology Insights

When it comes to the future of computing, there is one major known and a principal unknown.

The known, with almost guaranteed certainty, is that the next era of computing will be wearables. The unknown, with commensurate guaranteed uncertainty, is what these wearables will be and where on your body they will live.

Apple and Samsung, for example, are betting on the wrist; Google, the face. A slew of tech companies believe clothing will simply become electronic. Yet there’s a whole new segment of start-ups that believe all of the above are destined for failure and that we humans will become the actual computers, or at least the place where the technology will reside.

Their enthusiasm is on an emerging class of wearable computers that adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos, or attach to the body like an old-fashioned Band-Aid.

Wearable technology–a natural extension of online and mobile channels–is quickly emerging as the latest consumer engagement channel presenting new opportunities for brands to deliver more personalized and informed service, faster checkout, greater access to discounts and deals, and real-time input into consumer purchasing decisions.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS:

-  Consumers want seamless customer engagement from mobile and social to wearables.

- Marketers need to understand how each consumer prefers to interact with brands through wearable devices.

- By creating personalized and relevant interactions, brands can turn their customers into lifetime brand advocates

.By 2018, wearable technology is projected to grow to a $19 billion market. Nearly 70% of consumers are reporting they are ready to engage with brands through wearable tech devices, according to our recent Wearable Technology Survey....

A startup has developed processors it claims could let wearable devices run for up to a month without a battery charge.

Ineda Systems' new Dhanush processors are targeted at fitness tracker bands, smartwatches, sensor devices, wearable cameras and other electronics, whose batteries at best last several days today.

The company is developing four chips with varying power consumption and processing capabilities. They are designed to work within the power constraints of these types of devices....

Welcome to Part 2 of our latest blog series giving you early access to the upcoming BrainXchange-Hewlett Packard Enterprise white paper, which examines several real-life use cases of wearables at work in different enterprise operations.

In Part 1, we shared an example of how an advanced collaboration platform like HPE’s MyRoom/VRG coupled with wearable technology could revolutionize the automotive recall process for a major auto manufacturer.  

Today we will see how a heavy machinery manufacturer could use wearables to provide remote support and on-the-spot training to its partners and customers. The complete white paper will be available for free download on May 18th. Sign up today to receive the white paper directly in your inbox when it goes live.

UOW's Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM) has successfully pioneered a way to construct a flexible, foldable and lightweight energy storage device that provides the building blocks for next-generation batteries needed to power wearable electronics and implantable medical devices.

The conundrum researchers have faced in developing miniature energy storage devices, such as batteries and supercapacitors, has been figuring out how to increase the surface area of the device, to store more charge, without making it larger.

"Among all modern electronic devices, portable electronics are some of the most exciting," ISEM PhD student Monirul Islam said. "But the biggest challenge is to charge storage in a small volume as well as being able to deliver that charge quickly on demand."...