Seminar Report

on
Wearable Technology

Submitted by:
Submitted to:
Ajay Singh
G.S. Arora
11/FET/EE/2001
Rajni Sharma

Mr.
Ms.

Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Definition
Market
Products
Challenges
Manufacturing Challenges
Conclusion
References

Abstract
As technology becomes more sophisticated and we usher in the realm of
Internet of Things (IoT), some technology pundits predict that wearable
technology (WT) will play a defining role. With the onset of personal
products like smart watches and augmented reality glasses, we are
perhaps seeing the harbingers of the future. As everyone rushes to
introduce the next cool WT product it would behave the engineering
community to ensure the basic manufacturing and reliability requirements
are not sacrificed on the altar of speed. Industry-wide standardization,
ecosystem nurturing and pre-competitive collaborations are strongly
encouraged to sustain the growth of this budding technology.

Introduction
Wearable products have been around for decades, but it is only recently
that they are becoming vogue and fashionable. The term was coined in
the nineties and popular in the medical field for a long time, with products
like wearable hearing aids and pacemakers. Wearable devices have
generally been trendy within the academic community. One of the earlier
companies to make a move in the wearable space was Adidas. In 2008,
they acquired Textronics and introduced a personal coaching system by
collecting relevant data like heart rate from embedded sensors in sports
bras and vests. The current burgeoning wearable market led by industry
giants like Google, Samsung and Nike is capturing the attention of a wider
mass of professionals and technocrats, and promising to be a critical
game changer in the technology landscape. It has garnered attention
within the mobile ecosystem, incentivizing smartphone vendors,
application developers, content creators and entrepreneurs. This
promising technology has evolved beyond the proof of concept stage to
veritable products worn by consumers. Some of the products include
augmented reality eyeglasses, headbands for monitoring brain activity,
concussion sensors nestled within a helmet, sensor-guided canes for the
blind and smart t-shirts for soldiers in the battle field. Current wearable
products tend to be more integrated, seamless, transparent, comfortable,
useful, reliable and practical compared to earlier versions. Wearable
technology is on a relentless track toward ubiquity. We may be witnessing
the dawning of a new technology era - products like the Nike Fuel Band,
the Samsung Galaxy Gear and the widely rumored iWatch from Apple may
just be heralds of the future.

Definition
The term wearable device may be defined as an application-enabled
computing device which accepts and processes inputs. This device is
generally a fashion accessory usually worn or attached to the body. The
device could work independently or be tethered to a smartphone allowing
some kind of meaningful interaction with the user. The wearable product
could be on the body (like a smart patch), around the body (like a
wristwatch or a headband) or in the body (like an identification sensor
embedded under the skin or a sensor attached to the heart monitoring
cardiac aberrations). Wearable is a rather broad term, and can cover a
number of different products like patches, bandages, diapers, glasses,
rings, watches, socks, shoes, and hats, undergarments, jewellery, tattoos,
ties, scarves, apparels and many others.
Research has shown that most American and British consumers would
prefer the wearable device to be on the apparel (29%) or around the wrist
(28%). To find sustainable market success, smart wearable must offer
consumers a compelling value proposition beyond just posing as a
fashionable technology gadget.

Market
A 2013 report from Beecham depicts a very helpful approach to
understand the vastness of the WT market. The report points out five key
sectors benefitting from the WT boom: Security/Safety, Medical, Wellness,
Sports/Fitness/Lifestyle Computing and Communications & Glamour. The
report also cites the importance of blending function with style.
The WT market is considered by some a vital component of the wireless
accessories market, and its already enjoying substantive deployments in
the health and fitness arena. We now have key influential players such as
Google, Apple, Samsung, Nike, Qualcomm and Microsoft making strategic
moves within the WT sector. This augurs well for smarter, more
sophisticated WT products and most importantly for the development of a
robust supply chain ecosystem. If current developments are any indication
for the future, it appears that the WT segment is going to be a crowded
landscape with strong competition.ABI Research estimates the global
market for WT in health and fitness is the largest component of WT
products shipped today this sector alone could reach 170 million devices
by 2017. It is estimated that 60% of the WT market can be attributed to
sport and activity trackers in
2013. Juniper Research predicts global smart glass shipments to cross 10
million units per year by 2018, along with substantially lower prices.
Various reports suggest that first generation applications for smart glasses
would include video documentation, but the true potential of this
technology would shine when diagnostics, surgical assistance and
monitoring are enabled. Different reports support varying numbers - for
example, the Credit Suisse report expects a WT market of approximately
$40B by 2016. Research analyst firm Berg Insight predicts a CAGR
(compounded annual growth rate) of ~ 50% for WT devices by 2018.
Juniper Research forecasts that the retail revenue from smart wearable
devices, including smart watches and glasses, will reach $19 billion by
2018 compared to $1.4 billion this year.

