Research: Safety devices will drive wearables beyond fitness – phones will be 'just screens'

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Ericsson surveyed 5,000 smartphone users in Brazil, China, South Korea, the UK and the US for a ConsumerLab report on the views of the 280 million smartphone users around the globe about wearable devices. 

According to Ericsson's 

Researchers develop first flexible wearable monitoring biochemical and electric signals

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Researchers at the University of California San Diego claim to have put together the first flexible wearable device capable of monitoring both biochemical and electric signals.

The Chem-Phys patch represents a breakthrough in the healthcare wearables space and provides real time recording of electrocardiogram (EKG) heart signals and levels of lactate, a biochemical marker of physical effort.

Nanoengineers and electrical engineers at the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors...

By Wearable Tech, 06 June 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

NIAAA names winners of $200,000 wearable tech alcohol biosensor challenge

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BACtrack, a company that designs and sells portable breath alcohol testers for consumer and professional use, took the first prize at the Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge organised by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

BACtrack won $200,000 at the competition that assessed a discreet device capable of measuring blood alcohol levels in near real-time. BACtrack’s entry, the BACtrack Skyn, is a wrist-worn device and offers continuous and non-invasive...

By Wearable Tech, 02 June 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

How advancements in integrated circuits could transform healthcare wearables

Picture credit: Yei Hwan Jung and Juhwan Lee/University of Wisconsin–Madison

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison claim to have developed the fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits, which could disrupt the healthcare wearables space.

The details were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials and the team was led by Zhenqiang “Jack” Ma, Lynn H. Matthias Professor in Engineering and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in electrical and computer...

By Wearable Tech, 01 June 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Fitness, Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness, Implants, Research.

NuEyes bringing wearable technology to visually impaired in New England

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NuEyes has developed head-mounted, hands-free wearable technology that provides CCTV and text-to-speech capabilities in an easy-to-use headset about the size of a pair of sunglasses. The device, carrying the name of the company, comprises ODG smartglasses that offer magnification up to 12x. The company has now announced an exclusive partnership with New England Low Vision and Blindness (NELV&B) to bring the device to the visually-impaired across New England.

Prior to the launch...

By Wearable Tech, 24 May 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

Tractica predicts 98 million healthcare wearables shipped by 2021

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Tractica has released a new report forecasting a massive rise in global healthcare wearables shipments by 2021.

The report has suggested that worldwide healthcare wearable device shipments will rise from 2.5 million in 2016 to 97.6 million annually by 2021. The global healthcare wearables market will make up $17.8 billion of yearly revenue.

Smart watches, wearable patches and fitness trackers will all play key roles in the rise of wearables for wellness and health. Healthcare wearables...

By Wearable Tech, 20 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

Nautilus Lab looks to Indiegogo for "world's smallest pain relief wearable"

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Nautilus Lab has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for its PEM Wave CARE wearable device for chronic pain relief.

The device claims to also help improve immunity and blood circulation. It can be worn as a necklace to improve blood circulation or attached to a body part to provide relief from chronic pain or inflammation. It can be operated by a smartphone app via Bluetooth.

It is the latest development from...

By Wearable Tech, 19 April 2016, 1 comment. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

American Heart Association issues advisory on wearable defibrillators

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Defibrillators utilising wearable technology could be a good option for some patients with heart rhythm abnormalities but not all, according to an advisory note from the American Heart Association.

The advisory, published in the association’s Circulation journal, says that the wearable automatic defibrillator may not be suitable for all those diagnosed with life-threatening heart arrhythmia but not deemed suitable for implantable cardiac defibrillators...

By Wearable Tech, 07 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

Wearable medical device market to hit £20bn by 2022, research argues

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Research and Markets has forecast that the global wearable medical device market will reach $27.8 billion (£19.8bn) by 2022.

According to the report, the market growth will be driven by rising prevalence of medical conditions such as hypertension and obesity. A sedentary lifestyle will also boost the demand for such devices, as well growing health awareness.

The demand for wearable technology will also grow, driven by rising incidences of diabetes and other chronic conditions that...

By Wearable Tech, 06 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Clothing & Textiles, Devices, Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness.

Opinion: "Sleep invisibles" offer a window into your health

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Sleep has long been and – to a great extent – still is the most commonly overlooked necessity of life.  Like the air we breathe, the water that sustains us and the food that nourishes us, sleep is critical to our health and well-being. Yet, it is the one commodity that few of us have enough of and, too often, is the first thing sacrificed in our hectic lives.

This Friday,...

By Avner Halperin, 17 March 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness, Trackers.