If MC10 has its way, your next wearable device will be a sticky bandage or temporary tattoo that adheres to your skin and stretches with your every movement. If you’re wearing several on different parts of your body, they’ll synchronize their data. “You achieve stretchability and bendability, which is important when you consider the human body,” said MC10 co-founder/technology vice president Roozbeh Ghaffari. “This allows you to wear systems on your body with minimal discomfort.” Continue reading Wearable Form Factors Get Stretchable, Bendable, Lightweight

At CES in Las Vegas, CTA chief economist Shawn DuBravac gathered three wearable creators that demonstrate the diversity current in the field and hint at the future of this sector. InteraXon showed off Muse, a headband that monitors brainwaves, with an initial use case of helping people learn to meditate. UNICEF Ventures creates a fitness band that motivates kids to “unlock” food for malnourished children via exercise. And MC10 aims to make wearables invisible to the user, with a range of products that fit on the body in unobtrusive ways. Continue reading ‘Mind-Blowing Wearables’ for Health, Meditation, Doing Good

During a CES session on “The Wearable Revolution,” panelists agreed that it is still early for the wearables category, but a revolution is right around the corner. Moderator Joanna Stern, personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, pinpointed her main gripe: ugly, clunky watches and fitness trackers. “Will we look back at this generation and be reminded of the 25-pound laptop?” she asked. Panelists suggested the technologies that will make wearables more attractive and more effective are now being released. Continue reading CES Panelists Agree the Wearable Revolution is (Almost) Here

In a keynote address to the Annual Fitness Tech Summit, Reebok VP of Advanced Concepts Paul Litchfield showed off the company’s first consumer electronics wearable: the Reebok CheckLight. The result of more than four years of R&D, the CheckLight acts as a head impact indicator, in the form of a wearable skullcap with flexible electronics. “There’s been so much talk about head trauma and brain injury,” said Litchfield. “We identified a gap and, with MC10 as our electronics partner, created the CheckLight.” Continue reading Fitness Tech Summit: Reebok Carves Out a Space in Wearables

At the Sports and Fitness Tech Summit, the focus was on wearables that combine function and fashion for optimum success. In a panel on Wearable Tech: Function Meets Fashion, panelists described their own successes. FitLinxx CEO David Monahan summed up his formula for successful deployment: “Can I blend it into my lifestyle? Second, is it relevant — does it give me behavioral change? The third piece is affordability. If you’re deploying devices to 50,000 people, price makes a big difference.” Continue reading Identifying Where Function Meets Fashion with New Wearables