Wearables

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed the first flexible wearable device capable of monitoring both biochemical and electric signals in the human body. The Chem-Phys patch records electrocardiogram (EKG) heart signals and tracks levels of lactate, a biochemical that is a marker of physical effort, in real time.

easyJet has unveiled a prototype smart shoe - named the ‘Sneakairs’ - which with their built-in technology could help customers explore new cities with ease, enabling them to take in their surroundings without getting lost. The revolutionary smart shoe incorporates a technology which connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app which uses phone’s GPS and directs the wearer which way to walk by triggering small vibrating sensors wi...

Analog Devices, Microsoft and Hexoskin have collaborated regarding a unique, wearable IoT solution for athlete and team performance management. The IoT solution allows coaches and team staff to monitor player information such as motion, heart rate and other useful health and performance metrics from sensor-equipped vests worn by players.

Last week IDTechEx gave the opening presentation at the 2016 Korea Summit for Smart Wearable Devices, hosted by KDIA and KSA in Seoul, Korea. Wearable sensors once again dominated discussion throughout the day, with latest examples of options in MEMS, textiles and more presented at length in the conference. Additional discussions throughout the day extended to topics like glucose sensing (including enzyme-free examples), sensor fusion and beyond....

Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have developed a smartphone application that projects a magnified smartphone screen to Google Glass, which users can navigate using head movements to view a corresponding portion of the magnified screen. They have shown that the technology can potentially benefit low-vision users, many of whom find the smartphone’s built-in zoom feature ...

Analog Devices has announced a collaboration with LifeQ to develop technology that will make it possible for non-invasive body monitoring devices to provide highly accurate physiological data that currently is only available through the use of expensive, invasive and hard-to-access equipment.

Chipworks definitely has an interest in the latest in wearable technology. So, naturally, when such a big name in the market as Fitbit announced a change of pace with the new, more-stylish Alta fitness tracker, the company was excited to take a look. Contributed by Mandi Gingerich, Julia Elvidge and Jim Morrison of Chipworks.

Researchers have fabricated a smart skin that is self-powered by its frictional contact with the objects that it touches. When a honeybee crawls across the smart skin, the skin not only senses the insect, it also uses the spontaneous triboelectric charge that builds up between the honeybee and the smart skin to power its sensing ability, eliminating the need for batteries. The smart skin could have applications for robots, artificial intelligence...

Over the last 20 years technology has altered the way sport across the world is played and officiated. For example, tennis and cricket have each embraced video technology to challenge disputed decisions like line-calls and run-outs, and television referees have been an undisputed success in both rugby league and rugby union to assist the on-field official to make the correct decision when allowing a try.

KEMET and Novasentis have together announced a collaboration to develop next-gen Electro-Mechanical Polymer (EMP) film based haptic actuators for wearable devices. Novasentis will provide the core technology and haptic actuator film while KEMET will develop the manufacturing process for the final assembly.