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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...

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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...

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A report from SNS Research argues that the global wearables market will see 140 million unit sales and $30 billion of revenue by the end of 2016.

The research firm adds that fitness and sports centric wearable device shipments are anticipated to witness a CAGR of 28% over the next half decade, finally totalling 80 million device shipments by the end of 2020.

Wireless carriers are increasingly integrating wearable devices within their M2M and IoT strategies and these devices are...

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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...

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During last year's I/O developer conference Google unveiled a couple of early innovations to improve how we interact with our wearable devices in the form of Project Soli and Project Jacquard. At this year's event, Google has demonstrated how the projects have developed since.

Project Soli employs a radar-based system to detect small movements around the device – such as finger gestures – and uses the motion...

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A new study by Grand View Research projects that the valuation of the global wearable technology market is expected to reach $196.5 million by 2022.

Investment in research and development by a large number of industry players is expected to play a key role in growth in the wearable technology market in the years to 2022, according to the researchers. Another key factor set to positively impact the market is increasing disposable income across the globe.

During the forecast period,...

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Fitbit, the leading wearable vendor according to recent IDC figures, has announced the acquisition of wearable payment assets from financial technology provider Coin.

The firm has no plan to incorporate the technology into Fitbit’s current product roadmap, however according to a press release it “accelerates [the] ability to develop an active NFC payment solution that could be embedded into future Fitbit devices.”

“We are focused on making wearable devices...

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The total shipment volumes of wearable devices grew 67.2% year on year to 19.7 million units during the most recent quarter, according to analysis from the International Data Corporation (IDC), with Fitbit continuing to lead the pack.

The figures, from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, found Fitbit continues to be the leading vendor, followed by Xiaomi, Apple and Garmin, with Samsung and BBK tied for fifth spot.

IDC's wearables team research manager, Ramon Llamas,...

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According to the latest report from CCS Insight, approximately 10 million wearable devices will be operational in the UK by the end of 2016, with five million sales and the overall figure tripling to almost 33 million units in the next four years.

Fitness trackers will lead the way in terms of volume with sales of 1.7 million expected in 2017, according to the researchers. However, in terms of value, smartphone companions such as the Apple Watch will be the leading category, worth...

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At this very moment, I am sitting here in an aeroplane suffering from technical issues which are leaving the maintenance crew scratching their heads. I can’t help but think, if there were an easy way for the maintenance staff to have quick access to troubleshooting documents, notes, or the ability to quickly call an expert, I may have already taken off on my flight home.

Today more than ever, our field service professionals are tasked with understanding, diagnosing, and repairing,...

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Whilst most superheroes have some form of unrealistic power, Iron Man uses advanced technology which could be possible one day. That day has just become a Hulk-sized step closer after Hyundai has announced its work on a suit which it likens to my favourite comic book hero. 

Hyundai isn't the first to work on an exoskeleton, many companies have built...

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On-stage during TechCrunch Disrupt NY, a startup known as Halo Neuroscience has demonstrated an impressive wearable device which utilises pulses of energy to improve athletic performance. 

Halo Sport uses a technique called 'neuropriming' whereby a small amount of electrical current is applied to a wearer's brain via electrodes in contact with the scalp. When focused correctly, this stimulation helps to...

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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have established a way to make skin the next user interface for technology – solving the issue of small displays on most wearables. 

Current smartwatches are more powerful than their interfaces allow them to be. When you cover most of the display with a single finger, it limits what interactions you can perform with a device. A team at the Future Interfaces...

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Newzoo has released new research which looks at the VR purchase intention of consumers across 16 countries, and found a link with eSports fans in particular. 

Virtual sports enthusiasts represent 45 percent of those who intend to purchase VR, which goes...

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Spiceworks has released a study which argues a majority of IT professionals (53%) hold wearables are the foremost source of security breaches among IoT devices connected to their network.

Companies connecting wearables to their network have seen a nearly 100% increase, rising from 13% to 24% since Spiceworks released its 2014 IoT report. Video equipment (50%), physical security (46%) and appliances (45%) are the other sources liable to attack.

Only around 33% of organisations are busy...

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Russell Brands has announced it is working with science and technology provider Dow to provide odour protection to its sports apparel products.

Russell will utilise Dow Chemical’s patented SILVADUR technology to provide advanced odour and freshness protection to apparel performance products. The products making use of this technology will feature the Intellifresh brand, with the first apparel from Russell Brands to incorporate this technology being the Russell COOLFORCE...

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It’s predicted that as part of the IoT, connected devices could grow to reach 50 billion by 2020 - and a lot of that growth will be attributed to wearable technology. The medical industry and healthcare providers have been at the forefront of utilising wearable technology to monitor trends, assess medications, and adjust therapies based on behavioural patterns and data collection from wearable devices.

Still, there are a lot of other potential applications emerging in the wearable devices...

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Garmin is no stranger to wearables and has a solution for most people no matter what sport they partake in. The company's Approach range is specifically-targeted at golfers, and the latest X40 is packed with all the features you need to improve your game whether a professional or an amateur. 

Previous generations of the Approach have featured a smartwatch-like...

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IDTechEx Research has published its new report forecasting the wearables market from 2016 to 2026, and argues there will be three billion wearable sensors by 2025 with almost a third of it being sensors that are only beginning to emerge.

According to the report, titled 'Wearable Sensors 2016-2026: Market Forecasts, Technologies, Players', sensor development is driving next-generation wearable devices, and development is going further than simply attaching the...

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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...