New nanotechnology may help production of bendable wearable electronics

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An international team of nanomaterials researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Korea University have developed a new, ultrathin, bendable and stretchable film that is both transparent and highly conductive to electricity. This film has potential applications in roll-up touchscreen displays, wearable electronics, flexible solar cells and electronic skin.

The transparent flexible film can be bent repeatedly and stretched to seven times its original length.

Senior...

By Wearable Tech, 29 November 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Ecosystems.

This new graphene supercapacitor glimpses into the future of wearable technology

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A research team from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has presented a new graphene-based supercapacitor at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia.

The flexible micro-supercapacitors could trigger new developments in the realm of wearable technology, with a myriad of possibilities such as smart T-shirts that charges mobile phones or dishwashing robots, according to the researchers.

By Wearable Tech, 30 August 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Data & Analytics, Ecosystems, Research.

KAIST develops ultra-thin transparent transistors for wearable displays

Picture credit: KAIST

A research group from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed ultra-thin transistors aimed at improving the performance of electronic and wearable displays.

As the IoT era gains ground, there has been robust demand for wearable and transparent displays suited to the requirements of various fields such as augmented reality (AR) and skin-like thin flexible devices. However, the researchers argue that previous technology for flexible transparent displays...

By Wearable Tech, 02 August 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Contextual Data, Data & Analytics.

How ‘convenient multi-factor authentication’ is key for wearables security

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Nymi, a security and authentication provider focused on the wearables space, argues in a recently published infographic that the increase in data breaches does not bode well for the enterprise.

According to the infographic, the risk of a company having its systems breached is one in five, with the average cost to a company coming in at $3.5 million.

More than nine in 10 (91%) of breaches involve stolen credentials of some sort – usernames and passwords – perhaps not a huge...

By James Bourne, 26 July 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Bluetooth, Connectivity, NFC, Security.

Scientists work to “look beyond the semiconductor” for running wearable tech

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A study from Michigan Technological University has revealed progress made on more versatile wearable technology using iron instead of semiconductors.

The research, published in Scientific Reports and led by Yoke Khin Yap, a professor of physics at Michigan Technological University, argues that silicon semiconductors are susceptible to overheating and face limitations in terms of size, as well as being at a disadvantage as they leak electricity. The alternative approach suggested by...

By Wearable Tech, 09 February 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Research.

Dialog Semiconductor supports WeChat protocol for wearables

(Image Credit: Dialog Semiconductor)

Dialog Semiconductor's latest SmartBond development kit now includes profile support for WeChat's communication protocol.

The support for WeChat's protocol was announced with the launch of the company's WeChat SDK, which enables developers to add Bluetooth connectivity between wearables and WeChat apps or other IoT devices.

“Dialog is committed to supporting our customers’ continued growth and innovation into exciting...

By Wearable Tech, 08 December 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Devices, IoT.

Wearable electronics among drivers of microelectronics innovation, says Frost & Sullivan

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Frost & Sullivan has released a report that names wearable electronics among the leading microelectronics technologies in the future, with the segment expected to make headway in terms of adoption soon.

Wearable electronics is expected to play a major role in consumer and healthcare applications and this development along with the rise in the use of smart devices is boosting the development of microelectronics technologies.

The demand for cost-effective and robust devices that...

By Wearable Tech, 12 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Data & Analytics, Ecosystems.

Innovations, diversity and cloud computing to drive wearables market

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A new report by Research and Markets has found that innovations, cloud computing and diversity in applications will play key roles in the future of wearable technology.

The report found that innovations across the entire ecosystem will play a major role in the success of wearables. The ecosystem includes app developers, technology providers, software providers and original equipment manufacturers.

Cloud computing is also expected to play a major enabling technology among wearables. In...

By Wearable Tech, 06 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Research.

Future wearables use your body to communicate

(Image Credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering)

Most current wearable devices use Bluetooth to communicate, but this can be wasteful due to a how difficult it is for the signal to pass through a user's body. This causes an effect called "path loss" whereby a signal is weakened on the way to its destination, as well as causing security worries due to the distance the signal travels around the user being susceptible to eavesdropping. 

A team led by Professor...

By Ryan Daws, 03 September 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Bluetooth, Connectivity, Devices, Health Monitoring.

Why more needs to be done to leverage smart textiles for the future of wearables

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To fully leverage smart textiles for the future for wearables, we need a manufacturing shift.

Smart textiles and interactive garments have played a strong role in the wearables space for the last twenty years, driven by visionary design prototypes such as the Philips New Nomad project from 1998, exploring the integration of digital interactivity into a range of apparel and jewellery.

Since then, we have seen a proliferation of prototypes and small release products, but a major impediment...

By Joanna Berzowska, 24 August 2015, 1 comment. Categories: Clothing & Textiles, Connectivity.