Wearable tech show promises industry-wide insight

By 2020, the wearable technology sector will be worth over $80bn, driven by products such as the Apple Watch and Google Glass. The growth of the wearables sector has been stratospheric over the last five years and shows no signs of slowing down.

Things have moved on significantly since wearables was dominated by fitness bands and smart glasses. Health and fitness is still a huge market but the technology has become infinitely more sophisticated and accurate. Wearables are also being developed with applications for the medical, construction and retail sectors, to name just a few.

Over 100 exhibitors showcasing a wide variety of technologies and concepts have already been confirmed for the event, including Sony, Microsoft, Zappar, Wikitude, Epson, Energenie, Gemalto, Chipolo, Bittium, Skyhook Wireless, Samsung, Quicklogic, Silicon Labs, Kinneir Dufort, JAE, Clothing+ and AIQ Smart Clothing.

The Wearable Technology Show conference features nine tracks, 75 hours and more than 100 speakers, from global consumer tech brands to exciting start-ups. It provides delegates with a unique opportunity to hear from some of the leading innovators in wearables, VR, AR, smart devices and IoT.

The main stages and workshop tracks will provide an insight into the latest technology on offer through talks and panel discussions covering component technology, applications, business commercialisation and a review of the latest devices on offer for both enterprise and consumer adoption.

Senior executives from Microsoft, Disney, Jaguar Land Rover, Team Sky, Fitbit, Nest, IBM, British Gas, and GSK are just some of the big names speaking at this year’s event, joined by a stellar line up of high profile technology pioneers, visionaries and innovators.

In addition to a number of keynote speeches, including Disney Research on the Smart Home Track and a Healthcare session from GlaxoSmithKline, the event will also feature exclusive speakers, including Simon Jones, Head of Innovation at Team Sky and former UK Coach of the Year, who will take part in a Sports Performance track session.

Dr Jerry Luo from the University of Southampton is another notable speaker - he will preview the ‘Smart’ Insole, a thin and flexible insole prototype that can harvest energy from walking, with every footstep powering a sensor to transmit 32 bytes of data wirelessly.

Additional keynotes include Ruud de Jonge, Evangelist, Microsoft; Aleksandr Kuboskin, Project Manager, Bosch Software Innovations; Blaine Tookey, Digital Innovation Head, BP; Julie Alexander, Director, Urban Development, Siemens Global Centre of Competence for Cities; Kassir Hussain, Director of Connected Homes, Hive, A British Gas Innovation; Martin Gale, CTO, IBM; and Radislav Potyrailo, Principal Scientist, GE Global Research.

Wearables and smart technology have potential applications in a wide variety of areas, and designers are developing applications and devices which cover many innovative business and leisure uses. Everyone from CTOs and CEOs, to developers and inventors, engineers, retailers and professionals from the medical, health & fitness, defence and first responder, financial, manufacturing, retail, telecomms, education, automotive, government, sportswear, fashion, textiles and consumer electronics industries attend the Wearable Technology Show each year.

This year, Wearable Technology Show delegates can enjoy access to three shows with one ticket as the event is co-located with the Augmented Reality Show and IOT Connect.

New for 2016, the IOT Connect Show aims to bring technology together. From connected cars to home appliances, the IoT will connect 50bn devices by 2017, and IoT arrives in London to help exhibitors and delegates alike capitalise on this burgeoning market.

The Augmented Reality Show is the leading independent event for augmented reality, VR and smartglasses as well as the latest apps and software. The conference programme will give delegates a unique opportunity to hear from some of the leading experts, view the latest product demonstrations and network with the industry.

The Wearable Awards are also returning for 2016 – these are the number one awards for the industry. The awards aim to find and recognise the companies which have the best product or service offering and have done the most to improve these over the past 12 months. In addition, the awards look to reward the best wearable businesses, recognising those that have offered the highest level of innovation, performance and service over the past year.

Reviewing 2015's event, Paul Stacey, Wearable Technology Marketing Manager, Intel, commented: “My diary is full of leads generated from the show. The press coverage during after the event was outstanding.”

“Great networking with lots of people who are excited and passionate about wearable tech,” added Steve Brown, Chief Futurist, Intel.

Registration for the Wearable Technology Show is open now, with special offers available until Sunday 14^th February 2016. A full list of speakers can be found here, or for more information and to register, click here.