There are some big players currently driving the world of wearable technology. It is estimated that the wearables market will be worth billions in the coming years, so anyone who doesn’t hop on board this particular freight train of technology could be left behind. So who is stoking the engine of advancement? We take a quick look at five companies that could revolutionise our technological world in the next few years.
1 – Plastic Logic
Plastic Logic is right at the forefront of this vanguard of expertise. Based in Cambridge, this research and development company takes thinking outside the box to a whole new level – literally. Their developments in plastic screen technology could be a genuine game-changer in the future of not only wearable technology, but also smartphones, tablets, laptops and in fact anything that currently relies on a heavy, solid glass screen to get the message across. “Plastic Logic’s flexible plastic displays are completely transformational in terms of product interaction,” said Plastic Logic CEO Indro Mukerjee recently. “Plastic Logic’s development of a colour flexible plastic display is particularly significant, since the same process could enable unbreakable, flexible display solutions with other media such as LCD and OLED.”
2 – Samsung
You would expect to see at least one electronics giant involved in wearables, and in this case it’s most definitely Samsung. While its rivals (including the mighty Apple) have been relatively slow out of the starting blocks when it comes to wearables, Samsung, based in Seoul, South Korea, has been powering ahead. Their Galaxy Gear was the first high-profile commercial ‘smartwatch’ and although the initial launch was riddled with problems, the second generation watches have addressed many of the problems and Samsung is asserting its authority as the heavy hitter of the wearables world.
3 – Boston Scientific
Based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA, Boston Scientific is to the medical profession what Samsung is to mobile phones. This international corporation has a presence in 40 countries around the world, and have been innovating in the medical field since the 1970s. Their expertise in medical wearables has without doubt saved lives, and they are focusing their R&D in the area that they know best – medical wearables. This includes everything from imaging systems to monitor heart conditions, through to products that could help asthmatics breathe more easily without constantly relying on steroid inhalers. Medical development still receives far more funding for research than almost any other field (excluding the military) so it is here that some serious advancements in wearables could be made.
4 – Google
Think search engines and one name shoots to the top of the list – the ‘Big G’. Based near San Jose, California, there cannot be a single person on the planet who uses the Internet who hasn’t heard of the mighty Google. However, what many people don’t know is that Google isn’t just interested in SERPS, pagerankings and listing your website on their searches. They’ve moved into hardware development too. The Google Glass took wearables to a whole new level and was an unexpected twist in the Google story. Now, with their developments at their specialist X Labs and other R&D facilities such as Lift Lab, they’re taking a leading role in the future of wearables, including medical wearables too.
5 – Eurotech
If you want to know where the future of wearables and indeed technology in general lies, you can’t do much better than Eurotech. This multinational is at the cutting edge in the development of that key component in the wearable world – the Internet of Things. Based in Italy but with a footprint that covers much of the world, Eurotech’s roots lay in the development of embedded computers. And without this piece of essential kit wearables are a non-starter, so their role in the development of the industry has been crucial. Connecting smart objects and getting them to network with one another is a fundamental principle of wearables (for example, a smartwatch still needs a smart device such as a tablet or phone to talk to for many functions). So Eurotech are focusing their R&D on pushing the connectivity of our technological world to new levels.
Don’t forget the little guys…
But in the midst of all these multi-nationals with billions of dollars of research funding or international footprints, don’t forget the little guys. Those garage R&D innovators supported by crowdfunding sites who start small but think big. It could be that the game-changer for wearable technology doesn’t come out of a slick corporate lab, but out of a garage workshop in the middle of nowhere and funded by $10 donations from people who have gone onto Kickstarter and thought, “Ah, what the heck, that looks interesting. Have ten bucks and good luck with it, buddy…”