Products
Current WT products in the market are creative and interesting, but they
are far from leveraging the full impact of this technology. Google Glass
demonstrates a number of applications, such as doctors streaming live
surgery to different locations or displaying schematics to engineers. Smart
watches represent the biggest hype for the current WT market. There are
many offerings in the market, including one from Nissan, but they are
mostly on the bulkier side and lack aesthetic touches. Innovators have not
fully exploited the salient advantages that can be offered by WT. Both
Sony and Samsung have launched watches using OLED displays, but we
have yet to see a genuine wraparound
product.
The watches of today have evolved from being gears and cogs to devices
powered by lithium batteries and fashionable items with expensive
brands. Research shows that people are comfortable wearing WT products
in a watch manifestation. However, experts point out that a WT product
will succeed in the market if the following caveats are respected:
1. Comfort: The addition of a WT device should be comfortable,
seamless and transparent. It should not draw attention, especially
for monitoring systems for an at-risk group.
2. Value: More meaningful and accessible data conveniently collected
and analyzed allowing users to make informed decisions regarding
their health and activity schedule. Integrating various types of
sensors (temperature, pressure, oximetry, ECG and EEG monitors,
gases, pollutants, allergens etc.), printed chargeable batteries and
energy harvesting features are just the beginning. Like any other
product, cost sensitivity and robust reliability are key requirements
for long term success.
3. Portability: Smart portability allowing regular twenty-four hour
access. Minimized charging time.
4. Fashion: The WT should ideally be fashionable in addition to being a
valuable monitoring device. Small devices with an extended battery
life would be well received. They need to make the wearer look and
feel good. Fashion designers and manufacturers should work
together. It is not coincidental that the CEO of Burberry, Angela
Adherents, will be joining Apple soon, reporting directly to Tim Cook.
The happy marriage of fashion and WT is crucial to the success of
WT. Fashioning a vibrant and sustainable WT market will depend
upon how well we integrate fashion in the WT devices. After all, a
WT is a wearable device, and anything we wear is a personal fashion
statement.
5. Multiple-Functionality: Leveraging WT to augment special features to
existing products is an excellent idea.

Plantronics is a maker of hearing aids (also a WT product). They have

added a gyroscope system that permits the monitoring of free fall
suffered generally by senior citizens, which enables immediate notification
to a care giver. They are also envisaging the use of sensors to warn
drivers if they fall asleep on the wheel. Lux Research highlights the
significant opportunities for WT in healthcare. The report accentuates
opportunities for flexible electronics to participate in the $300 billion
healthcare market, pointing out that diabetic monitoring is expected to
reach a $10 billion yearly turnover. Boston-based MC10 is developing
small conformal patches and plasters which, when applied on the skin,
provide a source of data collection. They have also looked at dissolvable
patches that could be strategically positioned near the heart or brain to
provide valuable diagnostics during surgery and then would dissolve
innocuously after the operation. Other opportunities include skin adhesion
sensors and electronic treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT) where
light is targeted on light sensitive drugs applied on localized skin areas.
PDT is also used to clean up acne- causing bacteria in the skin. Nubo from
Spain has developed digitized vests for patients to monitor their health.
These vests can offer medical quality cardiograms and heart activity
monitoring. The bracelets from Nymi compare the wearers unique electro
cardiogram rhythms for identity validation. Developers are also using
near-field communication (NFC) chips on rings and wristbands for
seamless identification to pay for items or unlock doors. It is critical to
note that WT market opportunities in healthcare will be based upon
reliable technologies that also offer patient comfort.

Challenges
Key product challenges include smaller device sizes, non-invasiveness,
and ability to monitor multiple parameters while providing automated
feedback for improving user behaviour. This translates into integrating
multiple sensors, different connectivity protocols and minimized power
consumption. If garments and apparels are going to be electronized, the
robustness of the electronics will need to be improved and the garments
will need to be able to handle a minimal amount of wash ability. Flexible
OLED displays are still not ready for the market. In the interim, companies
like Samsung are using curved displays which require rigidity and glass
covers. Flexible batteries will enable more comfortable mobile sensors for
health care and a better understanding of
piezoelectric will enable garments that could be easily charged. Fit bit has
learned that their customers want to interact with their devices on
demand and do not like waiting for syncing. As personal devices start
becoming ubiquitous, data storage and data privacy will become key
areas of concern. The data collected by WT devices could become part of
a Human Cloud system, hosting and analyzing customer patterns to
improve services offered by companies and public organizations. We may
have to develop cloud infrastructure to support the massive volume of
generated data. It is evident that cloud computing is a strong enabler for
the WT market. However, there are data privacy concerns. A recent survey
revealed that over 50% of the respondents cited data privacy as a barrier
to WT adoption. Legal issues like taking a video of a movie or
photographing people stealthily may need to be solved as time evolves.
To overcome some of the challenges faced by WT, there has to be a mindset that is informed by various disciplines like hardware, software, design,
human behaviour and fashion. There is an inordinate amount of fixation
on the hardware which should be questioned. WT should be able to make
the users life smarter, richer and less complicated. WT should generate
an improvement, otherwise it has failed. This area offers a lot of
opportunity for meaningful progress. Data analysis needs to improve. It is
one thing for a consumer to know how many steps they have taken during
the day and a completely different story as to which days and which hours
of the day they take the most steps. Is their walking trending better or
worse? How does the quantity of steps relate to their weight variation?
Can they receive automated reminders if they have not walked enough by
a certain pre-set time, prompting activity to make up activity lost by
taking an extra walk? Are rewards and admonishments? Medical insurance
companies are already encouraging and rewarding their participants for
using health improvement WT devices. Generally
that is a very good idea but it has room for potential mishandling and
abuse of the data collected. There are many such legal challenges that

need not be solved, not now, but later on when WT gets popular with
mainstream. As WT products get smaller and offer increased functionality,
the battery will start becoming a critical differentiator. That is one of the
reasons why printable battery suppliers like Imprint Energy are able to
garner strong industry interest. Power will remain a challenge for a
while. The Google Glass is powered by a bulky battery behind the right
ear, which is well hidden in the promotional pictures. There is progress
being made in this field with promises of enhanced energy densities,
longer cell lives and minimized charging times. Printable batteries and
flexible batteries are also being developed using leading edge
technologies. Competition is offering the cultivation of a diverse and
strong supply chain eco-system. Connectivity is another challenge worth
considering. Currently, the WT devices are tethered to the smart phone
using Bluetooth connectivity. This may be fine for now but eventually, we
might want to have our WT device independent of our smart phones.

Manufacturing Challenges
Manufacturing WT devices demands a different paradigm for best results.
WT involves working with new supply chain ecosystems and multiple
technologies like flexible substrates, fine lines and spaces ink deposition
technologies, materials expertise, encapsulation technologies, low
temperature interconnects, embedding technologies and bio compatible
materials. WT requires mastery over multiple industry disciplines like
garment making, printing, consumer goods, medical devices,
semiconductors, sensors, power management, SMT, flex substrates,
microelectronic packaging, software, displays and much more. WT is
generally a very integrated and complex design, with components coming
in from disparate industries, requiring reliable assembly in a cost effective
manner.
Very sophisticated tools and a high degree of specialization in multiple
disciplines are required to design, prototype and manufacture WT
products. A streamlined product development process and a
manufacturing process flow is a prerequisite to deliver on schedule and
within the established cost targets. Manufacturing engineering needs to
pull in established processes from a very wide range of manufacturing
technologies,
and
modify
and
appropriate
them
successfully.
Manufacturing will also have to work with stringent governmental
regulations, especially when working on WT with medical features. Fashion
and functionality needs to be designed in right from the beginning.
Cost will also be a significant manufacturing challenge. To gain mass
popularity, the cost will have to be trimmed down substantially while
valuable functionality and improved reliability are added. The current
industry mode seems to believe it is acceptable to sacrifice cost to obtain
a first mover advantage. This may attract earlier enthusiasts to buy the
WT devices, but real mass adoption will only come with affordable pricing
strategies. Manufacturing will have to closely evaluate cost pain points
like power, connectivity and displays. Material science will play a critical
role as WT advances. The ability to use proper materials for the wrist
bands, for the flexible substrates, for the stretchable conductive inks,
adhesives and encapsulate, for example, will be essential for success.
Mastery of diverse manufacturing processes, like developing the flex
substrates, fine line printing, die attach and component attach
capabilities, embedding and encapsulation, will be of significant value.
The ability to develop new methodologies and equipment for reliability
testing the WT devices will be essential. Designing and manufacturing
effective power solutions will likely boost demand for WT devices. Wireless
technology for long distance charging needs to be explored and other
approaches carefully considered. Ideas like energy harvesting, solar cells,

printable batteries need to be fully exploited. Manufacturing WT devices

with effective power solutions would make this technology more desirable .

Conclusion
The WT market is growing at a significant CAGR with many different
products entering the market. The Google Glass, Nike Fuel Band and
Samsung Galaxy Gear are some of the many examples. There is a strong
competition in the market to introduce products quickly and gain the first
mover advantage. In the process, manufacturing, cost and reliability
issues are sometimes not given appropriate consideration due to timeline
compression. There is an urgent need in the market for pre-competitive
collaboration to develop standards and specifications for WT.

References
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_technology
mashable.com/category/wearable-tech/
www.ihs.com/pdfs/Wearable-Technology-sep-2013.pdf
bi.snu.ac.kr/Courses/4ai14s/140522.pdf
www.google.com